supervision  and  instruction  of  a  petty  officer.  You will  learn  to  operate  equipment  using  EOSS  by following the ship’s EOP and EOCC procedures. In the following paragraphs we will discuss the EOOW,  the  watch  stander  from  whom  you  will take  your  directions.  We  will  also  describe  the various  watches  that  pertain  directly  to  you. ENGINEERING OFFICER OF  THE  WATCH The EOOW is the officer on watch in charge of  the  main  propulsion  plant  and  of  the  associated auxiliaries.  On  some  types  of  ships,  the  EOOW is normally a senior petty officer. The EOOW is primarily  responsible  for  the  safe  and  efficient performance   of   the   engineering   department watches (except damage control) associated with the equipment in his or her charge. The engineer officer  determines  if  an  officer  or  petty  officer of  the  engineering  department  is  qualified  to perform   the   duties   of   the   EOOW.   When   the engineer  officer  considers  the  officer  or  petty officer qualified in all respects, he or she assigns that person to the watch. The engineer officer or, in his or her absence, the MPA is authorized to direct  the  EOOW  concerning  the  duties  of  the watch when such action is considered necessary. DAMAGE   CONTROL CENTRAL   WATCH Damage control central (DCC) on most ships is  manned  around  the  clock  when  the  ship is  in  port  and  under  way.  The  DCC  watch  is responsible for the supervision and maintenance of the material condition of readiness in effect on the ship at all times. As a watch stander in DCC, you  will  be  required  to  maintain  the  Damage Control Closure Log. You will also be responsible for the damage control log. On this log you will make entries of the firemain pressure, the number of  pumps  on  the  firemain,  and  several  other entries. You will also make hourly status reports to  the  officer  of  the  deck  (OOD). SOUNDING  AND  SECURITY As a Fireman, you will be required to stand sounding  and  security  watches.  While  on  this  type of watch, you are the ship’s first line of defense in  maintaining  watertight  integrity.  Your  primary mission is to look for fire and flooding hazards. On some ships, this watch is set from the end of the working day until 0800 the next morning. It is  also  in  effect  during  holiday  routine.  The  watch is particularly needed at these times because fewer personnel  are  working  aboard  the  ship;  certain spaces   that   require   frequent   observation   are not  under  the  normal  observation  of  personnel working  in  or  near  them.  On  most  ships, sounding and security watches are stood around the  clock.  When  standing  this  watch,  besides looking  for  fire  and  flooding  hazards,  you  may take   readings   on   the   air-conditioning   and refrigeration plants. You may also have to ensure no freshwater spigots are leaking or have been left running in heads, laundries, galleys, and pantries. Another  of  your  responsibilities  is  to  maintain  the proper material readiness conditions by checking all watertight air ports, doors, hatches, scuttles, and   other   damage-control   fittings.   You   must report   any   irregular   condition   (change   in soundings,  violations  of  material  condition,  fire hazards, and so forth) to your watch supervisor. You   will   use   a   sounding   tape   to   take soundings. The sounding tape is a steel tape coiled on  a  reel  suitable  for  being  held  while  the  tape is lowered. The tape is weighted at the end so that it  can  be  lowered  into  the  sounding  tube. When taking a sounding, you will notice that water is relatively hard to see on a brass or bronze sounding  rod.  If  you  have  problems  reading  the level, dry the rod or tape thoroughly and coat it with  white  chalk  or  indicating  paste  before  you take  a  sounding.  When  the  chalk  becomes  wet, it  turns  to  a  light-brown  color.  For  example,  if there are 6 inches of water in a tank when you take  a  sounding,  the  light-brown  color  of  the chalk  will  be  distinctly  visible  up  to  the  6-inch mark.  The  remainder  of  the  sounding  rod  will  still be  covered  with  the  white  chalk. NOTE: The chalk method is used only where water  may  be  present.  Water-indicating  paste  will not  change  color  with  fuel  oil  and  is  often  used by the oil king to determine if there is water at the bottom of a fuel tank. Always remember never to use the same sounding tape in a fresh water tank  sounding  that  had  been  used  for  fuel,  oil, or  any  other  purpose  other  than  fresh  water. MESSENGER  OF  THE  WATCH The  messenger  of  the  watch  performs  a number  of  important  duties  that  involve  great responsibility. The messenger is usually assigned as   the   sound-powered   telephone   talker.   This occurs   when   the   ship   is   undergoing   close maneuvering  conditions  with  other  ships,  entering 1-19