Working hours, start 06:30

[nez]

Many years ago on exercise in the far north Atlantic for a few weeks in Oct/Nov, we worked a shift pattern of six on, six off.
On watch at 6am and off at noon, then back on at 6pm an off at midnight for day after day after week after week.
........... or the opposite watch was on at noon, off at 6pm and back on at midnight until 6am ...................
You get the picture.

Not much in way of daylight, and "breakfast" was on at the same time as an "evening meal". The whole ship was in this routine and it was horrible and at the same time interesting and memorable and sort of enjoyable.

After a few "days" you forgot if it was 0600 or 1800, or 1200 or 2359.
Weird.

No dog watches?

[Mick F]

Dog Watches ................ rather than watching the dog!

General watches at sea in the RN:

First - 20:00 to 23:59
Middle - 00:01 to 04:00
Morning - 04:00 to 08:00
Forenoon - 08:00 to 12:00
Afternoon - 12:00 to 16:00

First Dog - 16:00 to 18:00
Last Dog - 18:00 to 20:00

Note that the Dogs are only two hours. This gives the watchkeepers an evening meal, but more importantly a swap-over. If all watches were four ours long, you'd be doing the same ones every day.

Note that midnight doesn't exist.
23:59 on one day ........ say today at 5th Oct, and 00:01 tomorrow 6th Oct .............. what day would 00:00 be?
Far easier to use a date/time and not a midnight which is neither one day nor the next.