BM1 maybe you can hep me with this. Why do they only pipe when the ship is underway? Is it because the BMOW is only an underway watch, and only the BMOW is authorized to pipe? I don't know if this is a ship-specific thing, but they also don't pipe on Sundays at sea. Is this true navy-wide?
On a side note, I remember my first day underway, I thought I'd never understand what all the different calls meant, but I got it down in a few weeks...even the "belay my last" call!
Can you just imagine 6 ships in a nest and all trying to pipe 'mess call', for example, at the same time?
When I was in...yes BM's did stand POOW on the quarterdeck, if tied up to the pier or in a nest tied to the pier, but the 'pipe' was never used while inport or even while at anchor or moored to a bouy.
Different commands of course may have done things differently.
On the DD I was on, the Duty 'rated' BM did not stand POOW while anchored or moored to a bouy. Heck he might be only a BM3,as the rest could be on liberty,etc. but I had to make damn sure he,along with the rest of the deck division, was fully trained in anchoring or unanchoring or unmooring from a bouy, in case of a emergency,etc.
