Posted by rm on July 18, 2002 at 13:24:09:
In Reply to: Re: Difference between a boat captain and god posted by TDI_2 on July 18, 2002 at 11:52:46:
So on a Civilian boat who is the XO? And who is the COB? And if the Captain is all mighty than why have a DM at all?
Comparing a Civilian Dive Charter boat to the NAVY is interesting. While a Navy Captain has the authority and ability to jail a sailor just like an ARMY officer has the authority to shoot a deserter, a civilian will have a harder time of justifying confinement short of a life or death issue.
At sea a captain relies on the individuals below them to make the decisions and execute the authority delegated to them. This applies to NAVY, ARMY and the like. With that said a captain may or may not delegate cretin roles and responsibilities and the old adage goes for anyone in charge. “You Can Delegate Authority not Ultimate Responsibility”.
So back to digging myself out of the mess I created with my statement. Yes the captain is the ultimate decision maker and will always be held responsible for the actions of his or her crew. I think the DMs on all boats need to feel as if they were in charge.