A chief steward is the senior crew member working in the steward's department of a ship. Since there is no

purser A purser is the person on a ship principally responsible for the handling of money on board. On modern merchant ships, the purser is the officer responsible for all administration (including the ship's cargo and passenger manifests) and supply. ...

on most ships in the

United States Merchant Marine The United States Merchant Marine is an organization composed of United States civilian sailor, mariners and U.S. civilian and federally owned merchant vessels. Both the civilian mariners and the merchant vessels are managed by a combination of ...

, the steward is the senior person in the department, whence its name. In the British Merchant Navy, a steward is a junior member of the department (referred to as a steward's assistant in the United States), and so the term "chief steward" is always used for the senior member. The chief steward directs, instructs, and assigns personnel performing such functions as preparing and serving meals, ensuring that they are both delicious and nutritious. Moreover, the steward oversees cleaning and maintaining officers' quarters and steward department areas; and receiving, issuing, and inventorying stores. The chief steward also plans menus, compiles supply, overtime, and cost control records. The steward may also requisition or purchase stores and equipment. Other duties may include baking

bread Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...

and pastries. A chief steward's duties may overlap with those of the Steward's Assistant, the Chief Cook, and other Steward's Department crew members. In the

, in order to be occupied as a chief steward a person has to have a Merchant Mariner's Document issued by the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

. Because of international conventions and agreements, all chief cooks who sail internationally are similarly documented by their respective countries. Chief stewards on large passenger vessels can be considered to be officers.Statutory Instrument 1949 No.1852 ''The War Pensions (Mercantile Marine) Scheme 1949'' and Statutory Rules and Orders 1946 No.1640 ''War Pensions (Naval Auxiliary Personnel) Scheme''

Footnotes

External links

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United States Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Licensing and Documentation web site
{{Merchant Marine Billets Marine occupations Transport occupations Chefs

See also

Footnotes

External links