THE HELMSMAN

Definition

A helmsman is an individual who is responsible for the steering of any type of

transportation used in or on the water. A professional helmsman may serve on
a submarine, a private vessel such as a yacht or sailboat, or a military vessel
such as a ship or aircraft carrier. It is the responsibility of helmsmen to carry out
the orders of the captain in terms of plotting courses and making sure the
vessel arrives and departs at various ports in a timely manner.

In the merchant marine, the person at the helm is usually an able seaman,
particularly during ship arrivals, departures, and while manoeuvring in restricted
waters or other conditions requiring precise steering. An ordinary seaman is
commonly restricted to steering in open waters.

A professional helmsman maintains a steady course, properly executes all

rudder orders, and communicates to the officer on the bridge utilizing
navigational terms relating to ship's heading and steering.

A helmsman relies upon visual references, a magnetic and gyrocompass, and

a rudder angle indicator to steer a steady course. The mate or other officer on
the bridge directs the helmsman aboard merchant or navy ships.

Clear and exact communication between the helmsman and officer on the
bridge is essential to safe navigation and ship handling. Subsequently, a set of
standard steering commands, the IMO’s Standard wheel order which is written
of the Standard Maritime Communication Phrased (SMCP) must always be
practice on board to avoid miss-communication, and responses by the
helmsman, and acknowledgment by the conning officer are widely
recognized in the maritime industry.

The helmsman repeats any verbal commands in order to demonstrate that the
command is heard and understood. The International Convention on
Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW)
requires that helmsman must be able to understand and respond to helm
orders in English.

Steering a ship effectively requires skills gained through training and

experience. An expert helmsman has a keen sense of how a particular ship will
respond to the helm or how different sea conditions impact steering. For
instance, experience teaches a helmsman the ability to correct the rudder in
advance of a ship substantially falling off course. This requires the capacity to
anticipate the delay between when the helm is applied and when the ship
responds to the rudder. Similarly, a skilled helmsman will avoid

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overcompensating for a ship's movement caused by local conditions, such as

wind, swells, currents, or rough seas.

HOW TO BECOME A HELMSMAN

Computer-based ship simulators provide a training environment for learning

skills to steer a ship. Training can be programmed to replicate a variety of ship
sizes and environmental conditions. Scenarios depicted in 3-D graphics range
from making course corrections in open waters to maneuvering in port, rivers,
or other shallow waters. Cost compared to a real vessel is low. Mariners learn
responses to dangerous situations, such as steering failure, in the safety of a
virtual environment.

Land-based ship simulators may feature a full-scale replica of a steering stand

with a ship's wheel. Such simulators incorporate magnetic and gyro compasses
(or repeaters) for steering. Moreover, a rudder angle indicator that responds
appropriately to the helm is part of the configuration.

However technology also allows for a multitude of smaller workstations in a

classroom setting. Administrators network student workstations so that the
instructor can launch individual scenarios at each station. Computer models
are used to accurately simulate conditions such as wind, seas, and currents.
Moreover, shallow-water effects or other the hydrodynamic forces, such as
ships passing close to each other, can also be depicted. A computer
application records training sessions, complete with voice commands issued by
the instructor which are received by the students via a headset.

On-the-job training at sea is critical to a helmsman developing ability to "sense"

or anticipate how a ship will respond in different conditions. The experienced
helmsman uses measured responses to sea conditions, even when
encountering heavy weather that may cause a ship to pitch and roll as it
pounds its way through oncoming waves. Subsequently, the helmsman learns
to relax and take into account the vessel's natural rhythm in order to avoid
oversteering whatever the maritime environment.

Consequently, more accurate steering is attained with less rudder. Applying

the minimal rudder required to steer a course reduces drag of the ship, thereby
favorably impacting the ship's speed and operating costs.

One of the helmsman's most important duties is steering a ship in a harbor or

seaport when reduced speeds slow a ship's response to the rudder. For it is
during ship arrivals and departures, when most ship collisions or groundings
occur.[2] Clear communication, then, between the officer of the bridge and
the helmsman is essential for safe operations. The officer or harbor pilot relies

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upon the helmsman to flawlessly execute steering commands to avoid a

variety of hazards, including man-made obstacles, land formations, grounding
in shallow waters, and the threat of collision with other vessels. In addition,
powerful sea tides and river currents encountered in seaports heighten
navigation dangers, as a ship's ability to stop is severely limited.

Helmsmen of merchant and military ships that are underway stand watch at
the helm for a set period of time before being relieved by another
watchstander. The person being relieved will complete any course change or
other critical maneuver that is in progress before handing over the helm.

The helmsman handing over the helm will inform the relief helmsman of any
rudder commands in place and pertinent conditions. "Steering 180. We have
oncoming traffic two points on the starboard" for example. In addition, the
current helmsman should inform the relief if there are any peculiarities affecting
steerage. Similarly, the helmsman will also point out if he or she is steering on a
landmark, range, or navigational light. The relief helmsman is obligated to
repeat the course being steered or other rudder command in order to
demonstrate an understanding of the situation at the helm.

Relieving the helm

On merchant ships, it is taught at the various maritime academies that the

proper way to relieve the helm is for the helmsman being relieved to call out
loudly the ship's course per gyro, course per standard magnetic compass,
steering mode, rudder angle, and the pump the vessel is steering off of. The
relief helmsman will then take the helm and repeat all the information to
ensure that he/she knows what to steer while on watch. An example of this
would be:

Helmsman: "Helm is being relieved... steering two-four-eight per gyro, checking

two-four-five per standard. Helm is in hand, rudder amidships, steering off the
port pump."

Relief: "Helm has been relieved... steering two-four-eight per gyro, checking
two-four-five per standard. Helm is in hand, rudder amidships, steering off the
port pump."

The officer on watch will usually always reply with "very well."

Depending on the circumstances, the helmsmen may be called upon to

perform specific tasks in relation to some type of movement of the vessel. In
the case of a cruising helmsman, the focus is on keeping the ship on course in
open waters. At other times, seamen who function in this capacity may be

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called upon specifically to guide the ship as it enters a port and prepares to
dock, or during the departure process when it is necessary to successfully clear
the docking area and advance safely into open waters.

DUTIES OF THE LOOKOUT

The principal duty of the lookout is to maintain a continuous watch for all
hazards that may impair the safe navigation of the vessel (Figure 1.1).

He is obliged to give his full uninterrupted attention to this duty, reporting any of
the following to the officer of the watch:

1. All ships irrespective of size or position in relation to the vessel on which he is

sailing.
2. All navigation marks or lights.
3. All floating objects.
4. Any sightings of ice, no matter in what form.
5. Sandbanks or prominent navigational features.
6. Derelicts and any other hazard considered dangerous to navigation.
7. The malfunction of the ship’s lights, and their correct functioning at hourly
intervals.

1 point of the compass = 111/4°

8 points in a quarter
32 points in all

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DUTIES OF THE HELMSMAN

Engaged on automatic pilot. On large passenger vessels the steering duty is

normally carried out by the ‘quartermaster’ and the terms helmsman and
quartermaster are both in common use in all merchant vessels. The duty can
be tedious and tiring and regular reliefs are employed to maintain efficiency,
since the responsibility for the safe passage of the vessel lies in the hands of the
man steering. A helmsman taking the wheel should come on duty earlier rather
than later. It is one duty in which punctuality is always expected. At the
hanged-over the course being steered should always be repeated out loud,
from one man to another, in order to allow all personnel on the bridge to be
aware of the course being steered. Once the wheel has been relieved, the
helmsman whose duty has finished should report the course to the officer of
the watch, who will repeat it in acknowledgment.
On the amount of ‘helm’ that the vessel is carrying in order to maintain her
course reasonably steady. Such information can enable the relief to avoid
excessive helm movement while keeping a steady course.

Although an old-fashioned custom which has largely dropped out of practice

with the advent of the ‘gyro compass’ and ‘reflector units’, it was normal
procedure for the helmsman to remove his knife and spike and any other
metal about his person which might have affected the magnetic compass. He
would at the same time remove any lanyard or loose fitting clothing which
could possibly catch the spokes of the wheel when turning.

Before sailing, the steering gear should be tested, under the supervision of the
duty officer, by putting the helm hard over to both port and starboard and
holding the pressure in both positions, so that the rudder indicator will show the
extent of movement in response to the helm.

Pilot Wheels

When a vessel is navigating in coastal waters, a pilot is generally employed

and manual steering is used. The helmsman should take orders for the wheel
movements from the pilot and repeat each order, word for word, back to the
pilot before executing the movement. The man at the wheel should bear in
mind that the pilot is an adviser to the Master and his representative (OOW),
and at any time the Master or the officer of the watch may countermand the
orders of the pilot.

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STEERING GEAR FAILURE OR LOSS OF RUDDER

The alternatives open to mariners who suffer the loss of steering facilities are
limited to the type of vessel and the associated equipment which it happens to
have on board at the time of the incident. In the case of a twin-screw vessel,
steering is simple: by altering the revolutions on one or both engines a
comparatively straight course can be maintained.

The old-fashioned method of rigging a jury rudder over the stern was a difficult
proposition on conventional ships. On larger modern tonnage it could well
prove impossible. To illustrate this problem, jury rudders were often constructed
from conventional hatch slabs secured to a boom or derrick. Modern ships
tend to be equipped with steel hatch covers, which, for obvious reasons, could
not be used.
A much more practical method, which could be employed in an emergency,
would be to stream drag weights over each side of the vessel.

The type of weights employed would depend on the equipment carried by the
vessel. For example, the majority of vessels are fitted with engine room ‘bottom
plates’ which could well be used as improvised drag weights, acting like the
trawl doors of a fishing boat. Such drag weights should preferably be flat and
of substantial construction. Improvising materials normally carried aboard to
suit an emergency situation will call for ingenuity and time if they are to be
effective, but with thought most vessels will have some form of equipment that
can be turned to good use for the occasion.

Problems may also arise not just in the rigging of such items but with their
application, e.g. streaming over side. Many modern vessels, such as container
or ore carriers, are not fitted with cranes or derricks, and the lack of these could
make this method extremely difficult to operate. As an alternative option, a
heavy weight streamed directly astern of the vessel, with steering wires led to
each quarter, might prove a better proposition.

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