Deck Cadet Questions & Answers
Deck Cadet Questions & Answers
Deck Cadet Questions & Answers
a. Gave him the works, with the Wikipedia answer. (Masters Rep, Safety of
Navigation, etc etc., made sure to mention I may have special duties, and I would
check the SMS for guidance if so)
4) I have a new first trip cadet under my wing, and we are going forward for mooring.
What duties would you give him?
a. Sensed a trick a mile away here, so decided to play it safe and said I would have
him on the mooring deck to observe only as it was his first trip. Gave him all the good
stuff about snap-back zones, PPE, risk assessment, observing from a height, etc.
5) Because I had mentioned risk assessment, he then asked me what was risk
assessment?
a. Mentioned COSWP Chapter 1, Hazards, Harm, Dynamic and Formal risk
assessments.
6) He brought out a chart, and I got about 6 chart interpretation questions.
a. Chart 5011 is your friend.
7) What is WGS 84? Is this the only Datum in use?
a. WGS 84 is the World Geodetic System 1984. It is the usual Datum used by GPS
units. And no it isnt, some old charts use different Datums, gave the spiel about
looking for the Sat Nav magenta adjustments on the chart.
8) Passed me an ATT and asked for the tides, today in Plymouth. Was it springs or
neaps?
a. If you have gotten to the Orals stage without learning how to do a basic tide
question, well, God help you.
9) Asked me about the Planned Maintenance System on my last ship.
a. Talked about it, how it works, mentioned there was some stuff in my Ops workbook
about it, so he picked up my workbook and started flicking through it.
10) Asked me if I had been on a weather reporting ship.
a. Said I had, so straight onto
11) What is a PAB? How do I take a reading?
a. Precision Aneroid Barometer, told him how to take a reading with one, then how to
adjust to sea level.
12) What is inside a Stevenson Screen?
a. Marine Hygrometer
b. Decided to get the next question out of the way, because I knew it was going to be
what if the temperatures are the same, so I told him about prediction of fog, using
the table inside NP100, ventilation of cargo holds if required (certain types of bulk
cargo).
13) What is a hydrometer?
a. Instrument for measuring relative density of a fluid.
14) ECDIS, tell me everything you know, had I used it, had I been on a paperless
ship?
a. Talked non-stop for about 2 minutes about ECDIS, all the usual good stuff like ENC
and RNC, pros and cons, requirements for paperless, limitations, etc.
15) Passage Planning. Tell me everything.
a. Got stopped midway into Planning.
16) When will I call the master?
a. Listed all the items in BPG. Seemed happy.
17) You are on the 2000-2400 watch, Second Mate comes up at Midnight to relieve
you. Explain the handover procedure.
a. Noticed he said the 2nd Mate came up at midnight, so quickly said I would not
hand over the watch until the 2nd Mates eyes were adjusted to the dark. Then I went
through the watch hand over list. He seemed happy.
18) Compass Errors. Lots of questions, how to take, when to take.
a. Told him about transits if close to shore, then deep sea gave him amplitudes,
azimuths and Polaris. I had quite a bit of celestial in my Nav book, with lots of
different methods (ABC, Cosine Formula, Amplitude, etc) so told him about them and
he had a look. I recommend having a good Nav workbook before going up, helps a lot
if you can point to it and show you did something other than getting intimate with