Opinion ID: 456170
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Posting of Lookouts

Text: 50 The district court found that it was negligent of Captain Liu not to send a lookout forward when the weather began deteriorating. The district court also found that when the lookout was sent forward he failed to perform his functions properly in that although he reported the sighting of a buoy, he did not report the color or whether or not he heard any sounds. 8 Furthermore, there was conflicting testimony as to which side of the ship the buoy passed and this not only suggested the inadequacy of the lookout's performance but also the likely relation between the improper performance of the lookout's duties and the vessel veering off course. Furthermore, the lookouts, Sit and Lok, received no instructions from the watch officer prior to going on watch regarding what to look for or what to expect during the voyage, a clear violation of the IMCO regulations. Moreover, Bo'sun Sit, whose primary duty was to serve as a lookout, found himself performing double duty as an anchor watch because only two men had been sent forward and a complement of three men was required to drop both anchors simultaneously. Thus, the negligence in the assignment of this particular lookout was further demonstrated by the fact that the lookout had divided duties. See St. Phillip Offshore Towing Co. v. Wisconsin Barge Lines, Inc., 466 F.Supp. 403, 409-10 (E.D.La.1979) (duty to post proper lookout cannot be fulfilled by person who has other duties); Harbor Towing Corp. v. Tug Reliance, 211 F.Supp. 896, 902 (E.D.Va.1963) (the lookout under adverse conditions serves as the eyes of the ship and should have no other duties). The appellant argues that despite the assignment of divided duties to the lookout, that on the morning of the allision he was at his assigned post as only a lookout and was well forward of the anchor engine at impact and narrowly escaped injury when a portion of the bridge fell onto the ship's forecastle. Thus, the appellant argues that the fact that the lookout might be ordered to assist another seaman in letting go anchors did not interfere with his primary duty as a lookout, and cites Farrell Lines, supra, 530 F.2d at 12 as supportive of this proposition. We find Farrell Lines not to be on point as that case did not involve a lookout but a second minor duty (bellbook entries) of a watch officer which did not detract from his primary duty of supervising the helmsman. Furthermore, the district court's ruling that posting a lookout with two assigned duties was negligent is supported by evidence of the poor performance of the lookout assigned; and therefore we cannot find the district court's holding as to this negligent act to be clearly erroneous. 51