ship's watch
Four-hour duty
A ship's watch is a period of duty aboard a vessel, traditionally four hours long, during which assigned crew members remain on deck to navigate, monitor conditions, and handle emergencies.
The day divides into watches—typically named dogwatch, middle watch, morning watch, and so on.
By extension, the crew assigned to a particular watch period: The first watch came on deck at midnight.
- deckShip's flat surface
- on deckReady and waiting nearby
- helmVessel's steering mechanism
- lookoutWatcher or vista point
- nightDark hours daily
duty · bells · starboard · port · crow's nest · quartermaster · navigation · rotation · shift · night shift · horizon · vigilance · standing orders · sailor · timepiece · chronometer · officer · bridge
ship's watchshore leave
Sailor's permitted absence ashore
rest period · liberty · stand-down · off duty · off-duty
ship, watch, ships, shipped, shipping, shipment, shipyard, shipmate, watches