Case Study

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Week 6: Ethics in Human Relationships Week - Case Study

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"Never Let a Quiet Watch at Sea Lull You into a False Sense of Security" A little background on what it means to exercise command at sea: "Only a seaman realizes to what great extent an entire ship reflects the personality and ability of one individual, her Commanding Officer. To a landsman, this is not understandable, and sometimes it is even difficult for us to comprehend--but it is so! A ship is a different world in herself, and in consideration of the protracted and distant operations of the fleet units, the Navy must place great power, responsibility and trust in the hands of those leaders chosen for command. In each ship there is one man who, in the hour of emergency or peril at sea, can turn to no other man. There is one who alone is ultimately responsible for the safe navigation, engineering performance, accurate gunfiring, and morale of his ship. He is the Commanding Officer. He is the ship! This is the most difficult and demanding assignment in the Navy. There is not an instant during his tour as Commanding Officer that he can escape the grasp of command responsibility. This is a duty which most richly deserves the highest time-honored title of the seafaring world--'CAPTAIN.'" Captain Joseph Conrad Our Case Study: The weather would be turning bad overnight, but late on a sunny afternoon in gentle seas, the Commanding Officer (the CO) had a fresh cup of coffee in hand and enjoyed what little was left of the day in his designated chair on the bridge. It was an older ship, but she could still perform in an award-winning way, even if she could not land helicopters like the newer ones. They had just secured a helicopter from "flight quarters." The aircraft carrier had delivered the mail and some repair parts by lowering them by winch while still flying over the stern. The coffee was good, and all was well on board. Most of the planned work for the day had been...