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When
the ship is underway, the Bridge is the control center for all operations.
The Officer of the Deck, the Helmsman, and the Quartermaster of
the Watch stood their watches here.
The Bridge
includes the Pilothouse, also called the Wheelhouse, because it
contains the ship's steering wheel, and the Charthouse where the
Navigator and his staff charted the course of the ship.
Due to
their responsibilities, both the Captain and the Navigator were
required to be in this area frequently when the ship was at sea,
particularly when in a potential combat situation. Consequently,
in addition to their assigned cabin on the Main Deck or 01 Level,
they both had sea cabins located on the Bridge level.
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Living
History Crew performs drills on the bridge.
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The outside
platforms, called the bridge wings, permitted greater overall visibility
for the Officer of the Deck than the Pilothouse, which simply looks
forward. Also, the Navigator and Quartermaster would take visual
readings from the wings using gyrocompass bearings to known objects
or sextant elevations to the stars, planets and sun to determine
ship's position.
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