There but for the grace of God go I. My first opportunity to end my Captain’s career came on one of my first OODI watches. Our LST was steaming down the bay after dropping Marines for their winter training around Mt. Fuji, and I had the first watch that night. The ship had to cross the traffic in the channel below Tokyo. The channel was unregulated, but ships had generally decided there were two lanes close to shore for shallow draft ships and two more in the main channel for large merchants. Well, I lost the bubble and could not sort out the hundreds of running lights. However, I did have sense enough to call the Captain. When he arrived on the bridge the first thing he said was, “Where are you?” When he realized by my fuzzy answer I was lucky to know I was on the bridge, he led me to the chart. That is when I realized the 3rd class quartermaster was contentedly plotting me onto a volcanic rock at the entrance of the bay. I remember seeing little or no blue between the last fix and the shoreline. Once I got the ship into safe waters, he helped me sort out the running lights.
The amazing thing is he let me keep my job. I have always been amazed at his courage to persist in developing me even though I badly disappointed him more than once. I went to a reunion in San Diego and discovered all members of the ship’s company held him in the highest regard. I noticed he made a point to station himself near the entrance to the hospitality room so he could always be among the first to greet new arrivals.
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The amazing thing is he let me keep my job.
I suspect these two facts are connected. Having enough sense to realise when you are (if you'll forgive the expression in the circumstances) out of your depth makes a lot of difference to someone's potential. I could forgive most things, myself, from a subordinate who realised when it was time to ask for help. I had little patience for those who tried to bluff their way through it.
You had the brains to call the captain! The theory is you gotta let your crew make decisions and make mistakes — it’s how they learn — but never let their mistakes become the ship’s mistakes. I always asked myself “is it safe and will it work?” Hard to do as a captain but worth it in the long run because you get a well trained crew. A CO doesn’t sleep much at sea.
Great story, great officer. I’m sure it rubbed off on you.
ALL Navy CO’s will not dress you down if you call them to the bridge for assistance. Your mistake, he pays for it.
What a great story. What a good example of a good leader.