United States Coast Guard - E-3 Seaman

What are a Seaman's Responsibilities?

The official title of an E-3 grade in the United States Coast Guard depends on the community to which the Coast Guardsman has been posted. For deck and administration, the largest group within the Coast Guard, the E-3 is known as Seaman (SN), in the engineering and hull field, he or she is referred to as Fireman (FN), and in aviation, as Airman (AN). Typically, a Seaman's service will include conducting ship and equipment rounds on deck, maintenance and repairs, stores administration, lookout, helm (steering), damage control, emergency, security, and ceremonial duties, as well as understudying qualified personnel to gain practical job experience.

The E-3 Coast Guardsman will aim to acquire a rating, either by attending a Class “A” School for advanced technical training in his or her chosen speciality occupation, or through an on-the-job training program, known as “striking”. In addition to following orders and performing tasks well in accordance with the core values and skills learned in boot camp, the Seaman is expected to show leadership skills.

Experienced seamen or those with recognised leadership ability may become Leading Seamen, in charge of a work team of two or more ‘non-rates'.The US Coast Guard is the smallest of the armed forces, with 46 000 men and women on strength. This means that the Seaman must learn everything he or she can about the ship and station in order to be prepared for any mission, including search and rescue, law enforcement, navigation, and protection of the marine environment.

What is a Seaman's Paygrade?

A Seaman is considered a Seaman, with a paygrade of E-3. The civilian equivalent of this military rank is roughly GS-3 under the federal government's General Schedule payscale.

On this page you can learn more about a Seaman's payscale, the process of becoming a Seaman, and the history of the rank in the United States Coast Guard.

Basic Pay:

Drill Pay: