The Quartermaster (QM) on a ship is a specialist rating or petty officer who operates at the center of a vessel’s navigation and steering operations, serving as the direct assistant to the Officer of the Deck (OOD) or Watch (OOW) and the ship’s Navigator. The role requires advanced technical knowledge and is central to the safe and efficient movement of the vessel, especially when navigating confined waters or executing complex maneuvers. This position is a highly respected enlisted role in many navies, tasked with ensuring the ship remains on its planned course and position. The Quartermaster’s duties extend across the operational needs of the bridge during a watch and the administrative maintenance of the ship’s navigational infrastructure.
The Primary Role in Shipboard Navigation
The Quartermaster’s primary operational function is to execute the immediate orders of the Officer of the Deck, focusing on ship control and positional awareness. This includes standing watch at the helm, where the Quartermaster is responsible for steering the vessel and maintaining the precise course ordered by the officer on duty. Steering manually requires constant attention and skill to counteract the effects of wind and current, keeping the ship on track.
A core responsibility involves performing navigation fixes to determine the ship’s precise position on a chart. Quartermasters use both traditional visual methods, such as taking bearings on landmarks, and modern electronic systems like radar and the Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS). They plot these fixes at regular intervals onto the navigational chart, maintaining an accurate record of the vessel’s track.
The Quartermaster maintains the ship’s official log, which is the legal record of the vessel’s journey. This log records every significant event, including course and speed changes, weather observations, soundings of water depth, sightings of other vessels, and official communications. During critical phases like anchoring, docking, or underway replenishment, the Quartermaster provides precise, real-time data to assist the OOD in safely maneuvering the ship.
Chart and Equipment Management Responsibilities
When not actively standing a navigation watch, the Quartermaster assumes administrative oversight of the ship’s navigational library and instruments. This includes managing the collection of nautical charts and publications, which must be kept up-to-date according to notices from hydrographic offices. The Quartermaster applies corrections to charts, ensuring that new hazards, changes to aids to navigation, and updated depth information are accurately noted before use.
The responsibility extends to maintaining all navigational equipment, ensuring its accuracy and operational readiness. This involves regular calibration and testing of instruments such as magnetic and gyrocompasses, chronometers, and sextants. Quartermasters also manage the ship’s visual communication equipment, including the inventory and readiness of signal flags, flag hoists, and flashing light signal devices.
This administrative work requires the Quartermaster to maintain detailed logs of equipment maintenance and inventory. This preparation ensures that all necessary tools and publications are available, correct, and certified for use, supporting the bridge watch team and contributing to the overall safety of the vessel.
Distinctions Between Military and Commercial Quartermasters
The role of Quartermaster differs significantly between military navies and the commercial merchant marine, largely due to specialization. In the United States Navy, the Quartermaster (QM) is a highly specialized enlisted rating dedicated almost exclusively to navigation and ship control, acting as the navigation expert under the Navigator and the OOD. The Naval QM integrates complex combat systems navigation, performs tactical signaling, and manages sophisticated electronic navigation suites like ECDIS-N.
In the commercial merchant marine, the title “Quartermaster” is often synonymous with the Able Seaman (AB) assigned to a bridge watch. The commercial Quartermaster’s duties focus primarily on steering the vessel and serving as a lookout, executing the navigational plan created by licensed Deck Officers (Mates). Specialized administrative and technical navigation tasks, such as chart correction and publication management, typically fall directly to the Third or Second Mate.
The maritime Quartermaster is a direct descendant of the “master of the quarterdeck,” the area where the helm and navigation were controlled in sailing ships. This highlights the naval Quartermaster’s unique focus on ship movement and positional warfare, compared to the commercial role, which is primarily a watch-standing assignment for a qualified seaman.
Essential Skills and Training for a Quartermaster
A Quartermaster requires a blend of traditional seamanship skills and modern technical expertise. Proficiency in terrestrial navigation is fundamental, involving the use of charts, compasses, and plotting instruments to determine a ship’s position and course. This is complemented by a deep understanding of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS), which dictate the rules of the road for all vessels.
Modern training heavily emphasizes electronic navigation systems, including GPS, radar, and the Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS). Quartermasters must be adept at using these systems for route planning and monitoring while also maintaining the ability to navigate using traditional methods, such as celestial navigation, as a contingency. This is often taught through formalized military “A” Schools or in commercial maritime academies.
Training also covers visual communications, requiring the Quartermaster to be skilled in sending and receiving messages using signal flags, flashing lights, and semaphore. Commercial mariners typically attain an Able Seaman (AB) endorsement on their Merchant Mariner’s Credential (MMC), certifying their competence in steering and watchkeeping. Military training programs are highly structured, leading to a specialized rating focused on the technical details of naval navigation and ship control systems.
Career Path and Hierarchy
The Quartermaster typically occupies a position of respect within the ship’s enlisted ranks, reporting directly to the ship’s Navigator and the Officer of the Watch. In the Navy, the rating is an enlisted career path with a clear hierarchy, progressing through the Petty Officer ranks (QM3, QM2, QM1) up to Chief, Senior Chief, and Master Chief Quartermaster (QMC, QMCS, QMCM). Senior Quartermasters often serve as the Navigation Department’s Leading Petty Officer, managing junior personnel and overseeing the watch section.
Advancement in the military path may include opportunities to pursue a commission as a Limited Duty Officer (LDO) or Chief Warrant Officer (CWO), applying their navigational expertise at a management level. For commercial mariners, the experience gained as a Quartermaster provides a direct path toward becoming a licensed Deck Officer. This progression requires accumulating significant sea time and completing additional classroom training to qualify for licensing exams, such as the Officer in Charge of a Navigational Watch (OICNW) or Third Mate’s license.
Transitioning to a licensed Mate involves a substantial increase in responsibility, shifting from executing orders to making command decisions regarding the vessel’s safety and navigation. The foundational knowledge acquired in the Quartermaster role, particularly in plotting, log-keeping, and helm control, are prerequisites for assuming the duties of a Deck Officer.