Quote:
Originally Posted by Rosencrantz
To JScones:
Exellent post, once again. However I doubt this:
I doubt if bosun was ever really in charge, unless it was actually "captain's watch", - which I doubt too. (As far as I know, it was usually only special ocassions, like leaving/entering pier, daily dives, and so on, when the U-boat commander took watch himself.) Could be author's mistake? 
-RC- |
Bosun or "Number One" was actually in charge of the bridge/tower watch for 4 hours a day. He was the Crew Chief, usually an Oberfeldwebel (ie- an Unteroffiziere mit Portepee aka a Warrant Officer equivelent in US terms ie a Senior NCO in the Kriegsmarine). His duties as "Number One" sailor (aka "Chief of the Boat" in US Naval parlance) was to maintain discipline and order among the enlisted crew, maintain clothing and uniforms, maintain the general cleanliness on boat, act as Artillery Chief and to act as Fourth Watch Officer. He had a full plate of duties keeping the problems of the crew from reaching the level where they might require the attention of the Skipper, and he had the authority to deal out discipline.
The Bosun's battlestation aboard U564 was in the conning tower where he input information relayed from the Captain (attack periscope) or IWO (surface torpedo attack) into the TDC.
The Bosun also led a 4-hour tower watch. The IWO stood two tower 4-hour watches, the IIWO stood 2, the IIIWO/ObStMn stood 1 and the Bosun stood 1.
As far as whether or not he was ever really "in charge" I expect it depended quite a bit on the Boat. For example, in the Kriegsmarine, if a midshipman was aboard, I suppose the middy might technically be "in charge" of the tower, even though he was assigned to the Bosun or the IIIWO's watch as a lowly green lookout....
Gumby
PS- I'm gonna post a complete example of the watch cycle on U564 shortly in a dedicated thread...