Your work. Your records.
Vessel Captain and Mate Workplace Records
Captains, mates, and pilots may have different responsibilities for navigation, docking, supervision, and watch coverage. An employment review benefits from the actual vessel assignment and employer arrangement; the title alone does not establish which employment rules apply.
Call now(800) 800-5555Free initial case evaluation. Representation depends on work state and case eligibility. This guide explains record preparation; it does not determine whether a legal claim exists.
A record map for your role
What to organize first
Watch chronology
List your assigned watches and additional duties, marking uncertain times as estimates.
Employer documents
Compare the employer names on your own agreement, pay statement, and assignment notice.
Operational privacy
Identify relevant records without copying vessel security, passenger, or confidential cargo details.
Start with the work you actually do
Command or supervise operations of ships and water vessels, such as tugboats and ferryboats. Required to hold license issued by U.S. Coast Guard.
O*NET classifies this occupation as Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels (53-5021.00). Its description covers a typical occupation, not every workplace or individual job. It does not establish employee status, overtime eligibility or employer misconduct.
- Direct courses and speeds of ships, based on specialized knowledge of local winds, weather, water depths, tides, currents, and hazards.Source task 23802 · updated 08/2022
- Prevent ships under navigational control from engaging in unsafe operations.Source task 23803 · updated 08/2022
- Serve as a vessel's docking master upon arrival at a port or at a berth.Source task 23804 · updated 08/2022
- Consult maps, charts, weather reports, or navigation equipment to determine and direct ship movements.Source task 23805 · updated 08/2022
A reference point for your pay records
May 2025 wage estimates by state
Compare your pay records with published BLS estimates for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels (SOC 53-5021). These describe an occupation across employers. They are not a required pay rate, an overtime calculation, or evidence of discrimination or unpaid wages.
Select your work state to see its published pay range. No personal pay information is requested or sent.
The 25th and 75th percentiles mark the middle half of the estimated wage distribution; the median is its midpoint. Actual pay can differ with experience, employer, location and duties. Hourly and annual figures are shown as published, without converting one into the other.
All published state estimates for this occupation
| State | Hourly 25th | Hourly median | Hourly 75th | Annual median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $21.87 | $33.13 | $49.23 | $68,920 |
| Alaska | $29.21 | $42.42 | $58.51 | $88,230 |
| Arizona | $22.42 | $28.22 | $36.88 | $58,700 |
| Connecticut | $34.63 | $36.45 | $54.90 | $75,810 |
| Delaware | $26.54 | $35.23 | $48.18 | $73,280 |
| Florida | $25.60 | $36.56 | $49.30 | $76,040 |
| Georgia | $21.16 | $37.06 | $48.69 | $77,090 |
| Hawaii | $25.47 | $35.08 | $49.40 | $72,960 |
| Indiana | $30.62 | $44.23 | $62.68 | $92,000 |
| Iowa | $29.90 | $46.97 | $50.80 | $97,700 |
| Kentucky | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Louisiana | $38.38 | $56.33 | $63.76 | $117,160 |
| Maine | $27.08 | $34.99 | $38.82 | $72,770 |
| Michigan | $18.25 | $25.76 | $38.19 | $53,590 |
| Minnesota | $27.42 | $38.90 | $53.70 | $80,920 |
| Mississippi | $36.19 | $50.11 | $66.28 | $104,220 |
| Missouri | $21.98 | $40.23 | $54.92 | $83,670 |
| New Hampshire | $32.11 | $36.48 | $49.16 | $75,870 |
| New York | $38.18 | $50.39 | $62.14 | $104,800 |
| North Carolina | $27.82 | $33.26 | $46.08 | $69,170 |
| Ohio | $18.59 | $26.96 | $37.40 | $56,070 |
| Oklahoma | $36.85 | $38.03 | $47.02 | $79,110 |
| Pennsylvania | $18.55 | $29.53 | $50.79 | $61,420 |
| Rhode Island | $27.02 | $36.92 | $49.66 | $76,790 |
| Tennessee | $36.74 | $63.80 | $79.66 | $132,710 |
| Texas | $34.03 | $53.55 | $69.98 | $111,390 |
| Utah | $22.54 | $24.04 | $25.07 | $50,010 |
| Vermont | $21.74 | $30.78 | $54.17 | $64,020 |
| Virginia | $31.95 | $42.12 | $57.91 | $87,610 |
| West Virginia | $29.62 | $41.00 | $49.49 | $85,290 |
| Wisconsin | $30.82 | $35.76 | $49.99 | $74,390 |
“Not published” preserves unavailable or suppressed source cells. “Above reporting limit” preserves a top-coded source value without inventing a number. A missing state estimate does not establish service eligibility. The data describe wage and salary employment; they do not measure self-employment income.
Source: BLS May 2025 state workbook · OEWS tables · BLS technical notes. Use your own schedule, pay statement and compensation terms to identify the question you want reviewed.
Separate voyages, watches, and other duties
List the voyage or assignment period, your watch responsibilities, and required preparation or reporting work. Identify changes to watch coverage and who directed them. Distinguish the vessel’s movement from your own work and rest periods rather than treating a voyage as one undifferentiated block.
Identify the working arrangement
Record the organization named on your employment and pay documents, the vessel operator, and anyone who directed your work. Note whether these changed between assignments. Preserve your own agreements and notices where permitted, without assuming the operator and payroll organization are the same.
Protect navigation and commercial records
Do not remove original vessel logs or copy restricted navigation, cargo, security, or passenger information. In a personal chronology, describe the relevant watch or instruction and where an authorized record is kept. Separate employment concerns from operational decisions and avoid reconstructing navigation procedures.
Choose your next step
Review the workplace retaliation guide, unpaid wages guide, or discrimination guide if those concerns fit your experience. A job title alone does not establish a claim.
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