the receiving service tank until just before the approach alongside the delivering ship, then shift suction to a full standby service tank. Never take fuel oil service suction from the service tank that is receiving fuel oil. Post a fueling watch list well in advance of fueling time, and be sure all personnel involved in the operation know their stations and duties. A fueling detail includes messengers,   pneumercator   personnel   and   tank sounders,  personnel  at  the  forward  and  after  hose connections, personnel at the manifolds, and telephone talkers.  Be  sure  all  fueling  detail  personnel  are experienced  and  capable. As a rule, man fueling stations one-half hour before fueling  time.  Assign  only  the  number  of  personnel required to handle the fueling. Additional personnel may get in each other’s way. After the fueling stations are manned, but before fueling is started, test the phone circuits, connect the air hoses   to   the   fueling   connections,   and   screw thermometers and pressure gauges into the fueling connections if they are required. Before  starting  fueling,  check  equipment  at  all stations. Equipment required for fuel tank sounding stations  includes  graduated  sounding  rods  or  tapes  (if used), rags, and tee wrenches. Equipment required for topside  fueling  stations  (depending  on  the  type  of refueling rig used) includes sledge hammers, axes, ball peen  hammers,  bolt  cutters,  hose  coupling  spanner wrenches,  rags,  and  end  fittings. When fuel oil is received from a naval source of supply such as a naval ship, a naval storage tank, or a naval fuel barge, the activity supplying the oil must furnish the commanding officer of the receiving ship with an analysis of the oil. If possible, you and an officer of the receiving ship should witness soundings and the drawing of samples from the tanks of the supplying activity. The samples must be taken from the suction level of the tank from which the oil is to be drawn. One sample  should  be  taken  before  the  unloading  is  started, and  another  after  the  loading  is  completed.  Both samples  must  be  centrifuged  to  determine  the percentage  of  sediment  and  water. When fueling is done at sea, it may be impossible for the delivery ship to furnish a complete analysis of the oil and for the receiving ship to send representatives to witness the soundings and samplings. In this case, the supplying  vessel  furnishes  a  statement  of  the  American Petroleum  Institute  (API)  gravity  and  water  and sediment content of the oil. The receiving ship must then take samples during delivery and make tests to determine the percentage of water and sediment. Take the samples with a dipper from the tank that is being filled, or draw them through connections in the delivery pipeline. Take enough small samples to make a total sample of at least 5 gallons. Then, take smaller samples from the total sample for the test. Before you take the samples,  clean  all  the  containers  you  will  use  for  that purpose. When fuel is coming aboard, keep a constant check on all tanks that are receiving fuel. In large ships, in particular,  you  must  follow  a  systematic  procedure  to get all tanks properly filled without unnecessary loss of time. You also must be sure the stability of the ship is not  impaired. When  there  are  several  tanks  in  each  overflow group, initially open one or two tanks in each group. When  these  have  been  filled  to  approximately  85 percent capacity, start filling the others in the group and closing down the valves to the tanks that are almost full, topping them off slowly. Fill the overflow tank in each group last. Each tank has a sounding rod or a tank-capacity indicator  of  the  pneumercator  type.  There  may  be  other systems in use, which will not be covered, but you can get information about them from the manufacturer’s technical  manual.  As  oil  is  being  received,  assign someone to each tank that is receiving fuel. If you are using  a  sounding  rod,  sound  the  tank  every  3  or  4 minutes until it is nearly three-fourths full. From this point on, take continuous soundings. Fill tanks to the 95 percent level You can fill to slightly above this mark to allow the oil to foam, but be sure the  FINAL level of oil in any tank is at the 95 percent mark. As each succeeding tank is filled, be sure personnel at the remaining tank sounding stations are even more alert than before. As the last tank is being filled, notify the delivery ship to drop the pump pressure or to slow down  the  pump,  as  appropriate. After you have determined the amount of fuel oil being received per minute, you can give the delivery ship a “stop pumping” time. If your calculations are correct, all tanks will be full when the pump is stopped. You must keep the fueling officer informed as to the amount of oil received as a percentage of the total to be received and the probable time required to complete the fueling.  The  fueling  officer  keeps  the  commanding officer posted on the progress of the fueling. When all tanks are full, empty the fuel hose by one of two methods: (1) blow back the oil in the hose to the 6-9