15. The officer of the watch shall keep himself informed of navigating conditions and shall properly inform the helmsman of:

1) changes in course and speed;

2) the beginning and end of a change to a new course;

3) detected beacons and markers threatening the safety of navigation, and all other circumstances having a bearing on the accuracy of course plotting and the safety of navigation.

In this connection, the establishment of a clearly defined relationship between the officer of the watch, navigator and Combat Information Center (CIC) of the ship assumes particular importance. The officer of the watch must personally supervise watchstanding by CIC radar operators by periodically scanning the horizon on the circular scope position indicator screen.

16. While navigating in narrows, near shores and shoals, or in approaching them, or whenever the ship's position is in doubt, the officer of the watch shall carefully observe the following precautionary measures:

means;

a) determine the position of the ship using all available methods and

b) reduce speed or stop the engines;

c) take depth soundings;

d) use lookout equipment to detect navigation hazards;

e) clear away the anchor and cables;

f) let out anchor in order to detect a hazardous depth;

g) dog down and check hatches and handholes.

17. On submarines navigating submerged, the officer of the watch shall: a) maintain a 360° periscope lookout when the submarine is operating at periscope depth;

b) look after the trim, buoyancy and depth of the submarine and adjust the trim if necessary;

c) observe the density and voltage of the battery and the percentage content of hydrogen and harmful gases, and report this to the Commanding Officer of the submarine;

d) regulate the movement of personnel between compartments and maintain calm and order in these compartments.

18. When the submarine is lying on the bottom or anchored underwater, the officer of the watch shall:

a) observe the readings on the depth gauge and the trim indicator;

b) make sure that the regeneration system is in good operating condition and the composition of the air is proper, and observe the presence of hydrogen and harmful gases;

c) make sure that the pressure hull is watertight and the battery tanks, bilges and compartments are always dry.

19. The officer of the watch shall remain on the bridge at all times when the ship is under way. Officers of the watch are relieved (or relieved temporarily) with the permission of the Commanding Officer of the ship (or Executive Officer).

20. In addition to the aforementioned (under general duties) the officer of the watch underway, upon being relieved of his watch, shall also provide information concerning:

a) position of the ship (observed or calculated), course according to gyroscopic and magnetic compasses and the time at which the course is changed, speed, nature of the formation or the number of the formation position of the ship in formation;

b) conditions in the area of navigation; beacons, markers, lookout stations, depth, current, meeting and overtaken ships, etc.

c) machinery and equipment propelling and handling the ship, as well as time of inspection of engines operating while surfaced, battery density and battery voltage.

The oncoming officer of the watch shall personally check the position, course, speed and position of the ship in formation.

Moreover, the following information must be provided when the watch is relieved on submarines: operating depth submerged, operating conditions, how the submarine answers the planes, visibility range of the periscope, percentage content of hydrogen and harmful gases, the condition of special air regeneration instruments and equipment, position of the submarine, condition of the negative tank, condition of the battery and ship ventilation, and the procedure for releasing personnel to the bridge.

SECTION 3. DUTIES WHILE ANCHORING OR MOORING

21. With a warship anchoring, mooring to a buoy or alongside, the officer of the watch is subordinate to the Executive Officer (or Officer of the Deck).

Nobody, except for the Executive Officer (Officer of the Deck) and his immediate superiors, may interfere with the orders of the officer of the watch. 22. The officer of the watch shall:

a)

report to the Officer of the Deck on everything observed which could affect the safety of anchorage;

b) insure proper use of ship's boats and launches, supervise their launch and recovery and land personnel in them, insuring that they are not loaded beyond their capacity;

c) insure observance of harbor and port regulations by personnel of the ship and passing launches and boats;

d) take necessary measures to insure safe mooring and movement of boats and launches alongside the ship;

e) take necessary measures to render assistance to boats in distress

and to rescue those who are drowning;

f) submit a morning report to the Executive Officer, one-half hour before hoisting the colors, in the form prescribed in Appendix 10 of the Navy Regulations.

23. The officer of the watch looks after the anchor chain and its scope, which must always depend on anchorage and weather conditions, as well as mooring lines and clearing away of the second anchor.

If the wind freshens, he orders a wind measurement report every hour or 30 minutes and, according to circumstances, takes measures to recover launches and boats, or directs them to a sheltered anchorage.

The officer of the watch shall pay particular attention to the drift of the ship, utilizing for this purpose a ballast pig cast overboard, natural range lines and landmarks.

24. The officer of the watch is responsible for readiness of the ship to receive supply ships at the appropriate time (stowing ladders, davits and cranes) and rapid recovery of mooring lines, and must organize taking on of supplies in such a way that the supply ship is alongside for a minimum period of time.

25. Before testing the engines, the officer of the watch takes precautionary measures with respect to the boats (launches) and the lines behind the stern, and looks after the mooring lines and the anchor chain. With the knowledge of the Executive Officer, making certain that the engine order telegraph is ready, he gives the order to begin test revolutions.

26. The officer of the watch shall be on the main deck during anchorage, preferably on the quarterdeck or at the accommodation ladders. In fresh weather when the ship is anchored with steam up, when the main engines are running, and in other situations requiring personal supervision of the surrounding area, and on submarines, the officer of the watch shall be on the bridge. 27. In addition to the aforementioned (Para. 9), when the ship is anchored, the offgoing officer of the watch shall provide information concerning: a) readiness of the ship to get under way;

b) trim of a submarine and its readiness to submerge;

scope of anchor chain in the hawse (moored to a buoy by a hawser

clearing away of the second anchor;

e) depth, bottom and current;

f)

crew members absent, as well as the presence of noncrew members

g) launches and boats, both away from the ship and alongside;

h) disposition of ships anchored in the harbor, location of the SOPA; conventional alarm signals.

i)

28. The officer of the watch controls the movement of all personnel and articles to and from the ship.

29. In receiving launches bearing senior officers, the officer of the watch occupies the position indicated in Fig. 1.

In receiving launches (boats) carrying NCOs and seamen, the officer of the watch remains at the top of the ladder until the last man leaves the launch (boat). 30. Whenever personnel disembark from the ship, the officer of the watch shall not permit the men to congregate at the gangway. Before beginning a landing or shore leave, departing NCOs and seamen must be in formation.

1. If the official is met (or accompanied) only by the watch officer or the Officer of the Day, he occupies the position of the Commanding Officer of the ship. Otherwise the arrival (departure) procedure remains the same.

2. The numbers adjacent to the designations of officials indicate their position at various moments during arrival. The absence of numbers with designations indicates that these individuals do not change position during the arrival (or departure).

Fig. 1. Sample sketches showing location of watch personnel
during arrival and departure of senior officers.

As the launch (boat) approaches the ladder, the officer of the watch directs the seamen and NCOs to embark first, followed by the officers, insuring that the boat is not loaded beyond its capacity.

The officer of the watch shall station himself at the top of the ladder while the men are boarding the launches (boats) and shall remain until they pull away from alongside.

SECTION 4. ORGANIZATION OF THE WATCH

31. The officer of the watch is the officer on watch in charge of the ship. Departmental watches are under the direction of the respective heads, with the exception of the watches referred to in Para. 2a, which are under the direction of the officer of the watch.

32. A normal watch is 4 hours. Depending on the situation, watches at individual stations can be decreased to one hour or increased to not more than 6 hours by order of the Commanding Officer. As a rule, the normal watch for helmsmen and lookouts is 2 hours.

33. Fifteen minutes before the watch is relieved under way, the officer of the watch or, in port, the Officer of the Day, if there is no officer of the watch, calls the watch and announces the uniform of the day.

34. When the ship is at anchor or moored, by command from the watch the incoming watch falls in at the prescribed time for muster.

35. Muster of the watch routine is the responsibility of the officer of the watch (Officer of the Day).

36. Ten minutes before relieving the watch the officer of the watch (Officer of the Day) gives the command "Relieve the watch," and five minutes before relieving the watch gives the command "Attention! Begin muster," then begins to muster the watch.

37. The watch muster at anchor is accomplished in the following order: the incoming watch falls in for roll call and is checked to make sure they are familiar with their duties; after a report is received from the engineering department duty officer on the results of his inspection, the officer of the watch (Officer of the Day) gives the command "Proceed to your stations," whereupon members of the watch proceed to their stations to relieve the watch.

Upon receipt of reports from those in charge of watch stations and the engineering department duty officer on the incoming watch, the officer of the watch gives the command "Watch below dismissed," whereupon members of the offgoing watch leave their stations and the new watch comes on.

38. The watch muster under way is accomplished in the following sequence: the oncoming engineering officer of the watch and officer on duty below the decks on a surface vessel muster the engineering department watch, duty watches in the compartments and the underway guard at stations established by order of the Commanding Officer. There is no watch muster on submarines.

According to the condition of readiness sounded, when the officer of the watch gives the command "Relieve the watch," incoming watch mans assigned watch stations and assumes the duty, reports to the command post of the department by telephone on the status of stations and, on submarines, to the control room watch officer. They begin the watch once approval is obtained.

On a submarine, after the oncoming watch takes over, the engineering officer of the watch makes the rounds of the compartments, checks to insure that the oncoming watch has manned its stations and is standing the watch properly. He makes his report to the officer of the watch.