factors have increased the need for reduced crews, and the employment
of less expensive crews. Technological knowledge in general, depends on the national
technological level of a country, and which may obstruct the availability of less
expensive crews. Economic factors will also stimulate fhe formation of a few, highly
sophisticated, Maritime Training Centers around the world where specialization on a
certain subject will be possible in the form of post-graduate studies.
3 Automation applied on board ship.
Things developed quite slowly until the end of the 1960's when
automation at a distance (remote control) became usefull on board ships. These
developments gave back the master his authority, made him able to handle the ship
completely from one point: the bridge. An advantage for the engineers was the redundancy
to spend so many hours, sometimes brainkilling, at the manoeuvring post. Further
technological developments made it possible for him to control, check, verify and monitor
the propulsion system(s) from the controlroom; a separately built place where all the
essentials were centred together clearly structured and laid out. It was a comfortable
place to stay, as long as the equipment was not too good and boredom became a factor te be
reckoned with.
Eventually the equipment was so well made that unmanned enginerooms
during the night became common, and fewer working hours were needed to fulfil the
engineroom needs.
Sceptics predicted that this would not work, that machines could never
take over man, and they predicted enormous disasters. The fact was that the machines could
take over and performed 10 times more reliably, 100 times as accurately, and 1000 times as
fast for 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. If properly trained, 'man' could challenge the
machine, not only at the design phase but also during application or when adaptation
and/or modification was necessary.
4 The Technological Shock
Radiotelegraphy and -telephony, since 1914 the privilege of a few
wizards, changed even faster over the last few decades. Radio
