National Maritime Center
Keep ’em Safe, Keep ’em Sailing
8/12/2024 Page | 6 Return to Top
• Vessel Gross Tons: To receive credit toward endorsements with tonnage limitations of
over 25 GRT, the applicant must supply the GRT of the vessel on which they are
claiming service. If unsure of the GRT of the vessel, please be sure to provide the width,
length, and depth of the vessel on this form. All three measurements are required so
that displacement may be calculated for you.
• Propulsion: For auxiliary sail endorsements, service aboard vessels with sail or auxiliary
sail propulsion must be demonstrated. For service to be credited toward these
endorsements, the propulsion type must be specifically listed.
• Served As: The applicant must indicate which department(s) he or she served in. There
are only three service departments aboard a vessel: deck, steward, and engine. An
applicant must not serve in a position for which manning is required by the Coast Guard
without the corresponding endorsement or they will not receive credit for the service.
If multiple departments are indicated without a specific breakdown of time served in
each department, then overall service will be split equally between the departments
listed. (Example: One hundred days submitted as “cook and deckhand” will result in a
credit of 50 days in the steward department and 50 days in the deck department).
• Name of Body or Bodies of Water Upon Which Vessel Was Underway: The applicant
must provide a written description of the waters on which they served. This may be a
general description (i.e., “Atlantic Ocean”) but must correspond to the breakdown
provided in Section III.
To receive credit toward endorsements with Great Lakes or near coastal privileges, the
applicant must supply a description of the specific waters on which they are claiming
service. All descriptions of waters which do not qualify as Great Lakes or near coastal
are considered “inland” for the purposes of evaluation.
Common errors on this section:
• Leaving required boxes blank.
• Claiming “owner” as position served.
• Claiming engineer service on a vessel without an engine room.
• Not including all requested vessel measurements.
• Claiming service on a vessel of over 200 GRT on this form.
• Claiming Great Lakes or near coastal waters credit when no matching written
description is provided.