RAN Ships Routines – effective 1934

Author

Hinchliffe, L.M.

Subjects

History - general

Tags

Royal Australian Navy, Ship Routine

RAN Ships

None noted.

Publication

March 1989 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)

The following routines were issued by Rear Admiral Commanding Australian Squadron in 1934 and were substantially the same as routines in use at the end of the nineteenth century.

Good routines ensure the ship is run smoothly and efficiently and were laid down in station order books.

There were of course variations to these routines. Captain (D) issued Destroyer Routines, ships employed on surveying had their own routines as daylight played a large part in completing their tasks expeditiously. Tropical Routine was looked forward to because of long afternoons for sport.

After WWII the first change in routine in the RAN was introduced when Saturday forenoon ‘working day’ routine was abandoned. Other changes were introduced gradually and by 1954, the ‘working day’ was approximately the same as that of industry. Perhaps someone could write on the modern routines worked in the RAN and even the R.N. and USN.

Sea Routines

Daily, Saturday, Sunday

Harbour Routines

Daily, Saturday, Sunday, Routine in Capital Cities, When in Cockatoo Dock.

Routine for Men Undergoing Punishment

No. 11 Punishment, No. 16 Punishment.

Sea Routines – Daily (top)

• 0345 Call the morning watch.
• 0355 Morning watch to muster. Report seaboat’s crew and lowerers.
• 0530 Call the hands (stand fast middle watchmen). Morning watchmen fall in. Sweep down the upper deck.
• 0540 Hands to cocoa and wash.
• 0555* ‘G’. Out pipes.
• 0600 Hands fall in (stand fast middle watchmen). Clean ship.
• 0630 Q.O’s., messmen, scullery hands, drying room sweeper, regulating office writer, ship’s office messenger—go below.
• 0645 Up guard and steerage hammocks. Pipe dress of the day. Steerage hammockmen lash-up midshipmen’s hammocks.
• 0700 Seaboat’s crew and lowerers of the forenoon watch, forenoon watchmen, Q.O’s., and Shipwright’s yeoman to breakfast and clean.
• 0715 ‘Cooks’. Uncover guns.
• 0720 Seaboat’s crew and lowerers of morning watch fall in in the torpedo space.
• 0725 Hands to breakfast and clean.
• 0750 Clear drying rooms of dry kit.
• 0755 Seaboat’s crew and lowerers of forenoon watch to muster.
• 0800 Seaboat’s crew and lowerers of morning watch to breakfast and clean.
• 0815 Commander’s requestmen and defaulters.
• 0820* ‘G’. Out pipes.
• 0825 All watches for exercise (stand fast morning watchmen). Clean messdecks and flats.
• 0855 ‘Band’call.
• 0900* ‘G’. ‘Drummers’.
• 0905 Divisions. Prayers. Physical drill.
• 1030 Stand easy.
• 1040 Out pipes. Hands carry on with their work.
• 1115 Afternoon watchmen and seaboat’s crew and lowerers of afternoon watch to dinner.
• 1140* Secure.
• 1145 All watches for exercise. Clear up decks.
• 1150 ‘Cooks’.
• 1155 Seaboat’s crew and lowerers of afternoon watch to muster.
• 1200 Dinner.
• 1310* ‘G’. Out pipes.
• 1315 All watches for exercise.
• 1420 Stand easy.
• 1430 Out pipes. Hands carry on with their work.
• 1525 Seaboat’s crew and lowerers of first dog watch and first dog watchmen to tea. (In winter shift into night clothing).
• 1540* Secure. Special parties clean into rig of the day.
• 1545 All watches for exercise. Clear up decks.
• 1555* ‘G’. ‘Drummers’. Seaboat’s crew of afternoon and first dog watches fall in abreast their boats. (First dog watch abreast first cutter).
• 1600 Evening quarters. Drill. ‘Cooks’. Tea. In winter hands shift into night clothing.
• 1730 In summer.— Hands shift into night clothing.
• 1755 Seaboat’s crew and lowerers of last dog watch to muster.
• 1850 ‘Cooks’.
• 1900 Supper.
• 1930 Stand by hammocks. Steerage hammockmen sling midshipmen’s hammocks.
• 1955 Seaboat’s crew and lowerers of first watch to muster.
• 2000 First watch fall in. Clear up messdecks and flats. Place wash-deck gear.
• 2020 Men under punishment and stoppage of leave to muster.
• 2030 Rounds.
• 2200 Pipe down.
• 2230 Chief and petty officers pipe down.
• 2345 Call the middle watch.
• 2355 Middle watch to muster.  Report seaboat’s crew and lowerers.

Sea Routines – Saturday (top)

• As FOR DAILY SEA ROUTINE UP TO 0704—
• 0705 ‘Cooks’. Uncover guns.
• 0710 Seaboat’s crew and lowerers of the morning watch fall in in the torpedo space.
• 0715 Hands to breakfast and clean.
• 0750 Clear drying rooms of dry kit.
• 0755 Seaboat’s crew and lowerers of forenoon watch to muster.
• 0800 Seaboat’s crew and lowerers of morning watch to breakfast and clean.
• 0810* ‘G’. Out pipes.
• 0815 All watches for exercise, (stand fast morning watchmen). Clean messdecks and flats.
• 0900 Morning watchmen fall in.
• 1025 Stand easy. Messdeck and flat sweepers to clean.
• 1035 Out pipes. Clear off messdecks and flats for rounds. All watches for exercise. Detail hands for ‘clean guns’. Remainder finish off upper deck.
• 1040* Officers’ call for rounds.
• 1045 Captain’s upper deck and messdeck rounds.
• 1115 Afternoon watchmen and seaboat’s crew and lowerers of afternoon watch to dinner.
• 1130 All watches of the guard clean equipment.
• 1150 ‘Cooks’.
• 1155 Seaboat’s crew and lowerers of afternoon watch to muster.
• 1200 Dinner. Pipe ‘make and mend clothes’. All hands to clean into the rig of the day.
• THEN AS FOR DAILY SEA ROUTINE.