Watch Officer's Guide: A Handbook for All Deck Watch Officers

by James G. Stavridis, Robert P. Girrier

Almost as essential to a successful bridge watch as a helm, this guide has long been a primary source of information for standing a taut, safe, and efficient watch. The new edition has been updated for the Navy of the twenty-first century, reflecting the need for increased security, the appropriate role of automation in navigation, and the extensive integration of computers into virtually every phase of watchstanding. While these new elements give this revised edition a futuristic feel, the timeless basics are reassuringly still there. New figures and appendixes reveal the evolving nature of today's Navy and the wonders of supportive technology, yet proper development of the human element remains paramount in this newest version of a longstanding classic. Admiral Stavridis and Captain Girrier have made the essential guide a worthy companion to their Division Officer's Guide, and they have ensured that this latest addition to the Blue & Gold Professional Library meets the exacting standards of that important series. Safe navigation, standard commands, honors and ceremonies, communications, weather, and practical advice on the keeping of a deck log are among the many subjects covered in this comprehensive book. Practical checklists and samples help watchstanders meet the demands of challenging evolutions such as getting underway, entering port, and night steaming. Whether the watch is on the bridge, on the quarterdeck, or in the combat information center, the prudent watchstander will do well to adhere to the advice of a famous ad Don't leave home without it.

Genres: Reference, Professional Development, Military Fiction

384 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1992

About the author

A Florida native, Jim Stavridis attended the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, and spent 37 years in the Navy, rising to the rank of 4-star Admiral. Among his many commands were four years as the 16th Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, where he oversaw operations in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, the Balkans, and counter piracy off the coast of Africa. He also commanded US Southern Command in Miami, charged with military operations through Latin America for nearly three years. He was the longest serving Combatant Commander in recent US history. Following his military career, he served for five years as the 12th Dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

In the course of his career in the Navy, he served as senior military assistant to the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of Defense. He led the Navy’s premier operational think tank for innovation, Deep Blue, immediately after the 9/11 attacks. Admiral Stavridis was promoted directly from 1-star rank to 3-star rank in 2004.
He won the Battenberg Cup for commanding the top ship in the Atlantic Fleet and the Navy League John Paul Jones Award for Inspirational leadership, along with more than 50 US and international medals and decorations, including 28 from foreign nations. He also commanded a Destroyer Squadron and a Carrier Strike Group, both in combat.

In 2016, he was vetted for Vice President by Secretary Hillary Clinton, and subsequently invited to Trump Tower to discuss a cabinet position with President Donald Trump.

He earned a PhD from The Fletcher School at Tufts, winning the Gullion prize as outstanding student in his class in 1983, as well as academic honors from the National and Naval War Colleges as a distinguished student. He speaks Spanish and French.
Admiral Stavridis has published ten books on leadership, the oceans, maritime affairs, and Latin America, as well as hundreds of articles in leading journals. An active user of social networks, he has tens of thousands of connections on the social networks. His TED talk on 21st century security in 2012 has close to one million views. He tweeted the end of combat operations in the Libyan NATO intervention. His two most recent books are “Sailing True North: Ten Admirals and the Voyage of Character” in 2019 and the novel “2034: A Novel of the Next World War” in 2021.

Admiral Stavridis is a monthly columnist for TIME Magazine and Chief International Security and Diplomacy Analyst for NBC News.

He is happily married to Laura, and they have two daughters – one working at Google and the other a Registered Nurse and former naval officer, both married to physicians.

Recent commentary: https://admiralstav.com/news/

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is lame

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dusted off my old copy and re-read the book. It is a really nice primer on the things you will need to know to get started as a novice OOD.