Standing watch

[longball4414]

I know this is a dumb question, but since its such a big part of life in the Navy I wanted to make sure.

What exactly do you do when on watch for 6 hours on a sub or carrier? Clean? take "logs" (i think i heard something about logging everything that happens), actually stand there for 6 hours and look around, or whatever the hell they want you to do?

[Fermi2]

Actually that's not a dumb question.

1: You monitor equipment.

2: You'll start up and shut down equipment.

3: You'll respond to transients and casualties on your watch station.

4: You'll take logs.

The only cleaning you'll do is to wipe up oil and water and any very general picking up. Any major cleaning will be done by you or others during your 12 hours off.

Mike

[longball4414]

Ah I see. Thanks again for clearing up one of my questions  . In MEPs they'd always mention standing watch, but never specified exactly what you do. Then again every rate has a different duty when on watch I'd assume and we didn't have any nuke recruiters.

[Already Gone]

It really depends on your rate and qualifications.  An ET "standing" watch as a Reactor Operator actually sits at a panel and flips a switch every once in a while.  An MM standing Engineroom Lower Level will be running half of the equipment in the engineroom.  His hourly log readings will take almost 20 minutes to do.
When you are shut down in port, you'll eventually be qualified as a Shutdown Reactor Operator (EM or ET) or Shutdown Roving Watch (MM). And then, once qualified as Engineering Watch Supervisor at sea, you'll be the Engineering Duty Petty Officer in Port.  These watches are supervisory, require no log taking, and "standing" watch means just being in the spaces, supervising the other watchstanders.
There are other specialized watches such as Anchor Watch when transiting on the surface or (my all time least favorite) watching a High Accuracy Gauge when the plant is cooled down and "solid".
My actual favorite watches were Throttleman and Bridge 1JV Phone Talker on Maneuvering Watch.
As a nuke, you won't be watching a fenceline with a rifle on your shoulder very much, but don't rule it out completely.

Disclaimer: The above is based on my own experience as a Submariner.  The surface navy seemed a lot more boot-campy, and all the watchstations are different.

[HydroDave63]

Actually that's not a dumb question.

1: You monitor equipment.

2: You'll start up and shut down equipment.

3: You'll respond to transients and casualties on your watch station.

4: You'll take logs.

The only cleaning you'll do is to wipe up oil and water and any very general picking up. Any major cleaning will be done by you or others during your 12 hours off.

Mike

and item 3.1 "Noticing when the routine becomes a transient and casualty"

Unfortunately, the theme music doesn't come up in one's head, as the world goes to crap....so what starts off as a mundane "Auxiliary Electrician, close in breaker blah-blah, backup power to After Steering", close the breaker...back to cokin' and jokin', "must be some topsider drill"...couple minutes of silence...followed by "Fire Fire Fire, Class Charlie fire in After Steering, provide from Repair 3"....yep, those silly topsiders, always running drills...where was I again (finishes the diet Coke)...followed by "class Charlie fire out of control, General Quarters, General Quarters, all hands man your Battle Stations" as you wade back through OBAs , firehoses and hatches closed for Condition Zebra to get back to the diesels....doh!!

Even on a ship with 5000 chowdales and sailors aboard, there are only a couple dozen on watch at any given time. YOU are the thin blue line when things go wrong. That's part of the prestige of being the Navy Nuke, you are keeping the ship moving and powered up and ready to go to war at a minute's notice, it's a proud tradition and what we hired ya to do...enjoy!

[LaFeet]

to ya Dave.... yep, it was us Nukes that kept the Chilled water flowing foward, the electicity turned on and the ship afloat..... sometimes wonder why we didn't move the tunnel hatch further forward than it was...


But there goes that Coner vs Nuke "tude again....

[deltarho]

A lot of standing watch is NEOLUBING the Feed Pump Watches Sound Powered Phone, then calling the EOS from another station, "EOS-Watch Supervisor, Feed Pump Watch x5-J."  Then, watch as the EOOW, an unwitting participant causes the outter ear of the Feed Pump Watch turn black.  This works well with Prussian Blue.

More of watchstanding requires rolls and rolls of HP tape.  The red stuff...excellent stuff; can hang someone upside down like Spiderman.  Sometimes Prussian Blue is employed at this time.

Standing a proper watch requires a keen eye for detail.  Water traps are abound and are cunningly placed for maximum soakage.

But remember, watch on a target, I mean surface ship is real boot campy.

[93-383]

A lot of standing watch is NEOLUBING the Feed Pump Watches Sound Powered Phone, then calling the EOS from another station, "EOS-Watch Supervisor, Feed Pump Watch x5-J."  Then, watch as the EOOW, an unwitting participant causes the outter ear of the Feed Pump Watch turn black.  This works well with Prussian Blue.

More of watchstanding requires rolls and rolls of HP tape.  The red stuff...excellent stuff; can hang someone upside down like Spiderman.  Sometimes Prussian Blue is employed at this time.

Standing a proper watch requires a keen eye for detail.  Water traps are abound and are cunningly placed for maximum soakage.

But remember, watch on a target, I mean surface ship is real boot campy.

Unfourtunatly the first part used to be true and the last part is an understatment. by the time i left the carrier getting caught "hazing" was career suicide. The three cardinal sins on-board where hazing, sezual harasment and racism any of the three would result in instant mast and maximum judgment.

[Already Gone]

A lot of standing watch is NEOLUBING the Feed Pump Watches Sound Powered Phone, then calling the EOS from another station, "EOS-Watch Supervisor, Feed Pump Watch x5-J."  Then, watch as the EOOW, an unwitting participant causes the outter ear of the Feed Pump Watch turn black.  This works well with Prussian Blue.

More of watchstanding requires rolls and rolls of HP tape.  The red stuff...excellent stuff; can hang someone upside down like Spiderman.  Sometimes Prussian Blue is employed at this time.

Standing a proper watch requires a keen eye for detail.  Water traps are abound and are cunningly placed for maximum soakage.

But remember, watch on a target, I mean surface ship is real boot campy.

Yeah Yeah.  We did all those pranks too - perhaps not as many because we did have some actual work to do and a plant to run.  We just didn't have to get out of the rack at 0600 just because it was 0600.  We were wearing Nike sneakers or Sperry Topsiders with our poopy suits (sans embroidered name patches, insignia or collar devices) and Baltomore Orioles baseball hats.  Everybody but the Engineer, XO, and CO was known by either his first or last name - period.  There were no "workdays" at sea.  There was no Bosun's pipe or bugle calls.  There were no Gomer Pyle types (jarheads) and not a single mop to be seen.  If you wanted a snack at 3 a.m. you got it out of the refrigerator.  We played cards, (usually Spades or Cribbage) in the wardroom with the officers.  The officers played cards with us in the Crew's Mess.
Do you really mean to tell me that you skimmers had it like we did? Didn't think so.

[LaFeet]

I have been involvd in a few card games in the wardroom... but the games were friendlier and more costly out in the crews mess or activity room.

Yeah.... I dont think I would have been such a good nuke on the surface..... too much fresh food and sunshine.  Gimme that diesel/amine body odor any day   

[cleonard19]

sorry if I missed something here that parts the seas and the clouds to make this a stupid question to ask, but what do you mean target life was very boot-campy while sub life was less boot campy? Can someone please give some examples of how they are different?

[Marlin]

sorry if I missed something here that parts the seas and the clouds to make this a stupid question to ask, but what do you mean target life was very boot-campy while sub life was less boot campy? Can someone please give some examples of how they are different?

   Thin skinned young squids make good targets, listen more whine less. Small commands are always a little more relaxed military environment. Military protocol on a large vessel is far more stringently enforced on those floating cities. The boats have a tradition of a more relaxed command structure with far more direct contact with with all levels of the command structure.

   To help answer your original question if the other answers did not help (they are accurate) You will take custody of a space on the ship and the equipment in it. On assuming the watch you receive a turn over on the condition of the space and the equipment. As stated above you will monitor and operate the equipment in your space then provide your relief with a turnover on the current conditions. Prior to standing watch on your own you will undergo a qualification of that watch station under instruction of a qualified watch stander involving its operation, normal and emergency. A watch station can be as small as a sight glass or level indicator and a pump to the entire engineering spaces for more senior operators.

[Already Gone]

That's exactly what I meant.

BTW, the cards in the wardroom business wasn't something that happened often or while at sea.  It was usually when in an availability or stand-down when the ship wasn't ops ready.  There would only be one officer on board.  If he wanted a game of spades, he invited a bunch of blueshirts in to play.  Nobody sat in the Captain's chair.  We were relaxed, but not totally removed from all military custom and curtesy.

Here's another oddball thing about my watchstanding experience:  An SRO at Pilgrim had been an ELT on a 688 sub, just as I was.  I asked his wife, the engineer on nightshift, if he could drive for long-long distances without stopping.  She was puzzled how I would know that about him.  As it happens, he can drive for hours on end without stopping.  So can I.  I believe it has a lot to do with being an ELT on a 688.  Specifically, Engineroom Forward was always manned by ELT's.  I spent so many hours there, seeing the same gages and pumps that were always the same, that I can literally drive a straight road for 10 to 12 hours a day -- stopping only for gas and a short washroom visit.  I think that the watchstanding conditioned me to do this.
Does anyone else have a similar experience to relate?  I am curious.

[Chimera]

I never thought of it that way, Beercourt.  I was an RO and we were usually on port and starboard watches (with maintenance on off-watch periods).  I, too, drive long distances with only short stops for gas and the washroom.  It's hard to believe that sitting panel watches pre-conditioned me for that.

[Wirebiter]

Here's another oddball thing about my watchstanding experience:  An SRO at Pilgrim had been an ELT on a 688 sub, just as I was.  I asked his wife, the engineer on nightshift, if he could drive for long-long distances without stopping.  She was puzzled how I would know that about him.  As it happens, he can drive for hours on end without stopping.  So can I.  I believe it has a lot to do with being an ELT on a 688.  Specifically, Engine room Forward was always manned by ELT's.  I spent so many hours there, seeing the same gages and pumps that were always the same, that I can literally drive a straight road for 10 to 12 hours a day -- stopping only for gas and a short washroom visit.  I think that the watch standing conditioned me to do this.
Does anyone else have a similar experience to relate?  I am curious.

Haha, that is one thing my wife thanks the Navy for.  My long distance driving ability has made many road trips shorter...for her! The many, many 6 hour midwtches as SRO with no SEO stationed had some good side effects.  Most noticeably what you mentioned about driving.  I did a non-stop drive from Groton to Atlanta that, had I not been conditioned to lonely, solitary nights, then I would not have been able to make it in one shot.
Self entertainment during times of extraordinary boredom is a seldom appreciated talent.  Its kinda the opposite of A.D.D.

[Rad Sponge]

Watch: Learning how to stay awake and alert when thousands of years of adaptation and biological conditioning is telling you to close your eyes and go to sleep. Not just telling you, screaming at you.

How to stay awake: Push-ups, Pull Ups from trim and drain piping, dips between the feed pump railings (s8g), dips between the SSTG railings, coffee, coffee, shoot the *&^#, good nutrition, take vitamins, stay hydrated, stretch your hamstrings and lower back often, meditate, yoga, ricky boxing.

[RDTroja]

Not that this will invalidate your point, Troy, but I have the same ability (and propensity) for long drives/few stops... and I was never in the navy. I also can't credit commercial nuclear power for it... I was that way before I started my first nuke job. Maybe that means I would have made a good ELT? It has certainly helped with 3 and 4 hour containment jumps with few other people around (and that time I got stuck in the airlock alone for 4 hours, too!)

[Floydbob]

One of my most memorable experiences was with the plant solid and one of the RCS pressure relief paths was the primary sample sink.  I had the pleasure of sitting next to the sink for 28 hours straight with only the SRW to talk to once an hour. 
I drove from Nevada to Minnesota, alone with only stops for gas - 29 hours.

[deltarho]

I do need to point out that the West Coast fleet is much more relaxed than the East Coast fleet.  It was culture shock to go from the East to the West.  I wasn't used to nukes sleeping during the day, what's more--with the lights out, and the whole attitude about zeros calling us by our first names and asking us to a party in port.

Some of the O's were Academy, but they must have failed the ring-knocking classes before graduating and got sentenced to the Pacific.  And, they did not graduate with the requisite stick up the butt (probably another "punishment" to shorten their career).  The ring was to let them identify each other up close and the funny gait, from the stick, from afar.  Great bunch of folks on the West Coast.

It was my privilage to try to run an RC Department with Westies that were coast changed to the East.  At least I had been on both sides prior, I was very empathetic.