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The Ship’s Deck Log, Continued |
The Ship’s Deck Log
Maintaining the
Ship’s Deck Log
As QMOW, one of your duties is to act as an observer and recorder.
There are many logs and records that you must maintain. Probably the
most important log will be the Ship’s Deck Log. The basic requirements
for maintaining the Ship’s Deck Log are contained in U.S. Navy
Regulations, 1973, and OPNAVINST 3120.32 series.
We will discuss the general policy and regulations, the form preparation,
the assembly and disposition procedures, the abbreviations, and the
required entries in the Ship’s Deck Log.
General Policy
All U.S. Navy ships in commission and other craft, as required, must
and Regulations
maintain a Ship’s Deck Log. The deck log is the official daily record of
a ship by watches. Entries should describe every circumstance and
occurrence of importance or interest that concerns the crew and the
operation and safety of the ship. Entries should also include information
that may be of historical value.
The deck log must be a chronological record of events occurring during
the watch that will meet the needs of the commanding officer.
Additionally, the deck log, will provide a document of historical, value.
Accuracy in describing events recorded in a Ship’s Deck Log is a must.
Deck log entries often make important legal evidence that may be used
in judicial and administrative fact finding proceedings arising from
incidents involving the ship or its personnel.
Under certain circumstances, such as limited local operations of service
craft, the maintenance of a deck log is not required. However, other
adequate records of events must be maintained by the command. If
doubt exists as to whether a deck log is required, the facts must be
submitted to the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) for a determination.
The Ship’s Deck Log must be "unclassified" except when another
classification is required by security regulations such as wartime
operations, special operations, and so forth. Basically, information in
the Ship’s Deck Log is FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY.
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