Job Family: 53-0000 Transportation and Material Moving
Occupational Group: 53-5020 Transportation and Material Moving
OCCUPATION PROFILE
JOB FAMILY:
TRANSPORTATION AND MATERIAL MOVING
OCCUPATIONAL GROUP:
TRANSPORTATION AND MATERIAL MOVING
OCCUPATION:
CAPTAIN, MATE, & PILOT OF WATER VESSELS
53-5021
BROADBAND LEVELS:
Level 1 - Pay Band 001
Level 3 – Pay Band 007
DESCRIPTION
This is work commanding or supervising operations of water vessels that travel into and
out of harbors, estuaries, straits, and sounds and on rivers, lakes, bays, and oceans.
Some positions in this occupation may be responsible for coordinating work and
supervising employees.
EXAMPLES OF WORK
Supervises employees by assigning work, reviewing progress and assessing
performance.
Commands water vessels.
Directs and coordinates activities of crew or workers, such as loading and unloading,
operating signal devices, fishing, and repairing defective equipment.
Steers and operates vessel or orders helmsperson to steer vessel, using radio, depth
finder, radar, lights, buoys, and lighthouses.
Computes position, sets course, and determines speed, using charts, area plotting
sheets, compass, sextant, GPS, and knowledge of local conditions.
Inspects vessel to ensure safety of crew and passengers, efficient and safe operation of
vessel and equipment, and conformance to regulations.
Signals crew or deckhands to rig towlines, open or close gates and ramps, and pull
guard chains across entry.
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Job Family: 53-0000 Transportation and Material Moving
Occupational Group: 53-5020 Transportation and Material Moving
Monitors sonar and navigational aids and reads gauges to verify sufficient levels of
hydraulic fluid, air pressure, and oxygen.
Calculates sighting of land, using electronic sounding devices and following contour
lines on chart or using GPS and other electronic means such as LORAN.
Maintains records of daily activities, movements, and ports-of-call, and prepares
progress and personnel reports.
Interviews, hires, and instructs crew, and assigns watches and living quarters.
Tows and/or maneuvers barge or signals tugboat to tow barge to destination.
Signals passing vessels, using whistle, flashing lights, flags, and radio.
Purchases supplies and equipment.
Collects fares from customers or signals ferryboat helper to collect fares.
Supervises crew in repair or replacement of defective vessel gear and equipment.
Supervises crew in cleaning and maintaining decks, superstructure, and bridge.
Stands watch on vessel during specified periods while vessel is underway.
Assumes command of vessel in event of emergencies.
Observes water from masthead and advises navigational direction.
EXAMPLES OF JOB CHARACTERISTICS
Operating Vehicles or Equipment
Identifying Objects, Actions, and
Events
Communicating With Other Workers
Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving
vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as
forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or
watercraft.
Identifying information received by making
estimates or categorizations, recognizing
differences or similarities, or sensing changes
in circumstances or events.
Providing information to supervisors, fellow
workers, and subordinates. This information
can be exchanged face-to-face, in writing, or
via telephone/electronic transfer.
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Job Family: 53-0000 Transportation and Material Moving
Occupational Group: 53-5020 Transportation and Material Moving
Getting Information Needed to Do the
Job
Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining
information from all relevant sources.
Making Decisions and Solving
Problems
Combining, evaluating, and reasoning with
information and data to make decisions and
solve problems. These processes involve
making decisions about the relative
importance of information and choosing the
best solution.
Monitoring and reviewing information from
materials, events, or the environment, often to
detect problems or to find out when things are
finished.
Coordinating members of a work group to
accomplish tasks.
Monitor Processes, Material,
Surroundings
Coordinating Work and Activities of
Others
Implementing Ideas, Programs, etc.
Inspecting Equipment, Structures,
and/or Materials
Analyzing Data or Information
Conducting or carrying out work procedures
and activities in accord with one's own ideas
or information provided through
directions/instructions for purposes of
installing, modifying, preparing, delivering,
constructing, integrating, finishing, or
completing programs, systems, structures, or
products.
Inspecting or diagnosing equipment,
structures, or materials to identify the causes
of errors or other problems or defects.
Identifying underlying principles, reasons, or
facts by breaking down information or data
into separate parts.
EXAMPLES OF KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES
Operation and Control
Controlling operations of equipment or
systems
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others'
actions
Operation Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators
to make sure a machine is working
properly
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Job Family: 53-0000 Transportation and Material Moving
Occupational Group: 53-5020 Transportation and Material Moving
Management of Personnel Resources
Motivating, developing, and directing
people as they work, identifying the best
people for the job
Speaking
Talking to others to effectively convey
information
Judgment and Decision Making
Weighing the relative costs and benefits of
a potential action
Mathematics
Using mathematics to solve problems
Information Gathering
Knowing how to find information and
identifying essential information
Active Learning
Working with new material or information
to grasp its implications
Problem Identification
Identifying the nature of problems
Transportation
Knowledge of principles and methods for
moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or
road, including their relative costs,
advantages, and limitations
Geography
Knowledge of various methods for
describing the location and distribution of
land, sea, and air masses including their
physical locations, relationships, and
characteristics
Mathematics
Knowledge of numbers, their operations,
and interrelationships including one or
more of the following: arithmetic, algebra,
geometry, calculus, statistics, and their
applications
Administration and Management
Knowledge of principles and processes
involved in business and organizational
planning, coordination, and execution. This
may include strategic planning, resource
allocation, manpower modeling, leadership
techniques, and production methods
Law, Government and Jurisprudence
Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court
procedures, precedents, government
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Job Family: 53-0000 Transportation and Material Moving
Occupational Group: 53-5020 Transportation and Material Moving
regulations, executive orders, agency rules,
and the democratic political process
Mechanical
Knowledge of machines and tools,
including their designs, uses, benefits,
repair, and maintenance
Public Safety and Security
Knowledge of some or all of the following:
weaponry, public safety, security
operations, rules, regulations, precautions,
prevention, protection of people, data and
property
Physics
Knowledge and prediction of physical
principles, laws, and applications including
air, water, material dynamics, light, atomic
principles, heat, electric theory, earth
formations, and meteorological and related
natural phenomena
LICENSURE, CERTIFICATION OR REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS
This occupation requires a license issued by U.S. Coast Guard.
EFFECTIVE:
History:
03/17/2003
07/01/2002
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