Action Stations

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Action Stations is a state of readiness aboard warships in contemporary (and many fictional) navies, including the Royal Navy and many others.

Action Stations is the highest level of alert readiness, and once action stations is called, the crew make the ship ready to join battle. In the United States Navy the term 'General Quarters' is used.

Under Action Stations, off-duty crewmembers report to their posts, weapons systems are placed on hot standby (making them ready to fire at short notice), support and backup crews enter important areas such as engineering, the bridge, and central operations, and major watertight doors are shut. On ships carrying aircraft, the flight deck is made ready and any alert craft are made ready for launch.

[edit] History

The term 'Action Stations' replaced the older 'beat to quarters' once ironclad warships began replacing older sail-powered vessels in the latter half of the 19th century. It is also used in Royal Navy installations and bases, as well as Royal Air Force airbases and installations.

[edit] Use in Drama

The term 'Action Stations' is used in many science fiction series, including the 2003 remake of Battlestar Galactica, and the Wing Commander series of computer games. It is also used in some Star Wars incarnations.

The term is also used in dramatisations of life in the Royal Navy.