Which of the following is NOT a watch station?

• A. Command Duty Officer (CDO)
• B. Officer of the Deck (OOD)
• C. Junior Officer of the Deck (JOOD)
• D. Officer in Charge (OIC)

Answer: (D)

Watch stations are the specific deck-bridge duties that keep the ship safe and on course during a watch. The roles that typically stand these watches include the Officer of the Deck, who bears overall responsibility for the ship while the watch is on, the Junior Officer of the Deck, who assists the OOD and stands the watch under supervision, and the Command Duty Officer, who holds the top authority for the ship during the watch both in port and at sea. An Officer in Charge, by contrast, is the head of a department or program and focuses on supervising that area. Their duties are administrative and supervisory rather than standing the deck watch, managing navigation, or making real-time safety decisions on the bridge. So, while an OIC may be on duty in a supervisory sense, they are not a designated watch station like the OOD, JOOD, or CDO.