A United States Merchant Marine license. Note that this sample licence predates the creation of the DHS as the USCG is listed as being under DOT.
A licensed mariner is a person who holds a license issued by one or more countries to hold senior positions aboard ships, boats, and similar vessels. The United States Coast Guard grants licenses to members of the United States Merchant Marine in five categories, deck officers,[1] engineers,[2] staff officers,[3] radio officers,[4] and pilots.[5]
There are a wide variety of licenses for deck officers, with restrictions of geography and tonnage. Licenses without such restrictions are called "unlimited" as in "Third Mate, Unlimited." The grades of unlimited licenses are: