You may sometimes hear the term “24/7,” meaning that something is occurring twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week—or more simply put, all the time. In the Navy this is more than an expression; it is a way of life, and it comes from the nature of what we do. Defending the nation is an around-the-clock job, requiring various people to continuously perform certain tasks, or to be ready to execute orders on a moment’s notice. Just as police must remain on patrol and ready to respond quickly when needed, the nation’s guardians must likewise be on the job without pause.
Since no individual can be on the job twenty-four hours a day, certain responsibilities must be carried out by different people taking turns for a specified number of hours at a time. This is similar to working shifts in factories or offices that operate around the clock. In the Navy, we call these shifts watches. They can involve a wide range of activities, from simply manning a radio or a telephone, to standing guard duty, to steering a ship, to operating a piece of machinery or electronic equipment, to monitoring intelligence indications and warnings, to . . . The possibilities are many. Another matter of terminology is that we refer to standing our watches, whether we are indeed on our feet or not.
During your time in the Navy it is likely that you will be required to stand watches—probably a number of different kinds. It is vitally important that you take watchstanding seriously, no matter what the task at hand. It is a mark of pride and a means of efficiency and, sometimes, a matter of survival that we stand our watches vigilantly at all times.
To cover all the watchstanding duties in the Navy would require a book much bigger than this one, but we will discuss a few of the more common types you might encounter.
SENTRY DUTY
We often associate guard duty with soldiers, yet people and equipment must be safeguarded in the Navy as well. You may find yourself standing sentry duty on a pier in a foreign country or walking the rounds on your ship as part of a security patrol or as a rover.
Requirements for standing sentry duty are the same as those for nearly all watches: keep alert, attend to duty, report all violations, preserve order, and remain on watch until properly relieved. Your immediate superior may be called the “petty officer of the guard,” the “petty officer of the watch,” the “officer of the deck,” the “command duty officer,” or some other title. For the purposes of this discussion, we will refer to your immediate superior as the petty officer of the watch. Whatever your superior is called, you must take your orders from that person. When you are detailed to a sentry watch, you will conduct yourself according to both special and general orders.
Special orders apply to a particular watch and will be rather specific. These orders will be passed on and explained to you before you assume the watch. You may receive these orders directly from the petty officer of the watch, or you may receive them from the sentry you are relieving.
The eleven general orders are the same throughout the Navy (and very similar in the other armed forces for that matter). You will—on any watch or duty, now and in the future—be responsible for carrying them out, even if no one has explained them to you or reminded you of them. For that reason, you must memorize these eleven general orders and be prepared to recite all or any of them whenever called upon to do so. Each of the general orders is listed and briefly explained below. For quick reference the orders (without accompanying explanations) are also included as TAB 13-A: The General Orders of a Sentry.
The General Orders of a Sentry
1. Take charge of this post and all government property in view.
When you are a sentry, you are “in charge.” This means that no one—no matter what his or her rank or position—may overrule your authority in carrying out your orders. The only way that you may be exempted from carrying out your orders is if your orders are changed by your superior. For example, if your orders are to allow no one to enter a fenced-in compound, you must prevent everyone from entering, even if an admiral tells you it is all right for him or her to enter. The petty officer of the watch, or whoever is your immediate superior, may modify your orders to allow the admiral to enter, but without that authorization you must keep the admiral out. Situations such as this will not often—if ever—occur, but it is important that you understand the principles involved.
It is also your responsibility to know the limits of your post. This information will be conveyed to you among your special orders. You must also treat all government property that you can see as though it were your own, even if it is not technically part of your assigned post.
2. Walk my post in a military manner, keeping always on the alert and observing everything that takes place within sight or hearing.
Maintain a military posture, meaning do not slouch or scuffle; you are on duty in an important position and you should look like it as a means of conveying your authority and responsibility. “Keep your eyes peeled,” as the expression goes. Be vigilant by looking around at all times. Do not hide from the rain or cold in poor weather. If you see or hear anything unusual, investigate it and, if needed, report it, depending upon the circumstances and your special orders.
3. Report all violations of orders I am instructed to enforce.
If, for example, someone is climbing a fence near your post, you must report it, even if the offender stops climbing and runs away after your challenge. In this case, even though it appears that the threat to security is over, there is no way for you to know whether this violator is the only one involved. And even though the climber may have just been seeking a shortcut back to her or his ship, you cannot be certain that there is not something more sinister involved. Let your superiors make the judgment calls; your job is to report what happens on or near your post.
4. Repeat all calls from any post more distant from the guardhouse (quarterdeck) than my own.
In these days of modern communications, sentries will probably have telephones or radios at their disposal with which to make their reports. But if they do not, or if there is a power failure or some other reason that the modern equipment fails, the age-old practice of relaying the word is very important.
The term “guardhouse” in this general order refers to the command post or point of control for the watches. It might be the quarterdeck on board ship or a tent in the field.
5. Quit my post only when properly relieved.
You should not leave your post until your relief has come to take your place or until the petty officer of the guard has told you that the watch is no longer necessary. If the person relieving you is late, report it to the petty officer of the watch but do not quit your post. If you become ill and can no longer stand your watch, notify the petty officer of the watch and he or she will provide you a proper relief.
6. Receive, obey, and pass on to the sentry who relieves me all orders from the commanding officer, command duty officer, officer of the deck, and officers and petty officers of the watch only.
It is essential that you receive and obey all of the special orders that apply to your watch. It is also essential that you pass these orders on to your relief only.
7. Talk to no one except in the line of duty.
Having conversations about matters not pertaining to your duty is distracting and must be avoided. If someone tries to engage you in casual conversation while you are standing your watch, it is your responsibility to inform them that you are on duty and cannot talk with them until relieved of duty.
8. Give the alarm in case of fire or disorder.
While this is rather straightforward, keep in mind that a fire or disorder of some kind might be a deliberate distraction to keep you from observing some other disorderly or subversive activity. If you are certain that a fire is not meant to be a distraction, you should fight the fire if you have the means to do so. Remember, however, that your first responsibility is to report whatever is wrong.
9. Call the OOD in any case not covered by instructions.
The rule here is “When in doubt, ask.” If you are not sure what you are supposed to do in a particular situation, it is better to ask for clarification than to make an assumption or to guess.
10. Salute all officers, and all colors and standards not cased.
Even though you are in charge of your post and everyone, including officers, must obey your instructions insofar as they pertain to your duties, you must still extend the appropriate military courtesies.
Both terms, “colors” and “standards,” refer to the national ensign. The national ensign may be referred to as “the colors” when it is fixed to a staff, mast, or pike (e.g., when flown from a flagstaff or carried in a parade). When it is fixed to a vehicle, it is called “the national standard.” A flag is considered “cased” when it is furled and placed in a protective covering.
If your duties allow, you should take part in morning or evening colors ceremonies, but do not sacrifice your vigilance in doing so. For example, if your assignment requires that you watch a certain area and the national ensign is being hoisted in a different direction, you should stand at attention and salute but do not face the colors; keep looking in the direction you are supposed to be watching.
11. Be especially watchful at night, and during the time for challenging, to challenge all persons on or near my post, and to allow no one to pass without proper authority.
Challenging persons while you are on sentry duty is accomplished by a mix of custom and common sense. When a person or party approaches your post, you should challenge them at a distance that is sufficient for you to react if they turn out to have hostile intentions. You should say in a firm voice, loud enough to be easily heard, “Halt! Who goes there?” or “Who is there?” Once the person answers, you should then say, “Advance to be recognized.” If you are challenging a group of people, you should say, “Advance one to be recognized.” If you have identified the person or persons approaching, permit them to pass. If you are not satisfied with that person’s identification, you must detain the person and call the petty officer of the watch.
When two or more individuals approach from different directions at the same time, challenge each in turn and require each to halt until told to proceed.
Armed Sentries
Standing sentry duty will usually mean that you are armed. In addition to sentry watches, other duties may require you to be armed, such as when carrying official mail, guarding prisoners, and, sometimes, being part of a shore patrol party.
No one is to be assigned to any duty requiring the use of a weapon until he or she has been properly trained in its use, including all safety precautions. Whenever you are armed, always treat your weapon with the utmost respect. See TAB 17-D: Proper Use of Small Arms for additional guidance.
SHIPBOARD WATCHSTANDING
When the ship is under way, a number of watch stations must be manned to keep the ship running safely. But even in port, many functions must be performed aboard ship around the clock to ensure that the ship is secure, providing certain “hotel” services for those who are living aboard and being ready for emergencies—including war. Shipboard watch organization is covered in chapter 4 of the current version of OPNAVINST 3120.32.
Conditions of Readiness (Cruising Conditions)
The appropriate watch organization is determined by the ship’s condition of readiness. These are described below and also included as TAB 13-B: Conditions of Readiness, and it should be apparent that, generally speaking, the lower the number of the readiness condition, the more people will be required to be on watch. Material conditions of readiness (discussed in the chapter on “Damage Control”) are set accordingly as well:
Condition I. Known as “general quarters.” All hands are at battle stations, and the ship is in its maximum state of readiness. This condition is set on board ship if the ship is expecting combat or if some other emergency situation (such as a bad fire) occurs. Everyone on board has an assigned station that he or she must go to whenever Condition I is set.
Condition II. This condition is set only on large ships and is used when the ship is expecting to be in a heightened state of readiness for an extended period of time but the operations at hand are such that some relaxation of readiness is permissible.
Condition III. Wartime cruising with approximately one-third of the crew on watch. Weapon stations are manned in accordance with the threat, and other stations are manned or partially manned to fit the particular circumstances.
Condition IV. Normal peacetime cruising. Only necessary persons are on watch, while the rest of the crew engages in work, training, recreation, or rest as appropriate. This condition ensures an adequate number of qualified personnel are on watch for the safe and effective operation of the ship, yet allows for the most economical use of personnel in watch assignments.
Condition V. Peacetime watch in port. Enough of the crew is on board to get the ship under way if necessary or to handle emergencies.
Condition VI. Peacetime watch in port where only minimum personnel are required to keep an eye on the ship in order to maintain minimum security and to watch for fire or flooding. The ship will not be able to get under way without bringing more personnel on board and will require outside assistance to fight anything more than a minor fire.
There are also several variations of Condition I designed to meet special circumstances:
Condition IA. |
Personnel on station to conduct amphibious operations and a limited defense of the ship during landing operations. |
Condition IAA. |
Personnel on station to counter an air threat. |
Condition IAS. |
Personnel on station to counter a submarine threat. |
Condition IE. |
Temporary relaxation from full readiness of Condition I for brief periods of rest and distribution of food at battle stations. This condition is set for brief periods during a lull in operations. |
Condition IM. |
Personnel on station to take mine countermeasures. |
Traditional Watch Structure
Literally hundreds of different kinds of watches are stood throughout the Navy to perform different functions. Watches can differ in length and when they begin and end depending upon circumstances and command preferences. But there is a basic, traditional model that is either used in actuality or is departed from as necessary (see TAB 13-C: Traditional Navy Watch Structure). This model is based upon normal shipboard conditions and has been traditional for centuries. It is based upon four-hour watches that run around the clock. Four hours is the standard, because that was widely accepted as the optimum time for a person to carry out the duties associated with operating a ship without suffering the dangerous effects of fatigue. There is some disagreement about that standard, and studies have been conducted to test other models. Consequently, you may encounter different ways of structuring watches at your command.
Ship’s Bells
What began as a necessity has continued as a tradition. At various commands, you will hear bells ringing on the half hour that are very confusing to the uninitiated.
For many centuries, Sailors did not have the luxury of a personal timepiece. If watchstanders were to be relieved on time, some means of telling the time had to be devised. A system that used a half-hour sandglass and the ship’s bell was created and has been used for hundreds of years. See TAB 13-D: Ship’s Bells for a description of this system that is still in use, more out of tradition than function.
At the beginning of a watch, the sandglass was turned over to start it running. As soon as it ran out, the watchstanders knew the first half hour had passed, so they rang the ship’s bell once and immediately turned the sandglass over to start the second half hour. All on board the ship could hear the bell so they could keep track of the time. When the sand ran out the second time, the watchstanders again reversed the sandglass and rang the ship’s bell twice. They continued this until eight bells had been rung (representing the passage of four hours or one complete watch). The watch was then relieved, and the new watch team started the whole cycle over by ringing one bell once the first half hour had passed, and so on.
This bell-ringing tradition (without the sandglass) continues on board many Navy ships and at some other commands even though clocks and watches are now used. Today, because bells are rung more out of tradition than for real function, they are not normally rung between taps and reveille (normal sleeping hours for Sailors not on watch), nor are they rung during divine services. A tradition, still observed in many Navy ships, is the custom of the youngest member of the crew striking eight bells at midnight on New Year’s Eve to ring in the New Year.
![[13.1] Ship’s...](../images/f0316-01.jpg)
Watch Sections
On board ships and operational commands, you will more than likely be assigned to a watch section. When the word is passed that a specific section has the watch, everyone in that section immediately reports to her or his watch station. Different commands will have different numbers of watch sections, depending upon their size and the condition of readiness in effect.
Watch Stations
As already stated, there are hundreds of different watches in the Navy—too many to discuss all of them here, but several of the key shipboard stations are worth mentioning.
BRIDGE WATCHES
While a ship is under way, the bridge watch team ensures the safe navigation of the ship, supervises the daily routine, monitors communications, conducts drills, and generally oversees the safety and smooth operation of the ship. The Officer of the Deck (OOD) is in charge of this team and is the captain’s direct representative for these duties.
Before an individual can stand OOD watches, the nature of the responsibilities involved requires that he or she must earn the trust of the captain. This is accomplished through an intensive training program that includes on-the-job training and relevant testing. Because no two ships are exactly alike—either in their physical layout or in their procedures—qualification as OOD on one ship does not automatically qualify the individual to stand OOD watches on other ships. OODs must requalify each time they join another ship.
Depending upon the ship, the OOD may be assisted by a Junior Officer of the Deck (JOOD) and, on larger ships, there may be a Junior Officer of the Watch (JOOW) as well.
With some exceptions, OODs, JOODs, and JOOWs are officers. Assisting them are a number of enlisted watchstanders.
The Boatswain’s Mate of the Watch (BMOW) supervises and trains the enlisted members of the watch team, passes the word over the ship’s general announcing (1MC) system, and assists the OOD and JOOD as directed. It is his or her responsibility that all deck watch stations are manned and that all hands in previous watch sections are relieved. Although it is the duty of the section leader and the division petty officer to instruct the people they send on watch, the BMOW must verify that every person on his watch team has been properly instructed and trained. A BMOW must also be a qualified helmsman, lee helmsman, and lookout.
The Quartermaster of the Watch (QMOW) is usually assigned from the navigation department. The QMOW maintains the ship’s log and assists the OOD in navigational matters, including monitoring changes of weather and dealing with shipping. This watchstander is also a qualified helmsman.
The Helmsman steers the ship using the helm (steering wheel) as directed by the conning officer, and the Lee Helmsman controls the engines as directed by the conning officer.
Phone Talkers man sound-powered telephone circuits (explained in Chapter 20) to maintain communication with other key watch stations (such as the lookouts and engineering watchstanders), and the Messenger delivers messages to other parts of the ship, answers telephones, wakes up watch reliefs, and carries out other duties assigned by the OOD.
When the ship is under way, the OOD (or the JOOD or JOOW) will be in control (known as “having the conn”) of the ship and will issue orders directly to the helm and lee helm to control the ship’s movements. The captain can take the conn at any time if he or she so chooses.
LOOKOUTS
Another part of the ship’s watch team are the ship’s lookouts. Even though modern ships are equipped with modern electronic sensors, such as radar and sonar, they may not detect such things as smoke, small navigational markers, objects close to the ship, flares, or people in the water. The lookouts serve as the eyes of the ship to ensure safety and to provide amplifying information as needed.
You may very well stand lookout watches at some time during your stay in the Navy. As a lookout, you must do much more than keep your eyes open. You must know how to search in a way that will effectively cover your area of responsibility, and you must be able to report the location of an object to the OOD in a way that will give her or him the information she or he needs. You must watch for ships, planes, land, rocks, shoals, periscopes, discolored water, buoys, beacons, lighthouses, distress signals, floating objects of all kinds, and anything else unusual. You must not only be the eyes but the ears of the ship as well, and report sounds, such as fog horns, ships’ bells, whistle buoys, airplanes, surf, and anything unusual. The golden rule of being a good lookout is, “If in doubt, report it.” It is better to give the OOD too much information than to miss the one critical piece of information that can put the ship in jeopardy.
How many lookouts a ship will have at any given time depends upon the size and type of the ship and the conditions in which she is operating. Small ships will usually have only three lookouts: two in the vicinity of the bridge, port and starboard, and one after lookout somewhere astern. Larger ships may have more lookouts assigned to provide additional coverage. Each is stationed where he or she can best cover the surface and sky within his or her assigned zone. If lookouts are stationed any distance away from the OOD, they will wear sound-powered phones so that they may expeditiously send reports. It is good practice for a lookout to only use one of the earphones on the sound-powered set—placing the other on the side of his or her head—so that the free ear can be used to listen for relevant sounds as described above.
Low-visibility Lookouts. In fog or bad weather, additional lookouts are stationed immediately in the “eyes of the ship” as far forward as practical and on the bridge wings. Sound carries much farther in fog than on clear days, so a lookout must listen closely—especially if he or she is located in the bow—for whistles, bells, buoys, and even the wash of water against rocks or a nearby ship or boat. For this reason, fog lookouts do not wear sound-powered phones. An additional Sailor is assigned to man the phones at each fog lookout station to make reports to the OOD.
Binoculars. Contrary to widespread belief, it is not always better to search with binoculars. Several factors govern when and how they should be used. In fog, for instance, they should not be used at all. At night, however, they will enhance your vision and should be used often.
Keep in mind that while they significantly magnify, binoculars’ field of view is usually only about 7 degrees, which is pretty narrow. This means you can see objects at considerably greater distances than with the naked eye, but you are able to view only a very small portion of your assigned sector while looking through them. To counter this limitation, you should use a special scanning technique when using binoculars to search for targets. This is a step-by-step method of looking. To understand this technique, try moving your eyes around a room or across the horizon rapidly and note that as long as your eyes are in motion, you see almost nothing. You may have noticed this if you ever saw a video shot by someone who was moving the camera too rapidly—everything is a blur. Now allow your eyes to move in short steps from object to object. You will be able to see what is there. When searching a seemingly empty stretch of sea, make yourself search your sector in short steps (approximately 5 degrees at a time), pausing between steps for approximately five seconds to see what, if anything, is in the field of view. At the end of your sector, lower the glasses and rest your eyes for a few seconds, then search the sector in the reverse direction with the naked eye.
As a sky lookout you should search from the horizon to the zenith (straight overhead), using binoculars only to identify a contact after you have spotted something with the naked eye. Move your eyes in quick steps—also about 5 degrees—across your sector just above the horizon, shift your gaze up about 10 degrees, and search back to the starting point. Repeat this process until the zenith is reached and you are looking straight up, then rest your eyes for a few seconds before starting over.
![[13.2] Step-by-step...](../images/f0320-01.jpg)
[13.2] Step-by-step scanning as a lookout
Lookout Reports. Every object sighted (called a “contact” in naval terminology) should be immediately reported to the OOD, no matter how insignificant it may seem to you. The report consists of several parts as applicable:
1. WHAT YOU SEE: Describe the contact quickly and briefly. Name the type or class of ship or aircraft if you recognize it; otherwise, simply report “ship,” “plane,” and so forth. If all you see is an object or a light but cannot make out any details, report it as simply a “contact.”
2. BEARING: Always report contacts in relative bearings. These are given as three digits, spoken digit by digit.
3. RANGE: Estimate the contact’s distance from your ship and report that in yards/miles. This is spoken digit by digit, except that multiples of hundreds and thousands are spoken as such.
4. TARGET ANGLE: Report target angle on all ships, given in three digits, spoken digit by digit.
5. POSITION ANGLE: Report position angle on all aircraft, given in one or two digits, spoken as a whole, not digit by digit.
6. MOVEMENT: Report whether the contact is moving from right to left, left to right, opening, closing, paralleling, high speed, slow speed, dead in the water, and so forth.
Because they do not always have access to a compass at their watch station, lookouts report objects in degrees of relative bearing. Navigational directions are described by true bearings where 000° represents true north, 090° is east, 180° is south, 270° is west, and other directions are in between as appropriate. Relative bearings are similar to true bearings except that they are oriented on the ship’s bow instead of true north. Therefore, 000° represents the ship’s bow when using relative bearings. Just as true bearings progress in a clockwise direction, so do relative bearings. If you want to report a periscope that is broad on the ship’s starboard side, its relative bearing is 090°. A fishing boat dead astern would be reported as 180°R, and a buoy approximately halfway between would be 135°R.
Bearings are always reported in three digits and spoken digit by digit. For example, you would report a merchant ship broad on your port side as “two-seven-zero degrees relative.”
Target angle is the relative bearing of your ship from another ship. This can be a little confusing at first, but to visualize what this is more clearly, imagine that you are on the other ship (the one you are reporting) and think about what would be the relative bearing of your actual ship as seen from there.
![[13.3] Relative bearings are...](../images/f0321-01.jpg)
An object in the sky is located by its relative bearing and position angle. The position angle of an aircraft is its height in degrees above the horizon, as seen from the ship. The horizon is considered to be zero degrees and directly overhead is 90 degrees. Position angles can never be more than 90 degrees, and they are given in one or two digits and spoken as a whole number, not digit by digit. To avoid confusion with relative bearings, the words “position angle” are always spoken before the numerals. Thus, if you spot an aircraft flying just a little above the horizon halfway between the bow and the starboard side of your ship, you would report it as “zero-four-five degrees relative, position angle ten.” A helicopter hovering dead astern of your ship, about two-thirds of the way between the horizon and straight up, would be reported as “one-eight-zero degrees relative, position angle sixty.”
Some examples of typical lookout reports are as follows:
BRIDGE—PORT LOOKOUT—SURFACE CONTACT BEARING TWO EIGHT ZERO—TWO THOUSAND YARDS—TARGET ANGLE ZERO NINER ZERO—MOVING FROM LEFT TO RIGHT SLOWLY.
![[13.4] Position angles locate...](../images/f0322-01.jpg)
[13.4] Position angles locate objects in the sky.
BRIDGE—STARBOARD LOOKOUT—DESTROYER BEARING ONE ZERO ZERO—SIX MILES—TARGET ANGLE ZERO ONE ZERO—CLOSING RAPIDLY.
BRIDGE—STARBOARD LOOKOUT—F-14 JET FIGHTER BEARING ZERO FOUR ZERO—POSITION ANGLE THIRTY THREE—MOVING FROM RIGHT TO LEFT VERY RAPIDLY.
In the chapter on communications, you will find some additional guidance on proper reporting.
QUARTERDECK WATCHES
In port the OOD shifts the watch from the bridge to the quarterdeck. Although the ship is not under way, the OOD must still be vigilant about the safety of the ship, checking mooring lines or anchor chains as appropriate, monitoring weather conditions for any significant changes, and controlling access to the ship. The OOD and her or his watch team supervise and carry out the ship’s routine, conduct honors and ceremonies as appropriate, control the ship’s 1MC system, conduct drills, and carry out any additional orders from the captain, the executive officer, or the command duty officer—an officer placed in charge of the ship in the captain’s absence.
Just as at sea, the OOD is assisted by a watch team in port. The OOD’s principal assistant is the petty officer of the watch—sometimes called the BMOW just as when under way. There will nearly always be one or more messengers of the watch assigned and, depending upon circumstances, extra lookouts may be required. An anchor watch may be added to keep an eye on the anchor chain and report any excess strain or other problems to the OOD.
ENGINEERING WATCHES
The engineering watch team is headed by the engineering officer of the watch (EOOW). He or she is responsible for the safe and proper performance of all engineering watches and ensures that all engine orders from the OOD are promptly and properly executed. The EOOW is assisted by a number of watchstanders that vary depending upon the type of engineering plant.
DAMAGE-CONTROL WATCHES
The damage-control watch team is responsible for maintaining the proper material condition of readiness and for checking, repairing, and keeping in full operation the various hull systems affecting watertight integrity, stability, and other conditions that affect the safety of the ship.
COMBAT INFORMATION CENTER (CIC) WATCHES
The number and types of watches in CIC will vary considerably according to the condition of readiness and the types of operations being conducted. Under routine underway operations, there will be a CIC watch officer (CICWO) who will be assisted by one or more radar and radio operators. This team detects, reports, tracks, and evaluates air, surface, and submarine contacts during the watch.
When the potential for hostile action is increased, a tactical action officer (TAO) may be assigned by the commanding officer to take timely and decisive action in matters concerning the tactical employment and defense of the unit. The TAO is responsible for the safe and effective operation of combat systems.
DEPARTMENTAL DUTY WATCHES
Because members of the crew go ashore in port, it is important to have qualified personnel assigned to carry out normal or emergency departmental functions. Each department will assign a duty department head and additional personnel as necessary to be responsible for departmental functions. The supply department, for example, may assign a duty supply officer, a duty storekeeper, and duty cooks as necessary.
Logs
Many watch stations require a log, which is a permanent, written record of occurrences during a watch. Besides assisting watchstanders in keeping track of what has happened, logs can have legal status in a court of law and can be entered as evidence. For these reasons, log entries should be complete, accurate, and in standard naval language. Names and figures must be carefully recorded. The ship’s deck log and the engineering log are examples of logs that are considered to be official records of a ship. Because of their legal status, no erasures may be made in any of these logs. When a correction is necessary, a line must be drawn through the original entry so it remains legible and the correct entry inserted. Corrections, additions, or changes in any log are made only by the person required to sign it, and initialed by that person in the margin of the page.
SHIP’S DECK LOG
This is the official chronological record of events occurring during a bridge or quarterdeck watch, which may concern the crew, operation, and safety of the ship, or may be of historical value. The OOD supervises the keeping of the log, and the QMOW, or other designated watchstander, actually writes the log. Each event is recorded in accordance with standing instructions. All log entries are made with a ballpoint pen, using black ink. Sample deck-log entries are contained in the Watch Officer’s Guide.
The navigator examines the log daily, and the commanding officer approves it at the end of each month. The original ship’s deck log goes to the chief of naval operations every month. A duplicate copy is kept on board for six months, after which it may be destroyed.
ENGINEERING LOG
This log is the official record of important information about the operation of the propulsion plant and auxiliary equipment. It contains entries such as the total miles steamed for the day, the ship’s draft and displacement, engineering casualties experienced, and other pertinent information as described in OPNAVINST 3120.32.
Relieving the Watch
When relieving the watch, you should always report at least fifteen minutes before your watch is scheduled to begin so you can receive information and instructions from the off-going watch. Most ships muster oncoming watch sections to make sure each watchstander is ready ahead of time, but even if there is not a formal muster, you should always arrive early (at least fifteen minutes—longer if there is a lot going on). This is to allow you enough time to be sure that you fully understand all that is going on and all that is expected of you before you assume responsibility for the watch. Relieving the watch is a controlled and precise function and should always be treated as very serious business. Formality is the rule and casual behavior is clearly out of place.
The following steps are the minimum requirements for a good watch turnover if you are reporting to assume a watch:
1. State to the person you are relieving, “I am ready to relieve you.” Use these exact words so there is no possibility of confusion. “What’cha got?” or “I’m ready” is not sufficient.
2. Once the off-going watch has explained everything that is going on or is likely to happen and you have asked all the questions you need to ask, you and the person you are relieving should report your readiness to assume the watch to the next senior person in the watch organization by saying, “Request permission to relieve the watch.”
3. The senior watchstander will respond by saying, “Permission granted.”
4. The off-going watch will render a salute to the senior watch-stander and state, “[The name of the watch station] properly relieved by [state your rate and name].”
5. You should then signify to all present that you have formally accepted the duties of the watch by saluting the senior watch-stander and stating, “I assume the duties of [watch station].” You should precede the latter by identifying yourself, particularly if it is dark as on the bridge at night. For example, you would say, “This is Seaman Garrett. I assume the duties of helmsman.”
This procedure unequivocally transfers the responsibility for the watch from the previous watchstander to you. Thereafter, you assume complete authority and responsibility for the watch until someone follows the same procedure to relieve you of the watch.
NIGHT VISION
Night watches entail some extra preparations. If, for example, you were coming directly from a lighted compartment to a night watch as a lookout, you would be almost blind for a while. As your eyes become accustomed to the weak light, your vision gradually improves. After ten minutes you can see fairly well, and after thirty minutes you have your best night vision. This improvement is called dark adaptation.
Obviously, it is unsatisfactory to have someone standing a night watch who does not have 100 percent vision. To prevent this lost time while your eyes are adjusting to the dark, you must be sure that your eyes are not exposed to any white light, such as everyday light bulbs and fluorescent tubes, before going on watch. Fortunately, the human eye’s ability to see in the dark is not affected by red light. That is why you will see only red lights on after dark in berthing compartments and at the various watch stations. Even with these precautions, there are places in the ship where you might encounter white light, such as on the mess decks where you might want to go get a sandwich or a cup of coffee before going on watch. To protect your eyes from any unwanted exposure to white light, you must put on specially designed red goggles before going on night lookout duty, at least a half hour before you must report for your watch. Be sure to leave them on for the full thirty minutes. These goggles prepare your eyes for darkness without affecting your ability to go about normal prewatch activities such as writing letters, getting dressed and ready for your watch, or even watching television. Even with this precaution, you should still give yourself at least an additional five minutes of adjusting to the outside conditions before actually assuming the watch. As you’ll learn, it will probably take longer than that to get a full report from the person you are preparing to relieve.
Once you have assumed a watch at night, you must learn to use your “night eyes” effectively. Because of the way your eyes are made—the light receptors for white (daytime) light are in the center of your eye, while your night-vision receptors are located around the daylight ones, off center—you normally look directly at an object to see it best in the daylight, but in the dark you should look slightly to one side of an object to see it best. This will take some practice, but once you get used to it, you will be amazed at how well it works.
At night, it is easier to locate a moving object than a stationary one. But most objects in or on the water move relatively slowly. To counter this, move your eyes instead. This technique will significantly enhance your ability to pick up targets in the night. Slowly scan the area in broad sweeps instead of stopping to search a section at a time. If you think you see something while scanning, avoid the natural tendency to look right at it. Use the off-center technique to confirm the sighting and then report it.
Night-Vision Goggles (NVG). These special goggles may be available to you for enhanced night vision capability. They use ambient light to illuminate the darkness. Ambient light at sea at night comes mostly from the moon and stars. The more ambient light there is, the brighter and clearer the picture is for the user. All light, including color light, will stand out with the use of NVGs. The light is magnified to make it appear brighter than it really is. For example, a lit cigarette will look like a torch or bright flash light. Although colored light is picked up by NVGs very easily, you will not be able to distinguish what color you are seeing. The NVG display is monochromatic, which means it shows all lights, colored or white, in shades of green. Red light will be somewhat weaker to pick up. The brighter the actual light, the brighter it appears through NVGs, sometimes blinding the user of the goggles and making it nearly impossible to determine the source of the light.
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WATCHES UNDER ARMS
Some watches—ashore and at sea—require the watchstander to be armed. In these cases, it is essential—both for safety and for efficiency—that you adhere to specific practices.
For relevant information regarding proper procedures in these special circumstances, see TAB 17-D: Proper Use of Small Arms.
As indicated at the beginning of this chapter, watchstanding is an essential part of the Navy. Watch stations exist to ensure readiness, safety, and efficiency, and good Sailors make it a habit to always stand their assigned watches seriously and efficiently, no matter what the assigned task. Your very life and that of your shipmates may well be at stake.