officer of the watch

noun

Nautical.

1. the officer primarily responsible for the navigation of a ship, in the absence of the captain, during a certain watch.

Example Sentences

This was "designed to alert others if the officer of the watch doesn't respond to something, such as another vessel approaching", or to a person "falling asleep or becoming incapacitated".

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In port, a sub will typically employ a roving watch for security using a young enlisted sailor, as well as a petty officer of the watch and an officer of the deck on the quarterdeck to check ID cards of crew members and visitors attempting to board and disembark.

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The officer of the watch did not spot until it was too late the MV Priscilla had moved from its planned route.

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The SS officer of the watch sneered at us.

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Workers were needed in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, the officer of the watch told us, and we were being sent to fill their barracks.

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