CHAPTER 10 



WATCH ROUTINES 



Watchstanding is a task that is common 

 to all weather offices. These watches may con- 

 sist of a variety of functions, depending on 

 the requirements and type of duty station to 

 which you are assigned. This chapter will dis- 

 cuss the various procedures of watchstanding 

 along with the procedures to be followed in 

 performing many of the tasks that may be 

 required during a watch. 



PROCEDURES 



The two procedures that will be covered 

 are types of duties to be performed during 

 the watch and guidelines for standing the watch. 



TYPES OF DUTIES 



There are many types of duties that may 

 be performed during a watch. Many of the 

 tasks are more important than others, but it 

 should be remembered that all the tasks, 

 whether major or minor, contribute to the op- 

 erational efficiency of a properly run watch. 

 A partial listing of these duties follows: 



1. Observe, record, encode, and transmit 

 surface observations. 



2. Observe, record, encode, and transmit 

 radar observations. 



3. Operate various meteorological, ocean- 

 ographic, and satellite equipment. 



4. Observe, record, encode, and prepare for 

 transmission, oceanographic observations. 



5. Plot surface, upper air, and oceanographic 

 charts. 



6. Analyze surface, upper air, and ocean- 

 ographic charts. 



7. Decode and plot radioactive fallout re- 

 ports. 



8. Plot Skew-T Diagrams. 



9. Display and file teletype and facsimile 

 data. 



10. Maintain office equipment. 



11. Operate various communications equip- 

 ment. 



12. Perform administrative and supply func- 

 tions. 



All of these duties are individually covered 

 in this chapter or have been previously covered 

 in other chapters of this manual. 



STANDING THE WATCH 



The tasks you perform are a vital link 

 to the economical and safe operation of your 

 command, those served by your command, and 

 the entire naval service. You perform a func- 

 tion which affects pilots, ship commanders, 

 weapons delivery, missile launches, and many 

 other activities. You must always remain alert, 

 and perform your tasks professionally and with 

 pride in doing your work to the best of your 

 ability. You must be alert to any circumstance, 

 whether it be a change in a weather element, 

 an observation, or the status of operational 

 equipment. You must be alert to advise those 

 who need to know what that change is and when 

 it will affect them. You must keep your fore- 

 caster and section leader up-to-date on changes 

 occurring within your area of responsibility. 



The following paragraphs of this chapter 

 describe the procedures to be followed in per- 

 forming the various tasks to which you may 

 be assigned during your watch. 



OBSERVATIONS 



Accurate observing, recording, and trans- 

 mitting of weather observations is one of the 



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