Chapter 1INTRODUCTION
Reports by the Engineering Officer
of the Watch. The engineering officer of
the watch shall report promptly to the
officer of the deck and the engineer
officer any actual or probable derange-
ment of machinery, boilers, or auxiliaries
which may affect the proper operation of
the ship.
Reports to the Engineering Officer
of the Watch. The engineering officer of
the watch shall be promptly informed of
any engineering work or change in
disposition of machinery which may
affect the proper operation of the plant
or endanger personnel, or which is re-
quired for entry in the record of his
watch.
Inspection and Operation of
Machinery. The engineering officer of the
watch shall cause frequent inspections to
be made of the engines, boilers, and their
auxiliaries; and shall ensure that pre-
scribed tests, methods of operation, and
instructions pertaining to the safety of per-
sonnel and material are strictly observed.
Records and Logs. The engineering
officer of the watch shall ensure that the
engineering log, engineers bell book, and
prescribed operating records are properly
kept. On being relieved, he shall sign the
engineering log and the engineers bell
book for that watch.
Engineering Department
Duty Officer
In ships not underway, the commanding
officer may authorize the standing of a days
duty in lieu of the continuous watch of the
engineering officer of the watch. When author-
ized, the duties of the engineering officer, of the
watch are assigned in port to the engineering
department duty officer. However, when not at
the station of the engineering officer of the watch,
the duty officer must always be ready for duty
the moment he/she is summoned or notified that
his/her presence is required. The engineering
department duty officer, assigned by the engineer
officer, must be a qualified engineering officer of
the watch. On some ships, chief petty officers may
be assigned as the engineering department duty
officer.
In the temporary absence of the engineer
officer, the duties of the engineer officer may be
performed by the engineering department duty
officer. If the engineer officer is on board, the
duty officer reports the condition of the depart-
ment to him/her prior to the eight oclock reports.
In the absence of the engineer officer, the duty
officer makes the eight oclock reports for the
department to the executive officer (or command
duty officer).
The engineering duty officer, in addition to
such other duties as may be properly assigned to
him/her, is responsible for:
1. The alertness and proper performance of
all personnel of the engineering watches.
2. The safe and economical operation of all
engineering machinery and systems in use.
3. The elimination of fire and flooding
hazards and the prevention of sabotage.
4. The security of all engineering spaces. In
order to determine the actual conditions that
exist in the engineering space and to evaluate the
performance of watch personnel, the duty officer
must make frequent inspections of the engineer-
ing spaces.
5. The proper maintenance of all machinery
operating logs, and for writing and signing the
engineering log for the period he/she is on duty.
The engineering department duty officer
makes reports in the same manner as the engineer-
ing officer of the watch, except that when acting
in place of the engineer officer, he/she is respon-
sible for making the reports required of that
officer. Engineering watch supervisors and the
duty petty officers of the engineering divisions
report to the duty officer during the performance
of their duties.
A chief petty officer who is a qualified
engineroom watch supervisor underway may be
assigned a watch as the engineering department
duty chief petty officer to assist the engineering
department duty officer. The duty chief petty
officer is normally assigned duty for the same
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