Hawsepiper
Hawsepiper is an informal
merchant seaman and did not attend a traditional maritime college or academy
to earn an officer's license. The term is almost exclusively used within the U.S.
A ship's
foremast jacks before becoming officers, metaphorically by climbing up the hawser rather than being received directly onto the quarterdeck
.
There is also the phrase, "going down the hawse pipe" which refers to an officer who cannot find a ship's billet and signs on as an ordinary seaman or wiper.
Several merchant seamen's unions offer their members the required training to help them advance,[1] and some employers offer financial assistance to pay for the training for their employees. Otherwise, the mariner must pay the cost of the required training.
Since the requirements of
STCW '95 were enacted there have been complaints that the hawsepiper progression path has been made too difficult because of the cost in time and money to meet formal classroom training requirements. Critics said that the newer requirements would eventually lead to a shortage of qualified mariners, especially in places like the United States.[2]
See also
- Licensed mariner
- Third mate
- Third Assistant Engineer
References
- ^ "Deck Department". SIU. Archived from the original on 2002-12-20.
- ^ Captain Joel Milton (November 2004). "MARINER CAREER ADVANCEMENT BLOCKED". GULF COAST MARINERS ASSOCIATION - Newsletter 26. Archived from the original on 2007-09-06.
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