The Pilothouse & Bridge

Inside the Pilothouse is the helm and the telegraph system to signal engine speed.

NPS Photo/Messing

Quick Facts

Location:

USS CASSIN YOUNG

At first glance the Bridge looks the part of the primary command station for the entire ship. The helm, operated by the helmsman, sits in the center of the Pilothouse. Nearby, the engine telegram levers link with the engineering department, telephones connect throughout the ship, and a deck on the outside enables the Commanding Officer or the Officer of the Deck designated when the Commanding Officer is elsewhere on the ship to take in everything on the deck and on the horizon. But nothing happens in this position of navigation and command without the rest of the entire crew.

The most illustrative example involves the engines on the ship. Moving the telegram in the Bridge to signal full speed only changes dials in the ship's two boiler rooms and engine rooms. Nothing is “automatic.” When the requested speed changes, the crews in all four chambers below decks have to coordinate how to create more steam and channel it from the boilers to the turbines to generate more thrust from the propellers at the far back of the ship. This could take some time to build up steam, and likewise, once moving, it takes a good distance to slow down and stop. This means the crew on watch on the bridge constantly monitors speed and heading. They have to constantly look out for obstacles and coordinate with other ships their movements.