Boatswain's mate (United States Navy)
The United States Navy occupational rating of boatswain's mate is a designation given by the Bureau of Naval Personnel (BUPERS) to enlisted members who were rated or "striking" for the rating as a deck seaman. The colloquial form of address for a boatswain's mate is "Boats".
Rating insignia
Boatswain's mates prepare for an "anchor drop test" aboard the USS George H.W. Bush to check the operability of the ship's anchor.
Boatswain's mate guiding an LCAC.
Boatswain's Mate 1st Class pipes arrival honors
A boatswain, bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun, also known as a deck boss, or a qualified member of the deck department, is the most senior rate of the deck department and is responsible for the components of a ship's hull. The boatswain supervises the other members of the ship's deck department, and typically is not a watchstander, except on vessels with small crews. Additional duties vary depending upon ship, crew, and circumstances.
The boatswain aboard a US merchant ship stands cargo watch as freight is lowered into an open hatch, c.1981
Boatswain of the Royal Navy, c. 1820
Boatswain of Felix von Luckner's yacht Seeteufel, smoking a pipe and hosing the vessel's deck