Underway! Shift Colors!!

Oh wow! You are going on a cruise! That is so exciting. You will visit many foreign lands and meet exciting people from all over the world. What an extraordinary time you are going to have. Take pictures and buy souvenirs. If you visit these countries, here is a list of items I want. I am sure many people said all of this or something that closely resembles those who are going on a cruise with those fancy ship that has over ten floors where everyone can enjoy themselves doing things such as laying around on the lounge chairs, drinking mojitos, eating the best food and drinking the best drinks money can buy or playing shuffleboard next to the swimming pool that the incredible waterslide empties to or any other array of activity that is offered.

No, this adventure is far from that. You can say this is the complete opposite. The one that is going to sail around the ocean blue and travel around the seven seas is not a Carnival or Princess Cruise Ship; it is a United States Navy ship. 

Those lucky ones in the United States Navy who have gone to sea on those big gray ships with white hull numbers will tell you that life is very different. No lounging around on the promenade deck or shuffleboard court next to the swimming pool. The five-story waterslide does not exist. Nope, there is work that needs to be done, watches that need to be stood, decks that need to be scrubbed, heads that need to be cleaned, and berthing that needs to be swept and organized. On top of that, qualifications must be met, training needs to be mastered, and, of course, drills must be run. All these events take place around the clock. The only time there is a rest or relaxation moment is on the occasional Sunday when the crew will go topside and have a cookout in the afternoon. 

So here it is, after receiving all the accolades; good luck and have fun, and don’t forget to write, email, and message us through social media, our sailor who, for the first time in his life, heads to Norfolk piers, goes onboard the ship and heads out to sea. 

The first day of any long cruise or deployment onboard a United States Navy ship feels like the longest day ever, and for our sailors, this is nothing different. Waking up at 4:00 in the morning, he starts to get ready. Is the seabag packed with enough clothes for six months? Underwear, socks, T-shirts, uniforms? Also, it would be best if you remembered to bring a couple of pairs of jeans and some nice shirts at a foreign port in case of liberty. I should place my shower shoes and the steel top boots. I need to think about safety. Please verify that all the bills will be handled when I am gone. Who will care for the car in the parking lot for about half the year? Is my apartment going to be safe? Who is going to water the plants? Thank God all these arrangements were made before today, but it is good to make sure. 

Around 5:00 am, the white navy van picks up our sailor and heads to the ship. You would think that driving this early in the morning, there would be very little traffic. However, this is Norfolk. The heavy traffic starts very early and lasts until 9:00 am. After weaving in and out of rush hour traffic, the van arrives at Pier 5 just in time for reveille, which is at 6:00 am for most ships. Our sailor drags his seabag through the gate, down the pier, and up the brow to the quarterdeck. Before stepping on the boat, he turns to the direction where the flag is, salutes, then turns to the Officer of the Deck, the person in charge of the quarterdeck, and then asks, “Request permission to come aboard.” The Officer of the Deck salutes back and says, “Permission granted.” Our sailor picks up his seabag, shows his identification, and lets the Officer of the Deck know that this is his first day, and he is checking in. The officer of the deck calls the Master at Arms to let them know that there is a new check-in. After five minutes, the Master at Arms, who is not too thrilled to be called this early in the morning, arrives. He shakes our sailor’s hand and says, “Follow me.” They enter the ship and head down to the Master at Arms office. Upon arriving, our sailor drops off his seabag and fills out a check-in form. After filling out the form, the Master at Arms instructs our sailor to go to the mess decks, eat breakfast, and return. After the nutritious breakfast, our sailor comes back to the Master at Arms office, gets his seabag, and heads down to berthing to find out where he is going to sleep for the next six months. Upon arriving, two sheets, two pillowcases, and a blanket are given to him; the berthing petty officer points to the bunk and says, “Here you are go ahead and unpack.” Afterward, someone will pick you up so you can start the check-in process.”

If anyone has been on a deployment or cruise before on a United States Navy vessel, the furthest thing anybody wants to do is to be in the office to work, especially to check in new personnel. Most of the sailors are unpacking their seabags, putting all their clothes away in an organized manner, securing all the equipment in case of inclement weather, and spending their last moments with their family and friends before the ship gets underway, which is one of the most painful tasks. Luckily for our sailor, he had already said his goodbyes, so that was already done. 

After finding the right people and getting some signatures on the check-in sheet, our sailor comes back to the Master at Arms office, where he receives information on where to go in case of “Man Overboard” and “Abandon Ship.” Fighting fires and fending off enemy attacks are critical for these two evolutions. The sailor must know where to go during “Man Overboard” so the ship can get an accurate count and determine who is missing or fell overboard. Ships hold these types of drills all the time. The idea is to get a precise count or muster of all personnel before five minutes. During the drills, the coordinator will ask one of the sailors to “hide” to ensure their division turns in an accurate count. Our sailor will go to the assigned life raft for Abandon Ship until the captain gets an exact count. If this is real and the ship is sinking, it is imperative to know where to go because that will be the new home until our sailor is rescued. 

It is now close to 8 am, and it is time to go to where our sailor will work and meet the team. Coming into the office, especially where our sailor will work, is challenging. In this work environment, security clearance must be checked and verified before our sailors can even go through the door. If everything checks out well, if there are any issues, such as not having the proper paperwork, then phone calls must be made, emails must be sent, and folders must be reviewed again to ensure the paperwork was correctly placed. Try doing this while underway; the communications are not the best in the world. By the stroke of luck, our sailor checks out and is let into the space. After the team's introduction, including the division officer and the division chief, the leading petty officer goes over what team our sailor will work with and the schedule. After a few minutes of chit-chatting, the team goes outside to man the rails. 

Manning the Rails is a traditional navy ceremony where sailors line up along the ship's rails to render honors. Manning the rails comes from “manning the yards,” which was an old custom that required crew members to stand on the spans, holding sails and cheering to honor distinguished guests. At present, manning the rails is used to honor the President of the United States and heads of state of foreign nations and during special events such as passing the USS Arizona Museum at Pearl Harbor or leaving for an extended period such as a deployment. This is a way sailors honor families and friends.  

It is time to depart. At the precise moment, the boatswain mate on the bridge will blow a whistle over the 1MC or the ship’s intercom system and announce, “Underway, Shift Colors.”  The ship is underway, and the clock starts!! The mission begins; it is time to set the watch. Setting the watch is assigning sailor duties and responsibilities to ensure the continuous operation and safety of the ship. Setting the watch divides the crew into shifts or watches to cover all tasks that need to be done around the clock. Everyone from the Captain down to our sailors is responsible for the safety and security of the vessel. Even though our sailor is brand new to this experience, he is part of the crew.