Week 2 - Sat

Late Entry | SN Cleveland
BEQ#: 832 - R219

SAT - 01APR17

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The weekend was finally on us, liberty the time when you can relax, get what you need to done and most of all sleep in! Unless it's your duty sections duty day and I'd been up the night prior as my fairly natural nocturnal attitudes seem to dictate unless I fight them or can't maintain them due to external factors.

We were up at rev, just like a normal day but it still felt like an eternity because I didn't need to do my normal cleaning tasks and better yet we weren't mustering for the turn-over until 0630. I got in my dress blues as I'd be assuming the watch at 0800 and went down to the pier with everyone else for my first of this kind of muster.

It took me 3 tries to get across the quarterdeck without the BDO stopping me due to missing items but I made it, and on time. At 0700 the duty section mustered for training on smoking, drug use, sexual health and other Navy topics which I didn't get to delve into as I had to dip out to the quarterdeck for the second watch since arriving at TSC. Again I was assigned to Lib log but this time in the morning on a weekend, for four hours. As with everything there is a protocol for watch relief on the porter it goes as follows:

• Both the watch-stander and relief come to attention and salute one another
• Relief: "I assume the duties and responsibilities of [insert watch position]. You stand properly relieved.]
• Watch-stander: "I stand properly relieved, permission to carry on?"
• Relief: "Carry on."

While the watches turn over on the hour we actually conduct turn-over a half hour early for a variaty of reasons. 0800 marked my first time on watch during morning colors. Our responsibility is to uncased the ensign and solemnly observe it being done. I'm told it was moved from actual sunrise to strictly 0800 because of 9/11 which for some reason irks me slightly.

Lib log wasn't so bad, because of the constant traffic I found time went quickly and it was a good way to attempt to actually learn the names and positions of my ship-mates something I seem to naturally avoid. There was the occasional mistake as is oft the case when working on something for more or less the first time but after the shift was over I was fairly confident with the position.

The rest of my day was spent working on the computer or bouncing down to the first deck for musters at 1300, then because someone was late we mustered again at 1400, and again at the normal 1900 time. Each time we muster we conduct a 10 - 20 minute sweep-down of the ship which is even announced on the 1MC.

With my watch having been in the morning, aside from the inconvenience of the afternoon muster and surprise muster it was more or less a free day, though one I had to spend on board the ship and I largely wasted the time that granted me in an effort to unwind.

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LATE ENTRY END