![]() What remained with the Captain, is no practical authority, except on paper, yet retaining the entire burden of responsibility and accountability for safety and security of the ship. The new owners of ships, now stationed ashore, decided who was to be employed, where the ship will trade, what cargo to transport, or how much to charge as freight. Somewhere along the way, majority of the Captains ceased being the owners of the vessels they sailed on. Now let’s fast forward to the modern era, what has changed? Which is probably why Captains in history have gone down, trying to rescue & salvage their ships, desperately trying until the end. Not just that, with seafaring being most likely the only means of livelihood for the Captain, and all their worldly possessions on board the ship, losing a ship meant, losing everything the Captain had. Naturally, with authority over every aspect of the ship, especially the earnings, the Captain was all powerful on board and was responsible for everything. Obviously, it was the Captain who decided how the ship was to be maintained and protected, who is to be employed on board, where the ship will sail, what cargo to transport or which passengers to carry. In the past, when the Captain of the ship was also the owner of the ship, the Captain had control and authority over every aspect of the ship. So what is the history which led to this prominent position? But this respect, responsibility and accountability has not come overnight, or just when the Captain wears his four stripes. Numerous movies have glamorised the valour shown by Captains, as the last person standing on the sinking ship, after evacuating all passengers and crew, or going down with the ship trying to do so.Īt one point, the Captain on the Ship while being highly respected, also carried great responsibility and had the ultimate accountability for everything on board. ![]() This tradition is in fact so ingrained in the psyche of society, that it is arguably almost the unquestioned expectation. The ‘Captain going down with the ship’ is held up as a great tradition by mariners and land-lubbers alike.
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