A third engineer or second assistant engineer is a rank of

engine officer An engineering officer or simply engineer, is a licensed mariner qualified and responsible for operating and maintaining the propulsion plants and support systems for a watercraft and its crew, passengers and cargo.Wise Geek''What is the Engine ...

who is part of the

engine department An engine department or engineering department is an organizational unit aboard a ship that is responsible for the operation, maintenance, and repair of the propulsion systems and the support systems for crew, passengers, and cargo. These includ ...

on a ship. The third engineer is usually in charge of boilers, auxiliary engines, condensate and feed systems, record keeping of chemicals onboard, lube oil tests, and is the third most senior

on board. The exact duties of this position will often depend upon the type of ship and arrangement of the engine department. On ships with steam propulsion plants the Second or Third is in charge of the boilers, combustion control, soot blowers, condensate and feed equipment, feed pumps, fuel, and condensers. On

diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engi ...

and gas turbine propulsion plants the Third is in charge of auxiliary boilers, auxiliary engines.

Notable Second assistant engineers

Raymond McKay __NOTOC__ Raymond T. McKay (November 15, 1925 – August 9, 1993) was an American labor leader. He was president of American Maritime Officers (AMO) from 1957 until his death in 1993. After World War II, McKay sailed as a second engineer on ...

Paul Hall (labor leader) Paul Hall (1914 – June 22, 1980) was an American labor leader from Inglenook in Jefferson County, Alabama. He was a founding member and president of the Seafarers International Union (SIU) from 1957 to 1980. He was the senior vice president of ...

External links

* * {{Merchant Marine Billets Nautical terminology Marine occupations Transport occupations ar:هندسة بحرية de:Schiffsingenieur hr:Brodostrojarstvo pt:Oficial de máquinas sv:Sjöingenjör