dealing   with   authority,   will   be   covered   more thoroughly  in  chapter  6  of  this  text.)  For  the purpose of explanation and brevity, article 1012 best  describes  the  authority  of  naval  officers  as follows: All   officers   of   the   naval   service,   of whatever designation or corps, shall have all  the  necessary  authority  for  the  per- formance  of  their  duties  and  shall  be obeyed  by  all  persons,  of  whatever  designa- tion  or  corps,  who  are,  in  accordance with  these  regulations  and  orders  from competent authority, subordinate to them. Chapter 11 of  Navy  Regulations  explains  some of  your  duties  and  responsibilities.  SORN also  ex- plains  your  duties  and  responsibilities,  but  it explains them more in detail than in general terms. STANDARD   ORGANIZATION   AND REGULATIONS  OF  THE  U.S.  NAVY (SORN) SORN  applies  to  all  members  of  the  U.S. Navy.  It  lists  the  duties  and  responsibilities  for almost every billet and watch station in the Navy. It also gives us regulations on which to base our unit  and  watch  organizations. No  portion  of  the  SORN  is  intended  to contradict   or   supersede   any   portion   of   Navy Regulations.  Many articles in the  SORN and Navy Regulations  appear to say the same thing; but they are  separate  directives,  and  both  apply  to  all members  of  the  naval  service. In addition to your primary duties, you may be   assigned   a   number   of   collateral   duties. Guidance on the performance of collateral duties can  also  be  found  in  the  SORN. Do not rely solely on  Navy  Regulations  and SORN  as  your  only  sources  for  guidance  in performing your duties. Use other directives and instructions  that  further  amplify  what  you  are required  to  do,  such  as  those  written  by  your command. WATCH   STANDING As a naval officer, whether you are assigned ashore  or  afloat,  a  portion  of  your  duties  will involve watch standing. Although many watches are assigned to personnel assigned to shore duty, the primary scope of this text deals with the watch organization  of  an  afloat  command. SORN  defines a watch as any period during which an individual is assigned specific, detailed responsibilities on a recurring basis. Watches on board ships are set both in port and underway. Commanding  officers  establish  the  watches  re- quired for the safety, security, and proper opera- tion  of  their  command. Although  ships  have  numerous  watches,  those we  discuss  in  the  following  paragraphs  are  the primary  control  watches  for  a  ship  underway. OFFICER  OF  THE  DECK  UNDERWAY One of the most important watches on a ship at  sea  is  that  of  the  officer  of  the  deck  (OOD). The  commanding  officer  designates  the  assign- ment  of  the  OOD  in  writing.  The  OOD  takes charge  of  the  safe  and  proper  operation  of  the ship. The  duties,  responsibilities,  and  authority  of the  OOD  include  the  following: • Being aware of the tactical situation and geographic  factors  that  may  affect  safe navigation and taking action to avoid the danger  of  grounding  or  collision • Issuing necessary orders to the helm and main  engine  control  to  avoid  danger,  to take  or  keep  an  assigned  station,  and  to change  course  and  speed  following  the orders  of  proper  authority •  Making    all    required    reports    to    the commanding    officer • Supervising  the  personnel  on  watch  on  the bridge,  ensuring  all  deck  log  entries  are made, and signing the log at the end of the watch • Being aware of the status of the engineer- ing  plant  and  keeping  the  engineering officer  of  the  watch  advised  of  power requirements • Carrying  out  the  routine  of  the  ship  as published in the plan of the day and other ship’s  directives • Supervising   and   conducting   on-the-job training for the junior officer of the watch (JOOW),  the  junior  officer  of  the  deck (JOOD),  and  enlisted  personnel  of  the bridge  watch 4-2