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I'm coming up with a crew of modern-day divers who hunt sea monsters such as the megalodon, and so far, I figure that the crew will require at least the following personnel:

  1. Captain (commands the actions of the crew)
  2. Engineer (keeps their vehicles and equipment running, and invents new gizmos for them to use in his spare time)
  3. Marine biologist (makes educated guesses about the sea monsters' strengths, weaknesses, habitats, etc., and when they learn something new about the creatures they fight, he logs it away to make their future battles easier)
  4. Hunter(s) (combat diving and piloting of attack craft)

Which other personnel would be on such a crew?

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    $\begingroup$ Don't forget #5: Bait. :) $\endgroup$
    – Mike Serfas
    Commented Apr 6, 2022 at 22:04
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    $\begingroup$ And make sure they wouldn't need a bigger boat (or they would, if that works for your story). $\endgroup$
    – Alexander
    Commented Apr 7, 2022 at 0:56
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    $\begingroup$ Why hunt sea monsters? I can understand why someone would want to study sea monsters, but why would they want to hunt them? $\endgroup$
    – M. A. Golding
    Commented Apr 7, 2022 at 1:03
  • $\begingroup$ Basically, the premise is somewhat similar to the first few chapters of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea: ships have been attacked, so the sea monster(s), as John Rambo would put it, "drew first blood". $\endgroup$
    – Jarren_Takar
    Commented Apr 7, 2022 at 1:11

3 Answers 3

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You need someone to manage the motor.

Speed is extremely important for catching monsters so you need someone (or people) to manage the engine. They need to keep it oiled, do basic inspections and basic maintenance, and wiping, cleaning anything dirty. Anything complex they leave up to the engineer, but you need someone full time making sure the engines are at peak performance.

You need someone to manage the electrical equipment.

Ships have extremely complicated electronics, which are constantly being filled with salt filled air and giant monster attacks. You need someone to ensure that all the electrical equipment is functional. They'll help with ensuring all the advanced equipment you need to actually track down the monsters is functional.

You need someone to manage supplies.

You're gonna need lots of specialized supplies and rare materials. You need someone to source all the weird equipment you'll need, and supply everyone else with parts.

You need some expendable mooks.

You need a few people to do the minor manual labour that's not cool enough for the main characters. Second engineers, people to carry stuff, a bunch of stuff.

You need a cook.

People gotta eat, and so you need someone to make sure the food is nice enough for a long trip.

You need a medical officer

Injuries happen, especially when you hunt monsters, and you'll need someone to patch up the injuries and keep people alive.

Some of these roles you could merge, depending on how small the crew is, but you need someone doing all of them.

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    $\begingroup$ Sounds good, but also worth noting that you need enough people to have at least 2-3 on duty at all times. So, if you're looking at 6 hour watches then minimum crew size of 8-12 with everyone sufficiently trained in interpreting the sonar output to distinguish a threat from an ordinary whale and at least 4 minimally trained helmsmen. $\endgroup$
    – KerrAvon2055
    Commented Apr 7, 2022 at 0:20
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    $\begingroup$ While not crucial it is recommended to also have (a) The big guy whose job is to get thrown across the room when the villain shows up; and (b) a young woman with a pixie cut whose job it is hold the other crew members' hand when they stressed. I think there is an agency where you can hire such people. $\endgroup$
    – Daron
    Commented Apr 7, 2022 at 0:50
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Depth Charge Hunting

Off the bat, you’re going to want to drop 4. Attack craft, especially piloted ones, are unnecessary when depth charges and torpedoes exist. Due to waters’ incompressibility, explosion shock waves propagate very well.

So the first role you’ll need is a munitions expert.

You’ll also need deckhands for ship service and maintenance, a cook for the mess, at least one medical professional.

Depending on scale, you might also want a communications specialist who can handle radio, radar, and sonar, a dedicated navigator, and a quartermaster for handling supplies.

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    $\begingroup$ Only works if you can trust the megalodons to come near the surface, if they don't or visual ID is required to confirm a legitimate target then the subs are required. The subs could potentially be RPVs if there is reliable underwater comms tech. $\endgroup$
    – KerrAvon2055
    Commented Apr 7, 2022 at 0:23
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    $\begingroup$ @KerrAvon2055 Depth charges don’t really have a maximum depth setting — the only limit is the technology of the time. Towed array sonar can handle the target acquisition. $\endgroup$
    – Daniel B
    Commented Apr 7, 2022 at 4:23
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  1. Captain (thought they were going whale watching)

  2. First mate (bitter, washed out PhD in monsterology working to earn a living)

  3. Kpop girl group (Everglow)

  4. Hottie smoldering Serbian assassin (got on boat to escape pursuers who are still pursuing)

  5. Thurston Howell III and Lovey.

  6. Red shirted pursuers of assassin

  7. The Dalai Lama, who in the end will help people understand that monsters too have a place.

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    $\begingroup$ So much hate for the monster hunters. But every down vote makes me want to see this movie more! Did I mention it's a musical? $\endgroup$
    – Willk
    Commented Apr 7, 2022 at 1:09

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