Small Boat Ops and Weather By LT Fullan

Types of Boats Motor Boat –closed compartment fwd and possibly aft –Captains gig red stripe –Admirals barge green stripe Motor Whale Boat –26’ boat used for liberty, ready life boat –being replaced by the rhib

Types of Boats Lightweight and fast Reliable inboard engine Carry fewer passengers than MWB Used as ready life boat Good for interdiction opns Requires less complicated davit

Types of Boats Personnel Boats –look like a utility boat with seats –used for liberty launches –can have a canopy Utility –large cargo carrying –large number of personnel

CREW

OOD Control –3 gongs = 10 min –2 gongs = 5min –1 gong = 1 min –shuts down the boats because of weather –supervises the loading –gives departure and return orders

Senior Line Officer Never overload Ensure everyone has life preservers on if necessary Give orders to avoid danger Maintain discipline

Coxswain In charge of the boat crew Drives the boat responsible for the passengers Responsible for the boat’s and crew’s appearance. Subj to the orders of the OOD and senior officer enbarked Enforces Boat etiquette

Bow and Stern Hook Lookouts Fend-off the boat Handle lines Cast off

Boat Engineer Maintain the engine Normally and Engineman

Boat Officer Embarked –at night –heavy weather –first run of the day –first run in new port –with senior officers and dignitaries –when deemed by the OOD

Boat Lines Boat Falls - support the weight of the boat Steady Lines - fwd, amid, aft used to keep the ship parallel to the ship Monkey Lines - personnel use these when lowering the boat into the water. Frapping Lines - used to steady the boat when lowering and raising Sea Painter - attached to fwd inboard side. Used to keep the boat alongside while disconnecting\connecting the lines

Operations 50% during inclement weather No standing No smoking Enough life preservers for capacity Must have charts, compass, fog signaling equipment Follow the rules of the road

Operations Ship is slowed to steerageway and turned to create a lee boat is made ready for lowering (boat and davit crew) Boat is lowered to the deck’s edge boat is loaded (personnel hold monkey lines) Boat is lowered to waters edge, motor started Release after fall, forward fall, sea painter

Boat Etiquette Saluting –Coxswain salutes officers enter or leave officers pass nearby colors when passing another small boat –junior boat will slow to idle, coxswain and senior officer embarked will stand an salute –senior boat maintains course ad speed and returns salute

Boat Etiquette Embarking –Junior first on\last off and sit forward –Senior last on\first off and sit aft –Sit at attention

Boat Hails and Replies When a small boat approaches. The OOD questions the coxswain by –day - raised clenched fist –night - “boat ahoy”

Boat Hails and Replies Coxswain Replies by: –day 8,6,4,2, wave off –night United States Defense Navy Naval Operations Name of command Aye, Aye No, no Hello

Weather

Terms Dew Pt. - temperature at which vapor condense Relative Humidity - amount of water vapor in the air at a given temperature Psychrometer - measures the humidity Anemometer - measures the relative wind speed and direction

Terms Clouds –Cirrus –Stratus –Cumulus –Cumulonimbus Atmospheric pressure - weight of the atmosphere in relation to that of sea level

Terms Air Masses - large volumes of air with the same temp and humidity Pressures –High - air flows out –Low - air flows in –Based on density and humidity

Terms Fronts –warm- warm overtakes the cold overcast skies steady rain poor visibility in front of the warm front Steady or lowering barometer warmer temps after it passes

Terms Fronts –cold - cold displaces the warm air mass Thunderstorms heavy rains sudden wind shifts as the front passes drop in temp rise in pressure rapid clearing sky

Terms Cyclones –low pressure areas –spin clockwise in the north and counter clockwise in the south –called typhoons, hurricanes, cyclones

Storm Types Tropical depression - <= 33 knots of wind Tropical storm knots of wind Hurricane - > 63 knots of wind

Hurricane Facing the wind the eye will be to the right in the north. The opposite in the south Falling barometer In the North the storm will track to the NW and then the NE. In the south the storm will track to the SW then to the SE.

Hurricane Evasion Determine the path of the storm in relation to your location Determine navigable and dangerous semicircles –place yourself at the storm center facing the direction of movement - dangerous is to the right and navigable is to the left storm can turn into you storm speed is combined with wind speed

Hurricane Evasion Stay away from the center –strongest winds are near the eye Navigable Semicircle –Put the winds on the STBD quarter in the north and the port quarter in the south Dangerous Circle –Put the winds on the stbd bow in the northern hemisphere and the port bow in the southern hemisphere

Conditions of Readiness Cond 4 - possible destructive winds in 72 hrs Cond 3 - anticipate destructive winds in 48 hours –get fuel and rig for high winds Cond 2 - anticipate destructive winds in 24 hours –terminate liberty and prepare to get underway in 4 hours Cond 1 - anticipate destructive winds in 12 hours –sortie or extra lines

Other info Gale warnings knots small craft warnings for winds up to 38 knots STOW FOR SEA