Sea Scout Ship 25

Sea Scout Ship 25

Washington, DC Coast Guard Auxiliary Maritime Youth Program
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Ship Organization

Young Adult Officers

Ship 25 has elected youth officers who are similar to those in other organizations to which you belong, but we use historic nautical titles:

  • Boatswain (pronounced: “bow-sun”). Functions as president; reports to the Skipper.
  • Boatswain’s Mate for Program. Functions as a vice-president; reports to Boatswain.
  • Boatswain’s Mate for Administration. Functions as a vice president; reports to Boatswain.
  • Yeoman. Functions as the Ship secretary; reports to BM for Administration.
  • Purser. Functions as the Ship youth treasurer; reports to BM for Administration.
  • Storekeeper. Functions as the Ship officer in charge of equipment; reports to BM for Program.
  • Media Specialist. Functions as the Ship webmaster and social media/public relations manager; reports to BM for Program.
  • Specialist. A Ship officer with a specialized duty, in our case maintaining close communications with the Auxiliary; reports to BM for Program.
  • Chaplain’s Aide. Maintains relations with the churches that let us use their facilities, organizes and directs all ceremonies (of any type)

The members of Ship 25 are divided into three “Crews” for purposes of organization and engaging in competitions. Crew members are mixed across geographies and schools, because we want to become friends with new people. Each Crew elects a Crew Leader, who appoints an Assistant Crew Leader. When the Ship is new, the crews will be very small. Eventually we will add more crews, and the crews will have no fewer than ten members.

Adult Ship Committee Officers

The Coast Guard Auxiliary serves the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area and established Sea Scout Ship 25 in 2021. The formal name for this Auxiliary entity is “Division 25, Fifth District, Southern Region” or “Division 25” for short. Ship 25 was assigned the same number as Division 25. The 150 Auxiliarists in Division 25 are led by a Division Commander. The current Division Commander has chosen to serve as the Chair of a group of adults who provide assistance and oversight for Ship 25. That group is called the “Ship 25 Committee.” The Ship 25 Committee has 15 members, including Coast Guard active duty and Auxiliary members, experienced Scouters and others from our community who support Sea Scouts, including parents. The Ship 25 Committee meets once each month by Zoom to review Ship programming and activities and arrange support for upcoming Ship activities. These are the adult Ship 25 Committee officers:

  • Committee Chair. Elected by and reports to the Ship 25 Committee; confirmed by Division 25 Commander; leads Ship Committee meetings and functions as the Chair of the Board for the entire Ship 25 organization; works closely with the Skipper, Chartered Organization Representative.
  • Chartered Organization Representative. Appointed by the Division 25 Commander; an adult who provides oversight and represents Division 25 to the BSA.
  • Ship Finance Chair. An adult appointed by the Committee Chair to oversee development and implementation of fundraising by the Ship Committee and budgeting by the youth Purser; works closely with the Purser and adult Ship Committee Treasurer.
  • Ship Adult Treasurer. Appointed by the Committee Chair; works closely with the youth Purser to manage Ship 25 financial accounts.
  • Ship Committee Member. Attends monthly Ship Committee meetings, works as consultant to youth members on projects and special activities; advises youth members on accessing assistance and accessing facilities.

Skipper’s Staff

The Ship 25 Committee elects an experienced Adult to serve as the principal trainer and advisor to the young adult members of the Ship. This person has the title of “Skipper”. The Skipper is assisted by other adults called “Skipper’s Mates”. Collectively, these advisors are the “Skipper’s Staff”. Members of the Skipper’s Staff attend just about every one of our activities. They participate in our Ship and officer’s meetings and connect us with people who can assist with our advancement and activities:

  • Skipper. Elected by and reports to the Ship 25 Committee; confirmed by Division 25 Commander; Serves as the volunteer Chief Executive Officer of the entire Ship 25 organization; works closely with adult Ship Chair and youth Boatswain; leads Skipper’s Staff; gives program direction and coaching to youth officers.
  • Administrative Skipper’s Mate. Selected by and reports to Skipper; confirmed by Ship Committee; principal advisor to Administrative Boatswain’s Mate;
  • Program Skipper’s Mate. Selected by and reports to Skipper; confirmed by Ship Committee; principal advisor to Program Boatswain’s Mate; organizer of Auxiliary and Scouting consultant assistance to youth members.
  • Advancement Skipper’s Mate. Selected by and reports to Skipper; confirmed by Ship Committee; principal advisor to youth members and officers on advancement; organizes Bridges of Review.
  • Leadership Skipper’s Mate. Selected by and reports to Skipper; confirmed by Ship Committee; principal advisor to youth members and officers on leadership matters.

Monthly Officer Meetings

  • The Ship 25 Committee meets for one hour via Zoom.
  • The Ship youth officers meet under the leadership of the Boatswain for one hour via Zoom on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:30 PM. The Skipper and other members of the Skipper’s Staff (depending on the matters under consideration). The Crew Leaders and Assistant Crew Leaders do not attend unless requested. This meeting is called a “Quarterdeck” meeting.
  • The Boatswain and Skipper meet for one hour via Zoom on the fourth Thursday of each month at 7 PM with the Boatswains and Skippers of other nearby Sea Scout Ships to share ideas and coordinate joint activities. This meeting is called a “Wardroom” meeting.
Ship Organization Diagram