Modern boat-handling equipment can allow one person to supervise work that previously required a larger team. Alex Clarke notes that some American ships carry such systems while still assembling the full boat-handling and watch teams. He recognizes the safety advantage of having everyone ready, but questions the resulting demand on people who could be working elsewhere. Crew-assisted damage control supplies a second example: equipment can support sailors' firefighting work while leaving people responsible for the response. His criticism includes a personal recollection of strong resistance when he raised that combination with US Navy contacts, rather than a documented service-wide ban.
Notable Point · 1:03:15-1:05:11
Automation can support crews without removing their role
Automated boat handling and assisted firefighting illustrate the tension between labor-saving equipment and keeping full manual teams in place.