When I was in the Navy, when performing an operational job underway (ie sonar operator, or officer of the deck), that was called “watchstanding.”
Normally, watch was 6 hours long, and divided into sections. For many underways, 3 section watch was the norm. That means that the 24 hour day was divided into 6 hour slots, and there were 3 “sections” of watchstanders.
Under 3 section, you would be on watch once every 18 hours … for 6 hours you were actually watchstanding, that is, performing your operational job (ie for the sonar operator that meant actually at his station, listening and watching sonar screens). Then, you were off for 12 hours, and then back on again for 6 hours of watch.
During the 12 hours off watch, you had to pack in training, admin duties, sleep, and personal tasks. 2 days of this 3 section watch would look like …
8am-12pm – standing watch
12pm-6pm – doing admin duties and training
6pm-12am – sleep (4 to 5 hrs of sleep was common)
12am-6am – watch again
Now, life really got better when there were enough watchstanders for 4 section watch or more … 4 section watch meant you stood the same time slot of watch every day.
Sometimes when in port, supervising critical repairs or maintenance items, or under 1 simulated training war that we took part in, we would go to “port and starboard” watch.
Bad news, Horatio Hornblower.
Port and starboard meant that you have 1 watch, 1 slot off, then back on again.
I remember for the simulated war, we were port and starboard watch sections, with 8 hours of watch. That looked like:
6am-2pm – watch
2pm-10pm – off (admin, sleep, paperwork, etc.)
10pm-6am – watch
… rinse and repeat for 3 weeks!
And sometimes in port, we would do 12 hours on, 12 hours off, for a couple weeks!
Wasn’t too much fun!
Things have changed though, since owning the lab business. We have a very different view of port and starboard watchstanding now!
Last year, we had a magnificent client that required a great deal of testing, under a very short timeline.
So, we went to a port and starboard testing schedule in the lab, in order to get the testing done! I even had the midnight “watch” for a few days during that project.
And we loved it!
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