Deck Officer Study Guide, Volume 7: Lifeboatman is the lifeboat volume of the "Murphy's" study guides from Academy Publishing Company. It collects multiple-choice questions and answers from the U.S. Coast Guard exams for the lifeboatman endorsement, so you can practise on the same kind of questions you'll see on test day.

At a glance

What it prepares you for

The written part of the Coast Guard exam for the lifeboatman endorsement, now called Lifeboat Operator (46 CFR 12.407), and Lifeboat Operator-Limited (46 CFR 12.409), for ships that carry liferafts but no lifeboats.

Topics the questions cover

• Lifeboats, rescue boats and liferafts, and their equipment
• Launching and recovery arrangements
• Abandon-ship procedures and survival at sea
• Distress signals and locating devices
• Lifeboat engines, rowing and handling survivors

How the endorsement works

Applicants must be at least 18, meet the medical and drug-test rules, and have six months of sea service plus an approved course, or twelve months of sea service. They then pass an examination and a practical demonstration of launching, handling and recovering a survival craft. For Lifeboat Operator, an approved course that includes the practical demonstration can cover that part.

Who uses it

Entry-level deck and engine ratings, cadets, and anyone adding the lifeboat endorsement to a merchant mariner credential.