The Merchant Marine is composed of all the commercial ships of a country and the personnel that man them. The American Merchant Seaman's Manual has been the primary seamanship text and reference book for the American Merchant Marine for more than sixty years. Merchant mariners going to sea for the first time need to know as much about their new job, their ship, the sea, and the Merchant Marine as they can. This manual is designed to provide the knowledge that these new seamen need to embark upon their careers at sea. Since the sixth edition was published in 1981, many changes have been made...

The Cornell Manual was first published in 1984 to replace CG-176, a small handbook issued by the U.S. Coast Guard. Over the last two decades it has become a standard manual for those who choose to follow the sea and who want to prepare themselves for the Coast Guard examinations. The second edition of the manual has been updated to reflect current information and procedures, and includes for the various rating requirements for documents. The Cornell Manual describes safety practices--lifeboat operation, survival procedures, rescue and evacuation details, firefighting, and first aid--that...