Jan van Tol, a retired skipper who works as an analyst with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, commanded several warships during his career, including the amphibious assault ship Essex from 2003 to 2005.
He said he tried to be pragmatic when it came to crew rest and told everyone from department heads to work center supervisors that it was okay to let a sailor get a nap when fatigue set in.
Van Tol said he made sure understudies for different watch positions were always being trained, ensuring there was no shortage of qualified watchstanders, which can lead to a ship leaning too heavily on a handful of sailors.
“We always had understudies learning the next position senior to them, and on the watch team,” he said. “That flexibility was very helpful.”