Helm Orders

Helm orders are the standard wheel commands a conning officer gives the helmsman to control the rudder, phrased and acknowledged to a fixed convention so there is no ambiguity. Examples: “starboard ten” (ten degrees of starboard rudder), “midships,” “steady,” “hard a-port,” and “meet her.” Every order is repeated back by the helmsman and reported when executed (“wheel’s amidships”). The IMO Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP), adopted by resolution A.918(22) in 2001, codify the modern set so that rudder angle, not the old tiller-based sense, is always meant.