General quarters

General Quarters or Battle Stations is an announcement made aboard a naval warship to signal the crew to prepare for battle or imminent damage.

When the call to General Quarters (GQ) is made, the crew prepares the ship to join battle. Off-duty or sleeping crewmembers report to their stations and prepare for action. Watertight doors between bulkheads are shut and security is increased around sensitive areas such as the bridge and engineering rooms.

Model of a French warship featuring hammocks disposed in combat position, stemming the expression branle-bas de combat. While the term 'General Quarters' is used in navies such as the United States Navy, other navies, such as the Royal Navy use the term 'Action Stations'. In French, the term is Aux postes de combat ("to combat stations"), and used to be branle-bas de combat, literally meaning that sleeping hammocks should be cleared off the gun deck, rolled, and stowed on the upper deck of the ship as protection against musket fire. The German Navy uses the term "Gefechtsstationen", meaning literally "battle stations". In Spanish the expression is "Zafarrancho de combate" (literally, "prepare stations to combat"). The Dutch Koninklijke Marine use "Gevechtswacht op post" ("Combatants to stations").

Union Fleet Ship Alerts:

 * BATTLE STATIONS- Highest Alert - (Red Lights Flashing, Klaxons) Ship goes into Full Lock Down - All door, hatches, air locks and saefty hatches are closed. All security fields are activated. Weapons are readied and the ships battle shields are activated
 * General Quarters Condition red - (Red Lights- Announcement High Alert Sounded at any Situation that is deemed dangerous to the ship and crew
 * Emergency Standby- Crew is in Full Battle Gear, Only cold food is served, all recreation facilities are closed
 * All Clear- Condition Green -
 * Intruder Alert - Security measures - Intruder containment measures are taken
 * Fire / Fuel Leak Alert - (old Union Ships)
 * Condition Black - (Only on Special Missions - similar to Silent Running