able-bodied seaman

British  

noun

1. Also: able seaman.  Abbreviation: AB.   a.b..  an ordinary seaman, esp one in the merchant navy, who has been trained in certain skills

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Example Sentences

WSF estimates it needs to fill nearly 100 deck officer and able-bodied seaman positions each year in perpetuity.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 4, 2024

She’ll start as an able-bodied seaman and progress to mate and then captain.

From Seattle Times • May 17, 2023

Because American crews are the best paid in the world�$444 a month for the average able-bodied seaman, for instance �even the most efficient U.S. cargo ships cannot match the lower costs of foreign operators.

From Time Magazine Archive

Later he went to Holland disguised as Peter Mikhailov, able-bodied seaman, there took a job in shipyards and learned how to warp gnarled oak into clean ship shape with his own hands.

From Time Magazine Archive

But I don't rank able-bodied seaman like I used, and it's as much as I can do to get a berth on a coaster; I suppose I might go as cook.

From Deephaven and Selected Stories & Sketches by Jewett, Sarah Orne