What happens if the captain of a ship dies?

As far as I know, the First Mate is the second in command on a ship and would take over captain duties until they reach port. The Executive Officer assumes command until a replacement is sent to assume command. If the XO is incompacitaed as well then the next senior line officer onboarding.

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Is it illegal for a captain to leave a sinking ship?

In the United States, abandoning the ship is not explicitly illegal, but the captain could be charged with other crimes, such as manslaughter, which encompass common law precedent passed down through centuries. It is not illegal under international maritime law.

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Does the captain of a ship sleep?

The captain's quarters will vary by ship but typically there'll be a separate bedroom and office space, so that the captain is able to switch off for a few hours of sleep without being in 'work mode'. However, they will be on call, so if there's an urgent situation they'll be summoned to the bridge to handle it.

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Why do captains always go down with the ship?

If a captain left the ship, anybody could come onboard and salvage it. But in the modern Merchant Marine and in connection with passenger ships, he is legally required to render assistance to every single person trying to get off that ship, and also identify those people who may have been killed in the incident.

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Does the captain go down with the Titanic?

While we cannot know for sure how he spent his final moments, it is known that Captain Edward Smith perished in the North Atlantic along with 1517 others on April 15, 1912.

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Are Captains Required To Go Down With Their Ships?

16 related questions found

What were the last words of the captain of the Titanic?

Captain Smith having done all man could do for the safety of passengers and crew remained at his post on the sinking ship until the end. His last message to the crew was 'Be British.'"

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What were the last words of the Titanic?

Captain's last words

The ship's captain Edward Smith went down with his vessel and his last words were poignant. He said: "Well boys, you've done your duty and done it well. I ask no more of you. I release you.

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What happens if a captain abandons a sinking ship?

In the United States, there is no explicit law requiring a captain to remain on their ship, but they could face criminal charges if they acted with negligence or extreme disregard for human life in abandoning a vessel in distress or causing a maritime accident in the first place.

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Why are ship captains allowed to marry?

A ship's captain generally does NOT have the legal right to officiate a wedding at sea. In order for a Captain of a ship to perform a marriage at sea, he must also be a judge, a justice of the peace, a minister, or an officially recognized officiant such as a Notary Public.

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Why do captains call their ship she?

Although it may sound strange referring to an inanimate object as 'she', this tradition relates to the idea of a female figure such as a mother or goddess guiding and protecting a ship and crew. Another idea is that in many languages, objects are referred to using feminine or masculine nouns.

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Are ship captains happy?

On average, Ship Captains are highly satisfied with their job.

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How much do cruise ship captains get paid?

In general, a cruise ship captain salary ranges between $54,000 and more than $100,000.

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Do ship captains know how do you swim?

Along with other skills, swimming is one of the critical skills for a ship captain to have. As they remain on the ship for a long duration and may get stuck in extreme weather, knowing how to swim may help them save themselves and their crew members if required.

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Who gets off a sinking ship first?

"Women and children first", known to a lesser extent as the Birkenhead drill, is a code of conduct whereby the lives of women and children were to be saved first in a life-threatening situation, typically abandoning ship, when survival resources such as lifeboats were limited. However, it has no basis in maritime law.

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Can a cruise ship pull you under?

Someone swimming near a cruise ship could be sucked under by the propulsion power. The power can also cause large sudden swells of water which is very strong.

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Can you survive a sinking ship?

Each year there are stories of people that survive being lost at sea. Some manage to make it to an island; some stay adrift in dinghies or on life rafts for days, weeks and even months. If you find yourself the victim of a shipwreck, there are steps you can take to increase your odds of survival and ultimately, rescue.

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Can a woman captain a ship?

Female captains make up just under 3% of cruise ship captains worldwide – but this number is slowly growing. Women now comprise 20% of the industry workforce, with between 5 and 20% of women in officer roles, depending on the cruise line.

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Why do ships have a gender?

Traditionally, ships are given female names because it has been surmised that in ancient history ships were once dedicated to goddesses.

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Can a Marine marry a soldier?

There are no laws governing military marriage. Military members can marry whomever they want, including same-sex partners.

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How many cruise ships have sunk?

Over the past 100 years since the RMS Titanic sank in 1912, only 18 cruise ships and some ocean liners have been publicly known to have sunk. And, over the past 50 years, only four cruise ships have sunk while navigating on a cruise.

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Was the captain of the Lusitania found guilty?

Captain Turner was rescued from the water by Bluebell. The Admiralty sought to blame Turner for the loss of Lusitania, but was exonerated by the Mersey Inquiry and Mayer hearings.

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Does every captain have to go down with the ship?

The current version, passed in 1974, does not specify that the captain should stay with his ship but states that the captain, or master, has the ultimate authority aboard his ship.

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What did Jack say before he died Titanic?

The scene below recounts the last moments of the couple together after Jack has said to Rose, “You must do me this honor… promise me you will survive… that you will never give up… no matter what happens… no matter how hopeless…

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What is the saddest moment in Titanic?

The montage in "Titanic" while the band is playing their final song on the deck is one of the saddest montages in cinema history — full of pathos and poignancy. The Captain's last stand is one such moving sequence, but few moments are as heartbreaking as the one depicting a mother and her children.

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Why did the Titanic captain ignore the warnings?

According to Mr. Cooper, the author of a book on Captain Smith, Smith was not ignoring the ice warnings; he was simply not reacting to them. Ice warnings were just warnings that a ship sent saying that they had seen ice at a certain location (Kasprzak, 2012).

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