Junior surface warfare officers aspire to take charge as officers of the deck (OODs)—to make decisions, be challenged, and lead watchstanders. New pipeline training prepares young officers for this role: The junior OOD course, now OOD Phase I, establishes a strong foundation for first-tour division officers. Still, some become disgruntled when they are “stuck” as conning officers on their first watch bills. Often described as the OOD’s “parrot” or “forward look-out,” the job is not glamorous. Yet it is the necessary experience to build the mariner skills the surface warfare community expects of its officers.
I checked into my first ship on a Monday in 2018, and we set off for deployment four days later. I was a conning officer on the watchbill and never changed roles. After seven months of conning experience, I qualified as OOD. Being “stuck” as a conning officer the entire deployment helped me succeed, and junior officers today should cherish the experience. Standing conning officer provides junior officers with the experience needed to develop the following skills:
Mariner senses. The current pushing the ship, the wind pushing the ship, and the wind in one’s face on the bridge wing on a cold night are tangible environmental forces that junior officers must experience and not simply read about in a book. Conning officers feel these forces when trying to maneuver or keep their ships steady—and they make conning officers uncomfortable. It is hard for junior officers to gain an appreciation for these shiphandling factors when glued to the radar or relegated to the radios as junior officers of the deck (the junior officer of the deck is a separate bridge watchstanding position on most ships). Conning officers must take their time to feel the ship and how it reacts to these forces. Instead of ordering a course change, they should take the rudder “in hand” and drive the ship themselves.
Mariner’s eye. The world today is filled with screens, and Navy pilothouses are no different. Radars, cameras, consoles, and computers punctuate the darkness with LED glow. These are tools for the OODs, but a skilled mariner’s eye is more important. During fishing season east of Shanghai, I hustled from bridge wing to bridge wing, night vision goggle (NVG) imprints around my eyes. “What is that? What kind of bearing drift does it have? What are those lights?” the OOD would demand. As the conning officer, I was the most important extension of his resources—not the fancy technology in front of him. Conning officers must use their time to hone their vision to be able to estimate ranges, understand bearing drift, and make out lights in the darkness.
Learn by watching others. Being conning officer allows junior officers to get into the minds of senior bridge watchstanders. They should study their OODs closely, listen to their phone calls with the captain, and learn how they manage their watch teams. Commit to memory why the OOD succeeded or struggled. The flow of information from the OOD to captain is crucial, and the skill to do it well is not learned overnight. Figure out what right and wrong look like. Doing something right is a lot easier when one has watched someone else do it countless times before.
Hands on instead of face down. Special evolutions require the best of surface warfare officer mariner skills. OODs are ultimately challenged by events such as replenishments at sea, launching and landing aircraft, and mooring in foreign ports. A qualified OOD is required to know the process and requirements of each evolution cold—these evolutions are dangerous and not routine. Officers studying for their OOD qualification are required to learn how to run the “checklist,” the step-by-step procedure for each evolution. While the checklist is crucial for the OOD to know, knowledge of the unique shiphandling requirements is
just as vital.
As conning officer, the greatest compliment my captain gave me was not verbal. It was the moment when, during a replenishment at sea, he stopped feeding me the slight course and speed changes to keep the ship on station and exactly where it needed to be. After many long replenishments, I had proved to him that I was a shiphandler. I knew how my ship responded to the slightest rudder and engine changes. The confidence conning officers gain during special evolutions is the foundation of a qualified OOD. They can now handle any evolution or unique task—they know how to handle their ship.
Develop reaction time and grit. I was conning officer for multiple strait transits, including long trips through the Strait of Hormuz. Open-ocean contact management is measured in nautical miles; strait-transit contact management is measured in yards. In straits, the ship’s radars worked great, but they had a hard time tracking smaller vessels, especially ones that frequent shallow waters close to land. Conning through the Strait of Hormuz sharpened my reaction time—I needed to know the approximate range and bearing drift of small smugglers racing across our bow. Transits at night built my grit as a watchstander: A long day constantly pressing NVGs against my face to watch for small vessels was not easy, but it was necessary. Congested waterways and straits are dangerous. Understanding the importance of reaction time and fast decision-making is fundamental for a conning officer. And displays of grit mold the self-discipline and resilience required of an OOD.
Lead and enjoy the view. Lookout is an important job for the safety of the ship. Conning officers should challenge lookouts to catch things before they do and teach them what they have learned. Junior officers will be surprised how fast junior sailors pick things up. Likewise, conning officers should learn celestial navigation from the quartermasters and, occasionally, relieve the helmsman and steer the ship on their own. It is never too early to empower enlisted watchstanders, and the times junior officers do it while standing conning officer watch will add to their leadership experience.
Finally, experiencing shooting stars at night, rainbows over the Pacific, and bioluminescent algae in the Gulf of Oman does not happen from a console in the ship’s combat information center. While standing watch as conning officer, junior officers should enjoy their time on the bridge. Having those experiences is part of why they joined the Navy!
