When do Captains sleep - Page 2

GraylingSTS(SS) · 09-26-06, 09:39 PM

I'm not sure how they did it on the U-boats.

I was a sonar tech on a fast attack 637 class sub in the US Navy. Underway, the entire crew, officers and enlisted, were on a 18 hr watch rotation...6 hours on watch, 6 on call for maintenance or damage control, 6 hours to "rest", then repeat.

The captain was the only exception to this rule. He, for the most part, stayed on a 24 hour rotation. He was up and about during the "daylight" hours, and in his quarters in the evening. He never got to sleep longer than 4 hours straight though, because the "officer of the deck" (watch officer) was required to report to him every 4 hours (more frequently in certain scenarios).

The worst watch to have was the mid-watch, midnight to 6. You would get off at 6, run casualty drills all day (because the Captain was up and fresh!), and then come back on watch at 1800 with no sleep.

John Pancoast · 09-26-06, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EAF274 Johan

But when did the hydrophone/radio operator sleep? A more pertinent question to me it seems

When submerged he has to listen to the hydrophones all the time, when surfaced he has to listen to the radio. In Das Boot at least it's always this same guy who has to do it.

Not the best to base how anything is/was done in real life, from any movie

Haven't watched DB in a long time, but more likely, there wasn't any particular reason why the same actor was always in this post, other than he was the only actor hired for that character

09-26-06, 09:39 PM	#16
GraylingSTS(SS) Bosun Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Kentucky, USA Posts: 62 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I'm not sure how they did it on the U-boats. I was a sonar tech on a fast attack 637 class sub in the US Navy. Underway, the entire crew, officers and enlisted, were on a 18 hr watch rotation...6 hours on watch, 6 on call for maintenance or damage control, 6 hours to "rest", then repeat. The captain was the only exception to this rule. He, for the most part, stayed on a 24 hour rotation. He was up and about during the "daylight" hours, and in his quarters in the evening. He never got to sleep longer than 4 hours straight though, because the "officer of the deck" (watch officer) was required to report to him every 4 hours (more frequently in certain scenarios). The worst watch to have was the mid-watch, midnight to 6. You would get off at 6, run casualty drills all day (because the Captain was up and fresh!), and then come back on watch at 1800 with no sleep. __________________ Only two types of ships in my Navy, submarines and targets!