Most Sailors on ships work in watch rotations. If you’re lucky it’s three shifts, but more often than not it’s “port and starboard” shifts of 12-on/12-off. This

Most Sailors on ships work in watch rotations. If you’re lucky it’s three shifts, but more often than not it’s “port and starboard” shifts of 12-on/12-off. This is especially hard for those who work nights. Even if your shift ends at, say, 0800, you still have to eat, then attend muster (like a daily standup), then do an hour or so of “cleaning stations”. Afterward you can’t go to sleep yet because the berthing where you sleep is waiting for the XO to inspect. Once that’s all done, you are still up because they planned a General Quarters (GQ) drill or a man overboard at 1000. Two hours later and you are finally free, but it’s lunch so you might as well eat. You have about 8 hours left, but you are also delinquent on 2 or 3 qualifications that require walk-through a or attending trainings which only happen during the day. Maybe you want to send an email home, so you go to the library to wait for a free computer. By the time that’s all done, you have about 4 or 5 hours to sleep. You might be able to do that without problem for a day or two, but a week later and you are friend.