NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Navigator's Vision,Day or Night.
From: Byron Franklin
Date: 2009 Oct 15, 11:32 -0700
From: Byron Franklin
Date: 2009 Oct 15, 11:32 -0700
I don't want to hit hard on this BUT the ears of the lookout should be an important part of the lookout job. From the "Watch Officers Guide." "See that they have some means of rapid commuications with the bridge; they should not, however, wear phones.'(use voice tube) On Oct 15, 12:21�am,wrote: > We were taught to move the eyes in a shallow ellipse, making perhaps four or five ellipses in a 90 degree horizontal sector. �Across the horizon, then on diagonals from below the horizon to above the horizon. > > This was our "primary" method at night on a destroyer type, as normal steaming didn't include radar - the other guy can easily find you if you're radiating (radar or radio). > > The moon was the big wildcard. �Masthead lights "pop" over the horizon on dark nights, but tend to get lost in the moon's shimmer when the moon's out. �"Oh h*ll! �Where'd he come from?!" wasn't uncommon on hot humid moonlit nights with an easy swell running, nights when a tired lookout's eyelids gain weight. �Solution was to put him on sound-powered phones and make him report to the bridge every five minutes, which meant he couldn't hear the sea. �Which meant, to satisfy international requirement for a "continuous sight and sound lookout," the Junior Officer of the Deck got the job of running from bridge wing to bridge wing, listening for bells or horns or whatever. �We hated moonlit nights, and were envious of merchies with their navigation radars. > > Joe --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ NavList message boards: www.fer3.com/arc Or post by email to: NavList@fer3.com To , email NavList+@fer3.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---