MFA help please

[lexxie]

Hi all 

Can anyone tell me where a 3rd Officer would fit in the seniority of the MFA please?

ATB

Mark 

[KizmeRD]

A Third Officer MFA (Third Mate) would be a junior watchkeeping deck officer (broadly equivalent in rank to a naval Sub-Lieutenant).

MB

PS  I think I should make it clear that there wasn’t any seniority (as such) within the ranks of the professional merchant seamen who manned merchantile fleet auxiliaries. For the most part, they simply retained the shipboard  position and title that they had held prior to their ship being taken into naval service. In other words MFA officers ranks operated in the same way as the merchant navy in general. The third officer would have been subordinate to the second officer, chief officer and Captain, and he would have given orders to deck ratings.
Part of his duties would have been to oversee the maintenance of ship’s lifeboats, davits and fire fighting equipment,and in addition to watchkeeping duties when at sea (on the bridge), he would also have supervised loading and unloading of cargo when in port.

 

Edited 15 February , 2023 by KizmeRD