Not As Fucked Upped As It Seems...

Not As Stupid As It Sounds.

Cast Of Players:

AOW      Auxiliaryman Of The Watch.  Responsible for various auxiliary systems (sanitary, potable water, high pressure air, etc.)

COW      Senior Enlisted Watch Station, Chief Of The Watch.  Responsible for moving variable ballast around the submarine as directed by the DOOW, keeping track of Rig For Dive (water out of the people tank) status, keeping track of various systems (potable, sanitary, high pressure air, etc.)

DOOW   Junior Officer Watch Station, Diving Officer Of The Watch.  Responsible for reaching and maintaining Ordered Depth.  Simple thumb rules to follow:

                 If you’re sinking, you’re heavy, Pump.

                 If you’re floating up, you’re light, Flood.

                 How much you pump or flood: not going to discuss as I don’t want to waste several KB (MB?) on ships ballasting, moment arms, temperature, density of sea water ship’s speed, depth and other random factors (gives me brain cramps even to this day).

OOD        Officer Of The Deck, responsible to the CO for ships operations and movements.

CO           Commanding Officer.  The Captain (there’s only one) responsible for Everything.

The setting:

Periscope Depth (62 feet), Fat, Dumb and Happy.

Everyone is within 10 feet of each other except for the CO who’s listening over an open microphone (and can hear Every Conversation in the Control Room):

AOW:      COW (4’ separation), request permission to break Rig For Dive* and pump san 1 (a sanitary tank, 2000 gallons that fills from the crappers, 2000 gallons of turds).

COW:      Aye, Wait, DOOW request permission to break Rig For Dive and pump san 1.

DOOW:   (Me, 2’ away from the COW and 2’ away from the AOW), Aye wait, OOD, request permission to break Rig For Dive and pump san 1.

OOD:       (3’ from the AOW and me) Aye Wait, he picks a hand phone and request permission to break Rig For Dive and pump san 1) after several questions from the CO and several correct answers:

OOD:       DOOW, Break R Rig For Dive and pump san 1.

DOOW:   Break Rig For Dive and pump san 1, aye sir, COW Rig For Dive and pump san 1.

COW:      Break Rig For Dive and pump san 1, Aye Dive.  AOW, Break Rig For Dive and pump san 1.

AOW:      Break Rig For Dive and pump san 1.

When san 1 is pumped and rigger for dive, the AOW reports it to the COW (who logs it), who reports to the DOOW, who reports it to the OOD who reports it to the CO.

When Rig For Dive is verified by an officer, , the AOW and the officer reports it to the COW (who logs it), who reports to the DOOW, who reports it to the OOD who reports it to the CO

Everyone is within 5’ – 10’ of each other, but the Chain of Command ensures that Everyone is aware of the ships condition and has a buy in if something is wrong.

Waste of resources and not efficient: true, but everyone knows the status of the ships systems.

Necessary for ship’s safety: true, everyone knows the status of the ships systems.

It’s worked for over 100 years.

*Rig For Dive:

Placing ALL of the ships critical systems, hull and back valves in a Known Condition/Position.  Initial Rig For Dive is accomplished by  a Qualified Petty Officer and is verified by an officer.  Once a system is Rigged For Dive, it takes the CO;s permission to manipulated the component.  Once the evolution is secured, the system must once again be Rigged For Dive by a Qualified Petty Officer and verified by an officer.