CADET Seaman Apprentice 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the purpose of a vessel's 'general alarm' signal?
- To signal meal times for the crew
- To alert crew to muster at emergency stations for a serious emergency (Correct answer)
- To announce a change of watch
- To warn other vessels of approach in fog
Correct answer: To alert crew to muster at emergency stations for a serious emergency
The general alarm signals all hands to muster at emergency stations in preparation for damage control, fire, or other major emergencies.
Question 2: Which document must a vessel carry that details emergency procedures, damage control, and fire-fighting assignments?
- Ship's log
- Muster list (Station Bill) (Correct answer)
- Cargo manifest
- Customs declaration
Correct answer: Muster list (Station Bill)
The muster list (or station bill) lists every crew member's emergency station and duties during various emergencies.
Question 3: What does 'making fast' a vessel mean?
- Accelerating the vessel to maximum speed
- Securing the vessel to a pier, buoy, or another vessel with lines (Correct answer)
- Battening down hatches before a storm
- Completing a navigational fix quickly
Correct answer: Securing the vessel to a pier, buoy, or another vessel with lines
Making fast means securing a vessel in place using mooring lines attached to a fixed structure or buoy.
Question 4: What is the significance of a vessel's 'freeboard'?
- The amount of unoccupied cargo space available
- The vertical distance from the waterline to the main deck edge (Correct answer)
- The speed available above standard cruising speed
- The reserve electrical capacity of the ship's generators
Correct answer: The vertical distance from the waterline to the main deck edge
Freeboard is the distance between the waterline and the main deck, indicating how much the hull extends above water as a safety reserve.
Question 5: When mooring lines are described as 'spring lines', what is their primary function?
- To hold the bow or stern directly into the dock
- To prevent the vessel from moving forward or aft along the dock (Correct answer)
- To keep the vessel a set distance off the dock face
- To connect two vessels together during at-sea replenishment
Correct answer: To prevent the vessel from moving forward or aft along the dock
Spring lines run at an angle fore and aft along the vessel, preventing longitudinal movement along the dock.
Question 6: What does the term 'scuttlebutt' originally refer to aboard a naval vessel?
- A type of small emergency escape hatch
- A cask of drinking water on deck where sailors would gather and talk (Correct answer)
- A tool used for cleaning the ship's hull
- A navigational chart of shallow coastal waters
Correct answer: A cask of drinking water on deck where sailors would gather and talk
A scuttlebutt was a cask of fresh water kept on deck; sailors gathered around it to drink and gossip, giving rise to the modern meaning of rumor.
Question 7: In a naval context, what does 'WHMIS' stand for and why is it important to a Seaman Apprentice?
- Warship Hazard Mapping and Inspection System — for charting mine fields
- Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System — for safe handling of chemicals aboard (Correct answer)
- Water Hull Monitoring and Integrity Survey — for hull maintenance records
- Weekly Hazard and Maintenance Inspection Schedule — for routine checks
Correct answer: Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System — for safe handling of chemicals aboard
WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) governs the labeling and safe use of hazardous chemicals, which sailors encounter in fuels, cleaning agents, and paints.
CADET Seaman Apprentice 5
What is the purpose of a vessel's 'general alarm' signal?