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Boatswain

Non-Commissioned Member | Full Time, Part Time

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    • Overview

    As a member of the military, Boatswains are the seamanship specialists of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). They are responsible for the safe operation and maintenance of the ship’s rigging, shipboard cargo handling equipment, boats and small craft.

    The range of their responsibilities and supervisory duties is wider than in most other seagoing occupations. Their primary responsibilities are to:

    • Operate and maintain shipboard equipment associated with cargo handling and inter-ship transfers of personnel, fuel, and materiel while at sea
    • Operate and maintain the ship’s equipment for such tasks as anchoring, towing, launching and recovering  boats, and surface rescue operations
    • Operate and navigate small craft in all waters
    • Perform required tasks with ship’s rigging and lifesaving equipment
    • Organize the storage, training, maintenance and use of small arms, demolitions and ammunition
    • Prepare and lead demolitions operations in the naval environment
    • Plan, organize and direct ceremonial procedures
    • Assist and supervise deck crews in maintaining the ship and its equipment
    • Coordinate watch keeping duties at sea and in harbour

    Work environment

    The Boatswain is truly “the professional sailor,” experiencing the unique adventures and challenges that come with work at sea, such as open deck surfaces and a rotating shift or watch system. Ashore, Boatswains normally work as instructors training other naval personnel. Junior Boatswains spend time working outside their occupation performing general duties such as cleaning, painting, working in the cafeteria, standing sentry duty, storing the ship, and acting as members of the Naval Boarding Party.

    If you chose a career in the Regular Force, upon completion of all required training, you will be assigned to your first base. While there is some flexibility with regards to postings (relocations), accommodations can’t always be made, and therefore, you can likely expect to move at some point in your career. However, if you decide to join the Primary Reserve Force, you will do so through a specific Reserve unit. Outside of training, your chosen Reserve unit will be your workplace on a part time basis, and you will not be obligated to relocate to a different base. As part of the Primary Reserve Force, you typically work one night per week and some weekends as a minimum with possibilities of full-time employment.

    Career Overview

    Transcript

    Boatswain

    Harris:

    I'm Master Sailor Tristan Harris. I am from Seabird Island, British Columbia, and I'm a boatswain.

    Narrator:

    Boatswains comprise the entire deck department of the ship’s company and have a wider range of duties and responsibilities than anybody else onboard a Royal Canadian Navy ship.

    They are professional sailors and fulfill many day-to-day operations on their assigned ships.

    Harris: 

    Very much what it consists of is preventative maintenance, corrective maintenance. So what that means is that when we do head out to go to sea, we need to ensure that every and all piece of equipment, at least associated with the Boatswains, is up and running to full optimal capability.

    For a Boatswain while at sea, your time would be up on the bridge. We are on watch Boatswain, or known as a watch on deck, and we are the eyes and ears of the ship basically as we are sailing underway.

    Narrator:

    Boatswains also lead crew members from all departments during seamanship evolution, such as replenishment at sea, entering and leaving harbors, boat transfers of cargo and personnel, towing operations, and rescues.

    Harris:

    To be a good Boatswain, it takes a lot of dedication, discipline and most certainly the biggest of all would be teamwork. You do not do very much anything in this job by yourself.  Everything is done with a buddy.

    Narrator:

    Boatswains are also trained in demolition and assist in landing helicopters at sea.

    Throughout their naval career, Boatswains will see opportunities to engage in new tasks through Advanced and Specialty Training, including Naval Boarding Parties and being a ships team diver.

    Harris: 

    Truly one of the greatest things about being a boatswain, at least to me, is the fact that we get to be small arms experts, drive boats, and truly one of the most interesting things of all is we are C4 demolitions experts.

    Harris: 

    While sailing, as long as you have a supporting family back home, it truly makes it an amazing endeavor. You get to see some of the coolest places around the world and you get paid to be there.

     

    I've been from places from Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam to Singapore, many, many months in Hawaii and all the way down to Puerto Quetzal Guatemala, up and down the U.S.  My favorite would be Darwin, Australia, in which I was there in 2016. 

     

    For me, growing up, certainly coming from Seabird Island, First Nation.  Where I am today, where I've been, and where I'm going, was never even on my map. So I am truly ecstatic for the journey that I've taken so far.

    Related Civilian Occupations

    • Tugboat captain
    • Deck hand on a fishing vessel
    • Boatswains employed by private ships

    Training

    The first stage of training is the Basic Military Qualification course, or “basic training,” held at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. This training provides the basic core skills and knowledge common to all occupations in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). A goal of this course is to ensure that all recruits maintain the CAF physical fitness standard; as a result, the training is physically demanding.

    Naval recruits attend the Canadian Forces Fleet School in Esquimalt, British Columbia or the Canadian Forces Naval Operations School in Halifax, Nova Scotia for approximately five weeks. Training includes the following topics:

    • Perform General Duties in the Naval Environment
    • Perform as a Member of the Force Protection Team
    • Perform as a Member of the Damage Control Organization
    • Carry Out Survival Drills

    Learn more about Basic Training here.

    The next training is specific to the duties of Boatswains. It lasts about 12 weeks. It includes the following topics:

    • Working of anchors, cables and lines, and tasks associated with mooring, anchoring, and towing
    • Maintenance of the upper deck and its equipment
    • Transfer of materiel and personnel between ships at sea
    • Procedures for ship refuelling and transfer of material at sea
    • Rigging tasks including brows, ladders and buoys
    • Boat work, including high-speed small boat operation, boat maintenance and navigation
    • Rescue operations
    • Handling, preparation and detonation of demolition charges
    • Operation and maintenance of small arms, from rifle and pistol up to .50 calibre heavy machine-gun

    Boatswains may be selected to develop specialized skills through formal courses and on-the-job training, including:

    • Naval Tactical Operator or Naval Boarding Party team training
    • Ship's Team Diver
    • Tender Officer (i.e., small naval vessels)
    • Navigator's Yeoman
    • Instructional Techniques and Training Validation

    Entry plans

    No previous work experience or career related skills are required.  CAF recruiters can help you decide if your personal interests and attributes match the criteria for this occupation.

    The minimum required education to apply for this occupation is the completion of the provincial requirements for Grade 10 or Secondary 4 in Quebec or equivalent secondary school education.

    Foreign education may be accepted.

    Part time options

    This occupation is available for part-time employment with the Primary Reserve at certain locations across Canada including 24 Naval Reserve Divisions (NRD). Reserve Force members usually serve part time at a Naval Reserve Division (NRD) in their community, and may serve while going to school or working at a civilian job. Naval Reservists are paid during their training. They are not posted or required to do a military move. However, they can voluntarily transfer from one NRD to another. They may also volunteer for deployment on military missions within or outside Canada.

    Reserve Boatswains serve as members of the Royal Canadian Navy. Like their Regular Force counterparts, they are employed as seamanship specialists and are responsible for the safe operation and maintenance of ship’s rigging, shipboard cargo handling equipment, boats in all waters, and small arms. Part-time employment is normally in the Boatswain’s NRD; some part-time training is conducted on weekends at naval schools or in ships afloat. Casual full-time employment in ships and at naval schools is normally available in the summer months.

    Find a Recruiting Centre

    Reserve Force members are trained to the same level as their Regular Force counterparts for work that is common to the two components. Reservists usually begin training in their Naval Reserve Divison to prepare them for the Basic Military Naval Qualification course. Following basic training and naval environmental training, Boatswains complete their occupation qualification at either the Canadian Forces Fleet School in Esquimalt, British Columbia or the Canadian Forces Naval Operations School in Halifax, Nova Scotia for approximately 10 weeks.

    Reserve Force members usually serve part-time with their home Naval Reserve Division for scheduled evenings and occasional weekends. They are paid 92.8 percent of Regular Force rates of pay, receive a reasonable benefits package including a pension plan, and may qualify for reimbursement of civilian education expenses.