Army bases Clarke visited often separated officers, noncommissioned officers and enlisted personnel into distinct spaces. He recalls more informal interaction across ranks aboard ships, where limited space and the need to solve problems encouraged crews to pool their knowledge in messes and wardrooms. Help from another ship could deprive that unit of someone it needed. Bringing someone from shore could take too long, leaving the crew dependent on the people already aboard.
Notable Point · 1:39:54-1:40:53
Shipboard constraints can create informal spaces for adaptation
Limited space and reliance on the available crew can encourage informal cooperation across ranks at sea.