'Rig for red' is all about preserving the night vision of topside watch standers so they can see other ships or potential hazards to navigation. On submarines, the control room rigs for red at night even if the boat is submerged. The OOD may need to use the periscope or surface. They need to have dark adapted eyes to ensure safe navigation.
Most cruise ships are so lit up you can see them from low Earth orbit. Even they maintain a darkened bridge and deck area forward of the bridge. This is to preserve the night vision of the watch.
If you take a cruise and are underway at night, go out on the fore deck and do some stargazing. You will be amazed at how many more stars you can see compared to even a generally dark area on land. I can almost guarantee a better show than the lounge.
While I don't generally recommend being at sea in the North Atlantic in winter, the cold clear air makes for some outstanding star gazing.
WWG1WGA
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
Thank you for the details.
I would never go on a cruise (not my style) but I did cross the Atlantic twice on older fashioned ships in 1960 and I think 62, when I was a child. I loved standing in the front of the ship (bow?) and feeling the ocean wind and seeing the vast expanse of water. I doubt if I was allowed out and about at night so I do not remember the starry sky.
As a young officer in a Hawk Battery in Germany, we would when required man what was called thr Battery Control Central (BCC). I t was like the biggest video game counsel ever made. We were always in the red. It was really something. Radars, galore. Once we even tracked a UFO.