Bridge ( Ship)

Bridge (Ship Bridge)

The bridge of a ship is the room or platform from which the ship can be commanded. When a ship is underway[1] the bridge is manned by an OOW (officer of the watch)[2]. During critical maneuvers the captain will be on the bridge supported, perhaps, by an OOW as an extra set of hands, an AB on the wheel and sometimes a pilot if required.

Wheelhouses are the small enclosed parts of a bridge which historically held the ship's steering wheel. Today, ship bridges do not have a separate wheelhouse. In some cases, the term wheelhouse is used to describe the Helm position.[3]

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[1] A union ship is underway if she is not in her port of registration. All Union ships Civilian and military have a registry and a home port

[2] The bridge must be occupied at all times by the OOW (Who holds the Conn) regardless of the ships location : Space, landed, dock, etc. (Both Military and civilian0

[3] During the time the Union used the separate Helm position.