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IIRC we worked from 0700 until about 1730 at sea and did two four hour watches and one of which always fell in off hours. That said I spent lots of after hours working when mission critical equipment. The Gyro room got a lot of my off hours LOL. I'd do musical compressors with a less critical space robbing a compressor from another unit. It was usually at least an 8 hour task by the time I waited on an electrician etc. But WCS would often cut slack at wake up time.

The sea hours were hard for most departments. But then again it kinda made it go faster as you didn't have off time to dwell on home much.

I remember while deployed in the MED only making one call home that did not involve sitting at either the phone company or USO for up to 10 hours. In 1979 in Venice, Italy I walked into a phone booth and asked for the overseas operator and in a matter of 5 minutes was talking to my parents.

ExNewsExSpook the steering on a ship is usually powered by hydraulics moving the rudder or rudders. The bridge can be blown off and steering can still be done but orders must be given because it is far below decks. On most ships there is also Secondary Con or a back up Control Room for critical task. If the hydraulics in the steering gear room goes down it may take a few minutes to restore it depending on cause. I didn't work on that but guys in my division did. It was a 24/7 manned space by a watch at sea.

Just about any ship when you are navigating and steering you must take into account the needed space for your ship to maneuver and guesstimate the others as well as read their mind. On a carrier for example if you are at Flank Speed it can take a couple miles to stop. To do a 360 degree turn may take several miles as well. No ship turns on a dime.

"No ship turns on a dime."

Maybe not on a dime, but my last ship (Frigate) could turn on a quarter. Ha. But then we would be almost at the point of capsizing. Of course we wouldn't do that in heavy seas while in the trough.

Interesting experience: while on that Frigate we lost the boiler room power and the emergency diesel wouldn't come on line. We were in heavy seas, and of course with out power we drifted into the trough. Not good. I remember the XO hustling down to the engine room in a semi-panic. Everything was flying everywhere and I had to literally brace myself on the deck of my small office cubicle to keep from bouncing off the bulkheads. My typewriter hit me upside the head. No lasting damage, but a little blood and a big ouch.

Those are the experiences that make a sailor salty. Wish these snowflakes could experience that kind of moment. They may think twice what they're supposedly protesting against.