What types of clouds do you know?

I know three basic cloud patterns: Cirrus, curly or fibrous cloud formations, Stratus, suggesting sheets or layers, Cumulus, indicating heaped or piled clouds. Clouds are also distinguished by the heights above ground level at which they form. According to the height criterion there are high, middle and low clouds.

High clouds, such as cirrus, cirrostratus and cirrocumulus clouds, are delicate wispy clouds that are located at altitudes above 20,000 feet and composed of ice crystals, because at such altitudes temperatures are perpetually below freezing. Cirrostratus is a thin cloud layer that causes a halo to appear around the sun and moon. It is often seen 12 to 18 hours in advance of an unsettled weather system. Cirrocumulus clouds look like many small tufts of cotton or rippled sand.

Middle clouds (altostratus, altocumulus and nimbostratus) are typically found between 6,000 and 20,000 feet above the ground. Altostratus resembles a smooth gray sheet across the sky.

Low clouds (stratus, cumulus and stratocumulus) are based at altitudes of 6,000 feet or lower. Stratus clouds appear as smooth, even sheets; light rain and drizzle often fall from them; light snow or freezing drizzle during the winter. Fog is merely a stratus cloud reaching to, or forming on the ground.

Cumulus clouds can range in size. They are often referred to as “fair weather clouds,” because they usually are not associated with precipitation, but occasionally they can grow into thunderstorms (cumulonimbus). They are caused by the heating of the ground by the Sun. Stratocumulus clouds are similar to altocumulus in that they can appear in a wide variety of different shapes and textures.

Cumulonimbus clouds are clouds of great vertical development. They are often called a thunderhead because torrential rain, vivid lightning and thunder come from them. The tops of such clouds may reach up to 60,000 feet or more into the sky; ice crystals become sheared off and are carried away by strong winds aloft forming a flattened shield of cirrus that spread out in the shape of an anvil. Sometimes hail or more rarely, a tornado comes from a cumulonimbus cloud.

 

Seagoing experience

1. Have you ever been aboard a ship?

2. What was your first experience at sea? / Did you have any sea going practice?

3. How long were you there? / How many months did you spend there? / How much time did you spend there? / How long have you been aboard?

4. What type of vessel was it? What was its name? What did the vessel carry?

5. What port was it in? / Was the ship sailing or staying in the port? / What was the trading area of your vessel?

6. What was your position aboard the vessel? / Was your position AB or OS?

7. What kind of practice did you have? / What kind of job did you do there? / What kind of assistance did you do there?

8. Describe the ship you had the practice on. What is OM 106?

9. Was the training real or theoretical?

10. How many crewmembers were there aboard the vessel? / How many cadets from KSMA did work there?

11. Were you aboard the vessel 24 hours a day?

12. What about food aboard? Was it OK? Were the cadets / crewmembers satisfied? / Who was cooking for you? / What was the room you have your meal in?

13. What type of work did you do there?

14. Did you perform washing and cleaning operations?

15. Did you perform such an ordinary job as chipping?

16. Did you paint the deck? What are the steps of deck painting? What was the prime colour of the metal after scrubbing?

17. What kinds of tools did you use? / What tools did you use for chipping rust?

18. What kind of protective equipment did you use while painting, scrubbing the deck?

19. What types of safety equipment were there on board?

20. What did you do after discharging?

21. Did you clean the holds?

22. Did you visit the bridge? Was the bridge well equipped? What nautical equipment did you see there? Did you see electronic charts there? Did you have no paper charts on board?

23. Did you get any navigation skills? / Did you steer the vessel? /Did you maneuver the vessel? / Did you stay at the wheel during the practice? / Did you have your own position as lookout?

24. Did you stay on the bridge during towing?

25. Did you participate in drills? / How were drills carried out, e.g. “Abandon the ship”? Did anyone jump overboard? What was your personal duty during the alarm?

26. Did you take part in maintaining safety equipment aboard?

27. What devices did you use?

28. Did you work with VHF?

29. Did you work with ARPA?

30. Did Captain show you how to work with it?

31. Did you participate in mooring operations? / What were your duties during the mooring operations? How many lines did you send from mooring side to coast? / Are you familiar with mooring operations?

32. How many lines did you use during the mooring operation?

33. Did you visit the engine room? / Did you see how it runs?

34. Did you work only on deck or also in the engine room? / Did you assist in some job in engine room?

35. Did you visit a life-boat? / What did you see inside it? / What provision, equipment can you find in a life-saving boat?

36. Where did you keep watch? / Did you keep the gangway watch?

37. Did you assist with the pilot ladder?

38. Did you work with the charts aboard the vessel?

39. What language did Captain use giving orders?

40. Did you perform towing operations?

41. Did you follow the safety rules aboard the vessel? What safety appliances did you use?

 

Crewmembers’ duties

1. What are the duties of the officers? What are the 2^nd officer’s duties?

The chief mate is the head of the deck department. This involves administrative tasks such as scheduling work, quality control, coordinating with other departments, and conflict resolution. The Chief Mate also compiles supply, overtime, and cost control records, and requisitions or purchases stores and equipment. He usually stands the 4 to 8 watch.

The ship's other deck officers, generally a Second Mate and Third Mate, are also members of the Deck Department. Each watch-standing officer is responsible for the unlicensed crewmen on his watch.

The Second Mate takes morning and evening star fixes to determine the ship's position. He is also responsible for maintaining the ship's charts and navigational publications, the ship's gyrocompass, and all navigational gear. He also keeps the log extract for each voyage used by company management as a short form "howgozit" sheet, covering time at sea, time under pilotage, time in port, and types and tonnages of cargoes moved.

The Third Mate will stand 12 to 4 watch, whilst the Junior Officer (if there’s any) will take the 8 to 12 watch. While on duty, they are responsible for handling the ship and fixing its position by shooting sun lines, taking hourly fixes from the satellite navigation gear, and piloting the ship in coastal waters.