How to Become a Captain
To be Captain of an Ocean-going Ship..
You must first have a Z-card and the appropriate License issued by the United States Coast Guard. There are some similarities between getting a drivers' license and a ship license. You have to take drivers' education classes and practical drivers training before you are allowed to take a test. You then take the test, and if you pass, you can drive a car.
To get to be the Captain of a ship, first you go to school, then you do the practical training, then you take the test. Once you have successfully completed these requirements, you get a Third Mates' License.
You then go up through the ranks, first spending one year as Third Mate, then a year as Second Mate, and finally a year as Chief Mate. A year for the Coast Guard is 365 days. So unless you work without a break for a year, it usually takes a couple of years to get one full year at sea. In addition to the time requirement and additional training classes, you must pass tests issued by the Coast Guard to advance to the next level.
OK, how do I get the Third Mate license?
Here is the first, and preferred, way to get on the path to becoming a captain. There are five Maritime Academies in the USA, as well as one Federal Academy. These are all four year colleges and successful students graduate with a BS or BA in Nautical Science or Marine Engineering. In addition to classes like Navigation, Rules of the Road, Seamanship or Diesels, Electricity, and Steam, these schools send students (Cadets) to sea for a total of 180 days to complete their practical training. The sea time usually consists of cruises on the school ships and work on regular commercial ships. Here are the schools:
(I will add the links when we have more satellite coverage!)
Maine Maritime:
Mass Maritime:
Suny Maritime:
Texas Maritime:
California Maritime:
Great Lakes Maritime:
Once you graduate you will then "sit" for your Third Mate's or Third Engineer's Exam. Pass this and you are ready for your first ship!
Another Way to work up.."Coming Up Through the Hawspipe"
If you want to work your way up through the ranks, it can be done. You start as an Ordinary Seaman. You can be an Ordinary Seaman by getting a Z-card from the Coast Guard and signing on for a deck or basic engine room position on a ship. If you want a taste of the sea before you commit to a full degree program, this is a good way to do it. There is a lot of basic maintenance and cleaning and other work that needs done on any ship; it is basic work and fairly good pay. Sign-on and you start building sea time for the next level.
Once you have 365 days as an Ordinary Seaman, you then need to take Coast Guard approved classes including Firefighting, Seamanship, Lifeboat man, Basic Safety, and CPR. You then apply to the Coast Guard and take the test. Pass this and your Z-card is upgraded to AB, or Able Seaman.
Now that you are an AB, guess what. You now need 3 full years (365 X 3) and lots of classes before the Coast Guard will allow you to take the test to get a Third Mate's license! Oh, all must be Coast Guard approved and are usually ashore, so estimate your total time as maybe 4-5 years minimum. If successful, you now have a Third Mate's license! The process is very difficult and long; there are few people who are persistent enough to get everything done.
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