Able-Bodied at Sea

R/V Neil Armstrong able-bodied seaman (AB) Pete Boucher secures one of the lines that keep the ship safely attached to the dock when in port. Both the ABs and the ordinary seamen (OS) report to the bosun, the senior crewman responsible for deck operations under the deck watch officer. Deck crew maintain deck spaces and equipment and operate machinery during scientific operations and cargo handling. The AB also stands watch on the bridge daily as a lookout or as quartermaster, the person responsible for maintaining the ship’s course when it is underway. (Photo by Ken Kostel, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)