Standing the watch is as old as the U.S. Navy, and continues despite the continuing advances in computers and sensors.
The Navy this week released a dramatic photo of a Marine assigned to the Camp Pendleton-based Marine Expeditionary Unit 15 standing the watch beside a 50-caliber machine gun on the bow of the amphibious transport dock ship USS San Diego.
The photo was included in the service’s popular “Images of the Day” on its website home page.
The San Diego departed in July as part of the USS America amphibious ready group and is deployed in the 5th Fleet area of operations, which includes the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean.
The Navy said the San Diego and it’s embarked Marines are involved in maritime security operations to reassure allies and partners and preserve the freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce in the region.