What is "ordinary seaman"

Seaman \Sea"man\, n.; pl. Seamen. [AS. s[ae]man.] One whose occupation is to assist in the management of ships at sea; a mariner; a sailor; -- applied both to officers and common mariners, but especially to the latter. Opposed to landman, or landsman.

Able seaman, a sailor who is practically conversant with all the duties of common seamanship.

Ordinary seaman. See Ordinary.

Ordinary \Or"di*na*ry\, a. [L. ordinarius, fr. ordo, ordinis, order: cf. F. ordinaire. See Order.]

1. According to established order; methodical; settled; regular. ``The ordinary forms of law.''
   --Addison.

2. Common; customary; usual.
   --Shak.

   Method is not less requisite in ordinary conversation that in writing.
   --Addison.

3. Of common rank, quality, or ability; not distinguished by superior excellence or beauty; hence, not distinguished in any way; commonplace; inferior; of little merit; as, men of ordinary judgment; an ordinary book.

   An ordinary lad would have acquired little or no useful knowledge in such a way.
   --Macaulay.

   Ordinary seaman (Naut.), one not expert or fully skilled, and hence ranking below an able seaman.

   Syn: Normal; common; usual; customary.

   Usage: See Normal. -- Ordinary, Common. A thing is common in which many persons share or partake; as, a common practice. A thing is ordinary when it is apt to come round in the regular common order or succession of events.

n. the lowest grade of seaman in the merchant marine; the grade below able seaman

Ordinary seaman is a military rank used in naval forces.

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An ordinary seaman (OS) is a Naval rating of the deck department of a merchant ship. The position is an apprenticeship to become an Able seaman, and has been for centuries. In modern times, an OS is required to work on a ship for a specific amount of time, gaining what is referred to as "sea time". For centuries, the term ordinary seaman was used to refer to a seaman with between one and two years' experience at sea, who showed enough seamanship to be so rated by their captain.

An OS is generally not required to stand watch, but must pass examinations on watchstanding skills such as performing lookout duty and being a helmsman. Thus an OS will often be found on a ship's bridge after working hours taking a turn at the ship's wheel or being familiarized with bridge equipment.

During the apprenticeship, an OS performs a variety of duties concerned with the operation and upkeep of deck department areas and equipment. These duties vary with the type of ship, the type of voyage, the number of crewmembers, the weather, the supervisor, and any number of other variables. However, in most cases, one can expect an ordinary seaman to clean, to perform maintenance, to work with deck equipment, and to undergo on-the-job-training under the supervision of senior deck department members.