Analysis of Sleep, Mood, and Workload of Engineering Sailors Onboard USS Gonzalez
Abstract
U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to surface ship engineering departments operate, maintain, and repair many systems that provide critical services such as propulsion, damage control, air conditioning, potable water, electricity, and sewage. These engineering Sailors are expected to stand watch vigilantly and train constantly amid demanding work conditions and marginal manning levels. These issues potentially drive higher individual workload, restrict sleep opportunities, and erode crew morale. These challenges may be especially prevalent while ships are in the Basic Phase and may have been further exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the objectives of this thesis are a) to assess the well-being, sleep attributes, and workload of engineering Sailors onboard USS Gonzalez (DDG 66), and b) to explore how the spread of COVID-19 affected the readiness of the department during the Basic Phase. Sailors were assessed using questionnaires, actigraphy, and self-report activity logs. Underway 1 - dominated by 5/10 watch rotation and higher OPTEMPO - reflected worse mood compared to Underway 2, which was characterized by more 3/9 watch rotations and lower OPTEMPO (Underway 1 TMD: 68 + or - 36.5; Underway 2 TMD: 53.1 + or - 30.8; Wilcoxon signed rank test, n = 26, S = -103, p = 0.006). Mood, sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, insomnia symptoms, and proclivity to nap during Underway 1 and Underway 2 were worse compared to data collected from engineering departments across 14 other ships.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1164490
Entities
People
- Mariano Gabriel D. Veloria
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School