Boatswain's Mate

You are the new deckhand. The bosun mate standing watch already knows your name because you are the one sweeping paint chips off the fantail before quarters.

You chip, grind, prime, and paint. You coil lines, fake them down, and learn the difference between a cleat hitch and a clove hitch from a BM3 who has no patience for guessing. You stand watch as a helmsman-in-training under instruction on the bridge — learning rudder orders, standard commands, and how to steady the ship on a compass course. You load and stage stores during replenishments, tend mooring lines from the pier, and help rig bosun chairs and transfer lines under direct supervision. The unglamorous truth: the first 12 months are heavy on the chipping hammer and short on the helm, and the BMSN who complains about it is the one who gets more chipping hammer.

• 01Heave and belay a mooring line to a cleat, bitt, or capstan under the boatswain mate's direction — proper lead, no slack, no figure-eight over your fist.
• 02Steer a steady compass heading on the helm, execute standard rudder orders without lag, and report course-and-speed accurately to the JOOD.
• 03Rig and tend a jacob's ladder, accommodation ladder, and quarterdeck station to NAVSEA / ship's force SOP — wrong rigging is a man-overboard report.
• 04Identify marlinspike seamanship basics: bowline, cleat hitch, square knot, running bowline, heaving line knot — and tie them in the dark.
• 05Perform basic maintenance on deck equipment — blocks, shackles, pelican hooks, roller chocks — clean, lubricate, and report discrepancies up the chain.
• 06Stand a proper lookout watch — sector assignment, binocular use, contact reporting format to the OOD, no sleeping on watch.

• —NWP 4-01.4 — Underway Replenishment (your section spends real time on UNREP rigs; know your station before the ships close).
• —NAVEDTRA 14343 — Boatswain's Mate Rate Training Manual (the BM NRTC that feeds the NWAE; start the bibliography now).
• —OPNAVINST 3120.32 — Standard Organization and Regulations of the U.S. Navy (SORN; every watch you stand lives in here).
• —OPNAVINST 6110.1 — Navy Physical Readiness Program (PRT/BCA standard from day one).
• —Ship's Deck Log standing orders and the Watch, Quarter, and Station Bill — your name is on a billet; know it before muster.

• —PRT Satisfactory or better; BCA in standard — the deck division runs PT every morning and the chief counts who falls out.
• —Helmsman-Under-Instruction (HUI) qualification signed off before the first deployment — the BM2 who has to babysit you past month six is not happy about it.
• —Basic Seamanship section of the BM PQS 501 completed on the LCPO's timeline.
• —No UA from watch — a missed watch on the bridge or bow is a dereliction, and it travels from the JOOD to the XO before the sun sets.
• —NWAE eligibility study habit started — BM3 eligibility comes faster than new BMs believe.

• —Improperly securing a mooring line or UNREP rig — one parted line under strain can amputate a limb or go through a sailor standing inside the bight.
• —Correcting a helm order silently instead of asking "rudder is hard right, standing by for new course?" — a confusing rudder order needs to be repeated aloud, not guessed.
• —Storing marlin, small stuff, or line in a pile instead of properly coiled and hung — the line that feeds into a winch drum tangled is a fouled line and a casualty.
• —Leaving deck hardware — shackles, cotter pins, loose gear — adrift before heavy weather. What is adrift on a rolling deck becomes a projectile.
• —Standing watch as lookout with binoculars down and not scanning. Missing a contact report or a man-overboard situation is a safety-of-ship event.

The good BMSN is the one the BM2 asks for when the deck division is understaffed for an UNREP. Kit squared, line coiled correctly, helm steady within one degree, no attitude about the paint detail. By month 12 the BM1 is signing off PQS blocks and the LCPO knows the name before the NWAE list drops.

You are a petty officer with a crow on your sleeve and a junior deck hand watching every line you coil. The ship's work still gets done by your hands — but now it also gets done by your example.

You stand qualified helm watches, JOOD-underway watches on smaller platforms, and bow lookout. You run small-boat operations as coxswain or crew on the rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) or motor whaleboat depending on your ship. You lead working parties on mooring, UNREP approach and departure, stores loading, and special evolutions (towing, salvage preparation, crane and davit operation). You qualify and sign off junior BMSN and SR on PQS line items. On destroyers and frigates you qualify Surface Warfare Specialist (SWO-E) — the warfare pin that runs through every SWS section starting at BM3. On large deck platforms you run a section of the deck division. The NWAE for BM2 is real — pull the current BIB and start working it with purpose.

• 01Coxswain a RHIB or motor whaleboat through sea state 3 — boat brief complete, crew assigned, radio checks done, passenger safety brief given, return to ship executed without the OOD calling down to ask why you're circling.
• 02Run an UNREP evolution as station leader — rig tensioned, phone talker active, distance-line called, safety on the fly-away messenger — and write the proper log entry when it's over.
• 03Operate a capstan, gypsy head, or ship's crane under the direct supervision of the BM1 or chief — load calculations verified, personnel clear of the load radius.
• 04Execute a man-overboard (MOB) station from memory — your station, your equipment (heaving line, life ring, smoke float), your role in the recovery evolution, not the OOD's.
• 05Sign off a BM PQS section for a BMSN — standard documented, your initials on the line, your name defended if the LCPO asks what you actually tested.
• 06Write a proper deck log entry for a significant sea event — course, speed, wind, sea state, crew, actions taken — that the skipper can sign without rewriting.

• —NWP 4-01.4 — Underway Replenishment (you lead station now, not just attend it).
• —NWP 3-04.1M — Helicopter Operating Procedures for Air-Capable Ships (if your ship is air-capable; BMs own the flight deck perimeter safety piece).
• —NAVEDTRA 14343 — BM Rate Training Manual (NWAE BIB reference; current BIB from MyNavyHR / NETC).
• —OPNAVINST 3120.32 (SORN) — watch standing, log keeping, OOD authority chain.
• —NAVPERS 18068F — Enlisted Manpower and Personnel Classifications (rate occupational standards; know what BM2 requires).
• —Small Boat Operations Manual and your ship's boat bill — coxswain authority and limitations are here, not in your head.

• —Qualified Helmsman and JOOD-Underway on your ship class before first underway period ends.
• —RHIB Coxswain qualified or in-pipeline for BM3 on surface combatants — unqualified coxswains get replaced before boats are lowered.
• —Surface Warfare Specialist (SWS/SW) device packet in progress by month 12 at the command.
• —NWAE for BM2 prep documented — BM3 who doesn't submit for BM2 by second eligibility cycle is the one the LCPO counsels in the office.
• —PRT Good Low or better; BCA in standard — deck hands are expected to carry the load on 5-mile working party movements.

• —Rigging a tow or tending a UNREP rig without a safety sweep for personnel inside the bight or the high-tension zone. One person in the danger area when the line parts is a fatality report.
• —Driving a small boat back to the ship without a positive comms check with the bridge. Lost communication during boat ops triggers a man-overboard evolution — the skipper does not appreciate that.
• —Signing off a PQS line item you didn't actually test. Your LCPO randomly re-examines signed blocks; a BM3 who rubber-stamped PQS items is the BM3 who doesn't pin BM2 on time.
• —Logging inaccurate weather or course/speed data in the deck log. The deck log is a legal document; a discrepancy with the Combat Direction Center (CDC) plot creates a JAG problem.
• —Letting senior personnel handle all crane/davit operation without tracking the SOP yourself. If the crane breaks or a boat is dropped, the BM3 who "watched" owns the statement.

The good BM3 is the coxswain the duty officer requests by name for the 0200 liberty boat run because he comes back with all the seats filled and a clean boat. His section's BMSN PQS is on pace, his deck log entries are clean, and the chief is already asking him about the BM2 NWAE date. By month 18 the SWS device is pinned and the LCPO is drafting his eEVAL bullets from memory.

You are the working senior deckhand and the section lead the BM1 trusts to run the evolution while he is at the chief's mess call. The BMSN copies how you coil a line; the OOD calls you by name.

You lead a section of the deck division — 4 to 10 sailors depending on ship class — and run mooring, UNREP, towing, small-boat, and flight deck perimeter evolutions as the senior petty officer on station. You write the watch bill for your section, train and sign off BM3s and BMS on PQS, run the section's PMS (preventive maintenance) schedule for deck equipment, and produce the deck division's portion of the department training plan. JOOD-Underway qualification on your ship class is the working standard — not a stretch goal. The BM1 exam is on the horizon; the BM who never picks up the BIB at BM2 is the one who fails eligibility twice and wonders why. On larger platforms (amphibious, big-deck), you may run an entire boat detachment or a specialized ship's force team (gunboat detail, replenishment detail, anchoring detail).

• 01Run a mooring or UNREP station as the senior petty officer — brief the team, assign stations, enforce the safety zone, control the evolution from first heaving line to final report to the OOD.
• 02Operate as JOOD-Underway on your ship class — conn the ship for routine maneuvering under the OOD's supervision, execute man-overboard, foul weather, and restricted visibility watch transitions.
• 03Lead a towing evolution as deck supervisor — wire handling, pelican hook release drill, tow pendants, the communication flow between the bridge, fantail, and the towed vessel.
• 04Write a section training plan with quarterly milestones — PQS completions, warfare device timelines, NWAE study milestones, PMS completion rates — that the BM1 can brief the department head.
• 05Manage PMS for your section's assigned deck gear — capstans, davits, sea painter hardware, UNREP tensioners, small boat equipment — with zero overdue work orders at the monthly PMS review.
• 06Write eEVAL bullets for BM3s and BMS that have measurable outcomes (PQS completions, evolutions led, qualifications earned) rather than generic deckhand filler.

• —NWP 4-01.4 — Underway Replenishment (you run the station; you teach the manual).
• —NTTP 3-04.2M / Ship's Boat and Small Craft Manual — your coxswains are qualified off this; you own the currency tracking.
• —NAVEDTRA 14343 + current BM BIB from MyNavyHR — the NWAE bibliography is the test; the BM2 who studies it systematically advances.
• —OPNAVINST 3120.32 (SORN) — section leader standing orders, watch bill requirements, and log standards are all here.
• —MILPERSMAN 1306 series — detailing options, "C" school pipeline (Assault Craft Unit, Riverine, Port Security Unit, maritime expeditionary), school timelines.
• —OPNAVINST 1306.2 — detailing and assignment, so you understand why the orders you get are the orders you get.

• —JOOD-Underway qualified on current ship class before midpoint of sea tour.
• —Surface Warfare Specialist (SWS) device pinned — the BM2 without a warfare pin at this tour is behind the eEVAL ranking peer group.
• —Section PMS completion rate at or above department average every monthly review.
• —NWAE for BM1 on study timeline — BM2 who fails the BM1 exam twice without documented study effort gets counseled on re-rating options.
• —PRT Good High or better; BCA in standard.

• —Running an UNREP rig without a pre-rig safety brief and signed station bill. When the rig fails and the NAVSEA investigation team shows up, the section leader's name is on the SORN entry.
• —Letting BM3s sign off PQS for each other and rubber-stamping the section. One bad JOOD performance under stress exposes the fraudulent qual and comes back on the petty officer who signed it.
• —Missing a PMS due date on safety-critical equipment (davit brakes, sea painter fittings, capstan clutch) and not submitting a discrepancy chit. The equipment fails under load; the chain of culpability starts with who last signed the PMS card.
• —Skipping the JOOD-Underway study because you're always busy with deck work. The warfare pin and the JOOD qual are how BM2s differentiate at the eEVAL ranking board — deck work alone will not carry you.
• —Failing to brief the OOD on a deck casualty or near-miss because you "handled it." The OOD needs to know; the SORN requires it; the omission looks worse than the incident.

The good BM2 is the section leader the department head names when the ship gets a new XO and someone needs to explain how the UNREP detail actually works. His section's PMS is clean, his BM3s are SWS-pinned, and his JOOD underway qual was done by month six of the tour. The chief pulls him into planning meetings — not because it's required, but because his feedback is accurate.

You are the LPO of the deck division. The division officer handles the wardroom and the admin; you run the sailors, own the evolution, and own the answer when the chief asks why a standard slipped.

You lead a deck division of 10 to 30 sailors on a surface combatant, amphibious assault ship, logistics ship, or coastal patrol vessel. You own the division's PMS, the watch bill, the training calendar, the eEVAL input for every BM3 and BM2 below you, and the section leaders across your section. You run the ship's UNREP evolution as the deck supervisor — deck crew positioned, heaving lines ready, NAVSEA procedures followed, safety zone enforced — and your name goes on every evolution brief. You brief the department head on division readiness. You write eEVALs that the chief can defend at the wardroom. You mentor BM2s into Chief-board-competitive candidates and you counsel honestly when the path looks wrong. The Chief board conversation is on the table; the LCPO is editing your record and you are building your package across the tour, not the month before submission.

• 01Lead the ship's UNREP or towing evolution as the senior enlisted deck supervisor — brief signed, crew assigned by name, safety observers in place, full radio net checked before the approach.
• 02Build and defend the division's readiness brief to the department head — PMS completion, warfare device pipeline, PQS tracker, eEVAL profile, reenlistment window roster — every cycle, no surprises.
• 03Manage the division watch bill end-to-end — helmsman, JOOD, lookout, UNREP station, boat crew, anchor detail — balanced across qualification levels and deployment tempo.
• 04Write eEVAL bullets for 4-8 BM2s and BM3s that the chief can defend by name at the wardroom ranking board.
• 05Mentor a BM2's Chief board package from the two-year mark through submission — record review, service record gaps, NWAE prep, leadership accomplishment bullets, the package the Senior Chief can sign with confidence.
• 06Run the division's training plan across a deployment cycle — qualifications sustained, PMS current, warfare device pipeline producing, advancement on track.

• —NWP 4-01.4 — Underway Replenishment (you run the evolution; you write the casualty drill).
• —OPNAVINST 3120.32 (SORN) — LPO authority and responsibility are documented here; the XO quotes it.
• —NAVEDTRA 14343 + current BM BIB — Chief board preparation runs through the same BIB; own it.
• —MILPERSMAN 1610.10 — Enlisted Performance Evaluation system; every eEVAL you write lives here.
• —OPNAVINST 6110.1 — PRT/BCA; you defend the division's scores and you set the standard by walking into PT first.
• —CPO 365 leadership development curriculum — your LCPO is measuring whether you are running the program, not just aware of it.

• —Chief board package under active construction with the LCPO's review at every cycle — warfare device pinned, NWAE history documented, leadership accomplishments real and measurable.
• —Division PMS completion rate at or above department average; zero safety-critical equipment overdue without a chit in the chain.
• —eEVAL profile: every BM2 and BM3 you rate has an EP or MP recommendation supported by real, countable bullets.
• —Division watch bill full — every qualification slot filled, no borrowing from another division for the UNREP station bill.
• —PRT Good High or better; BCA in standard; you run PT with the division, not paperwork at the office.

• —Signing the UNREP pre-rig brief without physically walking the stations. When a phone talker is absent and the rig parts, the NAVSEA investigation starts with the LPO's signature on the pre-rig sheet.
• —Letting an unqualified petty officer run the JOOD watch because the watch bill is thin. The OOD finds out when the ship's heading wanders during a narrow channel transit.
• —Producing eEVAL bullets that are generic deckhand filler ("demonstrated superb seamanship") rather than counted outcomes. The chief kills the EP at the board and the BM2 misses the slate.
• —Allowing a known maintenance discrepancy on safety-critical gear to remain unchitted because the shipyard period is approaching. The discrepancy causes a casualty; the chief comes to you for the paper trail.
• —Going around the chief to the department head on a division discipline issue. The goat locker talks; the chief's recommendation on your package has to come from somewhere.

The good BM1 is the LPO the department head mentions by name in the CO's departure brief because the deck division executed every UNREP, anchoring, and mooring evolution without a casualty, overdue PMS, or missing eEVAL during a seven-month deployment. His BM2s are Chief-board-ready, his division watch bill is never borrowed-from, and the LCPO is already drafting his Chief package recommendation.

You are the Chief of the deck. The gold anchors mean the goat locker is yours and the division reads the ship's standards off how you carry yourself at quarters.

You are the LCPO of the deck department or the ship's boatswain, responsible for all deck seamanship, maintenance, small-boat operations, UNREP station management, and the enlisted readiness of a deck division that may run 30-60 sailors on a large-deck platform. You sit at department head sync as the senior enlisted deck voice. You write eEVALs for BM1s that pick the Senior Chief slate. You run the ship's UNREP as the senior deck chief — evolution planning, personnel brief, standard execution — and your name is on the safety record. You build the next LPO. You enforce the standard against yourself first. In foreign-port port visits, you own the liberty risk picture for the deck department before the XO asks for it. The Senior Chief board is on the table; the MCPON / SURFOR fleet master chief pipeline is the career ceiling for BMC chiefs who stay in and stay sharp.

• 01Run the ship's UNREP as senior deck chief — planning, crew brief, safety sweep, real-time evolution supervision, post-evolution debrief to the department head.
• 02Manage a 30-60 sailor deck department's enlisted readiness — PMS, watch bill, qualifications, warfare devices, advancement pipeline — briefable to the XO without caveats.
• 03Run the mess leadership program for deck division BM1s — CPO 365, leadership development, Chief board packet preparation — with output measured by how many BM1s actually select.
• 04Translate a ship's NAVSEA or TYCOM directive on deck systems, small craft, UNREP rig changes into an actionable deckplate SOP the BM1s implement without asking twice.
• 05Brief the CO on a deck equipment casualty or seamanship near-miss — what happened, what the chain of causation was, what the corrective action is, when it closes.
• 06Mentor BM1s into Chief-board-competitive packages across the full two-year pipeline — not the week before submission.

• —OPNAVINST 3120.32 (SORN) — chief authority and responsibility are defined here; the wardroom quotes it at you when things go wrong.
• —NWP 4-01.4 — Underway Replenishment (you own the doctrine, not just the evolution).
• —NAVSEA OP 4 / relevant deck machinery technical manuals — the deckplate maintenance chain ends at your name on the discrepancy log.
• —MILPERSMAN 1610.10 — eEVAL standards; the chiefs' mess is judged by who selects off the Chief's eEVAL ranking.
• —CPO 365 / CPO Initiation guidance — the wardroom and the mess hold you to the program standard.
• —OPNAVINST 1306.2 — detailing; you fight for the right billets for the right BM1s.

• —CPO Academy transition complete; standing as a working Chief on the deckplate — not a Chief in title who delegates everything.
• —Deck department PMS completion rate at or above type-command average; zero safety-critical discrepancies left unchitted.
• —eEVAL profile: BM1s in your mess select Senior Chief at or above command average.
• —Division advancement rate on track — BM2s advancing to BM1, BM3s advancing to BM2, on the timeline you briefed at the department head sync.
• —Zero chief-level integrity incidents — UCMJ, fraternization, financial, OPSEC. One ends the career.

• —Delegating the UNREP pre-rig walk to the BM1 and not showing up. The rig parts, the NAVSEA team wants to know where the chief was during the brief.
• —Treating the chiefs' mess as a private club. The deckplate BM2s read the CPO deck department climate harder after the anchors are pinned, not less.
• —Allowing the Senior Chief packet to drift because the ship is always underway. The package is built in every port call; the LCPO Senior Chief cannot defend what was never documented.
• —Letting a BM1 run a section with known personnel problems because he is "experienced." The department head finds out through the IG before the chief gets a chance to fix it.
• —Going public with a disagreement with the department head or XO about an evolution standard. You make the argument in the office and walk out aligned.

The good BMC is the chief the CO names in the final SITREP when the ship completes a seven-UNREP underway without a rig casualty or injury. His BM1s select Senior Chief; his deckplate BM3s advance on time; the department head can call him at any hour and get a straight answer without a caveat. He is on the Senior Chief slate before the MCPON has to ask.

You are the senior enlisted deck voice for a department, command, or type commander staff. The CO quotes you by name in the fleet briefing. The deckplate reads the standard off your posture.

As BMCS or BMCM you run the senior enlisted boatswain's mate posture for a large-deck platform (carrier, amphibious assault ship), a surface warfare command staff, a TYCOM deck branch, a Naval Station small craft detachment, or — for the top of the rate — the fleet master chief track where the MCPON offices sit. You write fewer eEVALs but they are the ones that pick the Chief and Senior Chief slates. You sit at command-team sync as the senior enlisted voice on every enlisted deck decision: accession, training, retention, discipline, force shaping. You translate NAVSEA / TYCOM / OPNAV deck strategy into command-level talent decisions. You build the next CMC / COB / BMC selectee. You start the post-Navy market plan 24-36 months out — merchant marine licensing, maritime academy faculty, longshoreman supervisory track, federal maritime administration, defense-contractor marine operations — because the bench you leave behind decides how the rate remembers your name.

• 01Run a senior-enlisted command climate across a deck department or command that produces certified deck sailors, SWS-pinned petty officers, and Chief selectees at rates above the type-command average.
• 02Brief the CO, XO, TYCOM, or OPNAV on deck and small-craft readiness and risk in language the flag officer can use without rewriting.
• 03Sit on Chief and Senior Chief selection board panels, command CMC slates, and force-shaping panels with the discipline and confidentiality the convening authority requires.
• 04Translate NAVSEA / TYCOM / OPNAV deck systems and seamanship strategy into enlisted talent management decisions across the command and across the rate.
• 05Run a real-world UNREP casualty, grounding investigation, or man-overboard response as the senior enlisted deck voice — and your AAR is what SURFOR reads in lessons learned.
• 06Run a Red Cross / casualty notification with the dignity it requires — as the senior enlisted representative of a command the family trusts.

• —OPNAVINST 3120.32 (SORN) — full command-level familiarity; you are the JOs' reference, not the other way.
• —NWP 4-01.4 + NAVSEA UNREP technical publications — you translate policy to deckplate.
• —MILPERSMAN 1610.10 + BUPERSNOTE annual guidance — you build eEVAL culture and the competitive ranking system the command uses.
• —MCPON / SURFOR enlisted strategic guidance — you are the translation layer between fleet-master-chief messaging and the deckplate.
• —OPNAVINST 1306.2 + NPC published detailing policy — you fight for billets, schools, and assignments at command and fleet level.
• —CPO 365 MCPON guidance (current cycle) — you are the command authority on what the program requires.

• —Senior or Master Chief transition complete — standing at the deckplate as a working senior enlisted leader, not an administrator in the LCPO office.
• —Command deck readiness and seamanship metrics briefable to the flag without caveats or last-minute corrections.
• —Chief and Senior Chief selection rates from your command at or above type-command average, year over year.
• —Post-Navy transition plan 24-36 months out — maritime career path documented, licensing and credential plan in motion.
• —Zero SCMC-level integrity incidents — UCMJ, fraternization, financial, OPSEC. At this paygrade one ends not just the career but the legacy.

• —Allowing a deckplate UNREP or small-craft procedure to drift from the NWP/NAVSEA standard because the ship's force "always does it this way." The casualty investigation asks who the senior BM was.
• —Stopping physical readiness and BCA discipline because the rank is Senior/Master Chief. The rate reads it immediately and the deckplate climate follows your example downhill.
• —Treating force-shaping conversations about marginal performers as someone else's responsibility. At BMCS/BMCM, the billets you protect for the wrong people are billets the next generation of chiefs never gets.
• —Waiting for the final year of service to build the post-Navy credentials bridge. Merchant marine licensing, TWIC card, maritime certifications take time — start two years out.
• —Letting CMC-track conversations about junior BMCs drift because the operational tempo is high. The command CSM / fleet master chief is watching who is developing the next bench and who is just executing the schedule.

The good BMCS or BMCM is the senior enlisted deck leader the TYCOM cites by name in the fleet seamanship lessons-learned brief. His commands produce Chief selectees above fleet average, his UNREP casualty rate is zero, and the deckplate chiefs run evolutions to standard whether he is watching or not. He has built the next three BMCs, and the post-Navy plan is already in motion.