Chapter 10 — WATCH ROUTINES 



most important as well as one of the primary 

 duties of the Aerographer's Mate. 



Safety of life, property, and successful naval 

 operations depend greatly on reliable forecast- 

 ing. For this reason the observations upon which 

 the forecasts are based must be as accurate as 

 humanly possible. 



Complete observations are the end result 

 of a compilation of many small tasks or de- 

 tails. If these are done well, your observations 

 will become invaluable to the forecaster. If 

 observations are inaccurate they become a 

 hinde ranee and are misleading. The accuracy 

 and reliability of your observations are direct 

 measures of your abilities and your dedication 

 in performing your duties. 



OBSERVATIONAL PROGRAMS 

 AND CODE SYSTEMS 



Observation programs fall into three gen- 

 eral classes: those for weather units ashore, 

 those for weather units afloat, and those for 

 special weather units. 



In general It can be said that weather units 

 take as many observations as possible to ful- 

 fill the primary mission of the weather unit. 



Individual commands may coordinate the ob- 

 servation program of two or more weather 

 units. Such coordination conserves manpower 

 without sacrifice of quality or quantity of 

 service. 



Nothing in the observing requirements limits 

 any unit from taking such special or extra ob- 

 servations as operations may require. 



When unusual or hazardous weather condi- 

 tions develop, or upon indications of a severe 

 storm, hurricane, or typhoon, an observation 

 must be taken and immediately transmitted in 

 accordance with applicable instructions. 



Observational Program Ashore 



Meteorological observations ashore are taken 

 by Naval Weather Service units/activities in ac- 

 cordance with the Federal Meteorological Hand- 

 books (FMH) and NAVWEASERVCOM detailed 

 instructions and manuals. 



Observational Program Afloat 



Ships will take observations in accordance 

 with NAVWEASERVCOMINST. 3140.1 ( ), whioh 



outlines the minimum requirements, and with 

 the Federal Meteorological Handbooks and other 

 directives. Ships with non-meteorological per- 

 sonnel aboard will utilize NAVWEASERVCOM- 

 INST 3144.1( ) in taking weather observations 

 for transmission. All Navy ships at sea are 

 required to take regular observations, but where 

 ships are steaming in company or in close 

 proximity (within 10 miles), the appropriate 

 officer in command may designate one ship 

 to take observations for the entire group. Ships 

 in port are required to continue regular observ- 

 ing and reporting unless there is a nearby 

 U.S. manned weather reporting station meeting 

 the support requirements of the ship or group. 

 In-port weather observing and reporting may 

 be assigned to a guard weather ship at the 

 discretion of the Senior Officer Present Afloat 

 (SOP A). If this is done, the weather logs of 

 all the exempted ships will bear a notation of 

 the guard ship's name and the effective dates 

 and times. 



Observational Program of 

 Special Weather Units 



The observational program of a special unit 

 ashore or afloat is determined by the command 

 under which it operates. Although the specific 

 requirements which create the need for a spe- 

 cial unit govern the type of observational pro- 

 gram carried out, every effort is made, in 

 addition to meeting the special requirements, 

 to carry out a standard observational program 

 appropriate to the size and instrumentation of 

 the unit. Special units sent to areas where data 

 for climatological purposes are scarce or non- 

 existent should exploit each such opportunity to 

 obtain valuable weather data. 



Code System:3 



Meteorological codes are international in 

 scope and use. Basically, all the codes are the 

 same the world over. They have been devised 

 and agreed upon by the World Meteorological 

 Organization (WMO). This organization is an 

 affiliate of the United Nations, and its function 

 is primarily to coordinate meteorological mat- 

 ters between the members. 



Much standardization in meteorological mat- 

 ters — including meteorological codes — has been 

 achieved. However, there are some regional 

 or national exceptions to the general rules. 

 For this reason, meteorological codes are de- 

 fined in terms of the WMO regions. Within 



165 



