I'm pretty sure it's D. Preview, plan, predict. I had this question last year.
Answer:
This could mean/refer to as to if they don't get in trouble.
Explanation:
As they are on a boat, the captain is "soothing his children" they will "get ashore..." with a tone of little hope as suggested in the second stanza perceived as by someone else such as "the oiler" and "the cook".
Hello there!
The examples of onomatopoeia in this poem is whirring and clucked.
Hope this helped! :D