Other forms: deckhands
A deckhand is a junior sailor who does the general work. Sign on as a deckhand, the deckhands were called, an experienced deckhand.
It is the entry-level job at sea and covers mooring, cleaning, painting and cargo work — everything that is not navigating or engineering. On a fishing boat it is dangerous work, and fishing remains among the most lethal occupations there is.
1noundeckhandA junior sailor who does the general work.
“The deckhand coiled the ropes and helped tie the boat to the pier.”
deckhand is a sailor.
Deck plus hand. Hand in the sense of a worker is old and gives farmhand and all hands.
From deck + hand.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA