The Watch System is the method by which a military vessel is organized and staffed 24/7. The day is broken down into six (or seven) different watches/shifts of four hours each. Generally, each person only is assigned two watches per day (for a total of an eight hour work day) but emergency circumstances, punishment, and occasionally volunteering might see someone pulling double shifts.
The Watches[]
- First watch: 2000 to 0000 (Watch Group 1)
- Middle watch: 0000 to 0400 (Watch Group 2)
- Morning watch: 0400 to 0800 (Watch Group 3)
- Forenoon watch: 0800 to 1200 (Watch Group 1)
- Afternoon watch: 1200 to 1600 (Watch Group 2)
- Dog watch: 1600 to 2000 (Watch Group 3)
As you can see above, the six watches are assigned to three groups/shifts. Each group will start their watch at the same time (e.g. Watch 1 starts at 8AM and 8 PM). Each watch works for four hours, then is off for eight hours, on for four more, and then off for eight (totaling twenty-four). The simplified system allows each person (assuming their schedule is regular and not constantly mixed up) to always know "I have watch at eight" both PM and AM.
You'd typically do your daily off-duty/"free time" routine (meetings, exercise, recreation, classes, etc.) during your middle eight and sleep during your last eight. You could of course mix and match and just nap during both.
An example schedule[]
- 0700: Wake-up
- 0730: Breakfast
- 0800: Watch 1, forenoon watch, starts, relieves Watch 3
- 1200: Watch 1 ends, relieved by Watch 2
- 1230: Lunch
- 1300: Visit the Doctor, talk to the Quartermaster, or some other small piece of personal business
- 1330: Hit the Gym
- 1500: Shooting Range
- 1600: Nap Time
- 1700: Classroom Instruction for the upcoming Lieutenant's test
- 1800: Card game with friends
- 1900: Dinner
- 2000: Watch 1, first watch, starts again, relieves Watch 3
- 2400: Watch 1 ends again, relieved by Watch 2
- 0015: Go to sleep
You might always be on Watch 1 or you might get shifted around between them (which of course is awful for your sleep schedule). You could also be in Watch 1 but then be assigned to the Dog Watch with group 3 as well.
Changes of the watch are announced over the ship-wide intercom. At each change of the watch, the announcement is typically followed by several other notifications regarding that current shift and the state of the ship.
Watches and Command[]
Superiors, like any person being overworked, can not be expected to pull multiple watches without burning out. Therefore, the department head (e.g. Deck Chief, Chief Engineer, senior LSO, etc.) is not always on duty. In the absence of that person, another senior member of the department is, for lack of a better word, the shift supervisor of that watch. For overall command of the ship, the watches are split between the CO, XO, and OOD.
Action Stations[]
It's important to keep in mind that when the ship goes to Action Stations, all personnel (no matter their watch) immediately head to their stations and prepare for combat. Thus during emergencies the ship is suddenly triple staffed.