On the O'Brien, watchstanding can mean pier side duty, look out duty, anchor watch, steering the ship, working in the engine room, fire watch, and a variety of other duties aboard. Watches differ from when in port and when underway. While in port, work days are usually 8 hours while underway watches are usually 4 hour increments. As cited in the BMR at Chapter 3 page 4, a 24 hour day is separated into 7 watches. There are two "dog watches" to insure that everyone has the chance to have chow. As referenced in the Merchant Marine Preliminary Manual that was given to sailors who sailed Liberty Ships, watches are set up a bit differently than the Navy.
When you go to sea for the first voyage you will in many respects find yourself in a new and different world. This is particularly true of time at sea.
A day at sea is divided into watches of four hours each. You work for four hours and then comes eight hours of free time of watch below. Watch below implies that your time is your own. After eight hours of your watch below you "turn to" (work) for another four hours. Thus out of a day you work a total of 8 hours. The three watches are the 12:00 to 4:00, 4:00 to 8:00 and 8:00 to 12:00.
Bells are struck every half hour in each watch. Four, eight, and twelve o'clock A.M. and P.M. is eight bells. Thus eight bells is struck six times a day. At eight o'clock at night, for example, eight bells is struck and a watch is relieved. At eight-thirty one bell is struck, on the bridge. At nine o'clock two bells is struck. At nine-thirty three bells is struck, and so on until eight bells, which is twelve o'clock. At twelve o'clock, eight bells is struck and the sequence continues. When striking bells do so with a sharp, deliberate jerk on the lanyard leading from the bell to a position accessible to the man at the wheel. Bells of two or more in number are struck in pairs. For example if you were striking six bells it would sound like this: dong dong (space), dong dong (space), dong dong. If you were striking three bells the first two are struck as a pair and of course the third is struck singularly. Lookouts who repeat bells answer with the same number in a similar fashion.
Watches are always changed at eight bells and the watch below, which is the relieving watch, is called twenty minutes before eight bells. On most merchant ships one bell is struck at twenty minutes before eight bells. This indicates to the standby that it is time to call the next watch. It is also customary to strike seven bells in the four to eight A.M. watch at seven-twenty and seven bells in the eight to twelve watch at eleven-twenty. This permits ample time for the relieving watch to get meals. It is the routine in the engine room to relieve the watch ten minutes before eight bells. At this time two bells is struck, in the engine room. This however is not bridge practice.
It is always a good policy to relieve the watch a few minutes beforehand. This is not only nautical courtesy. It serves a practical purpose, especially at night, when it permits you to better accustom your eyes to the darkness.
You will be dealing and practicing a variety of watches when you come aboard. Previous to coming on board, please make sure you are familiar with your General Orders, and have reviewed chapter 3 of the BMR.
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