Realy? always assumed it was an awficer at the controls. I stand corrected. If this realy was the case and the man with his hands on the wheel was a senior rate then he would probably rather be reffered to as Cox'n. However I am pretty certain that the recruiting films just prior to my joining showed an officer at the controls.
Suplimentary question, who sat at the "helm" of HMS SPEEDY, a boeing jetfoil used for trials in the late 70's?