This is always my first recommendation swap with known working parts and check.
i can’t see that happening more than once !!!
He would do other things, too. BUT he would show up on time for crew change, an issue I had with reliefs for many years. I could find most of his “innovations” the first couple of days after I came back, but every once and awhile they would surprise me later.
For over 3 yrs my relief would be late, 2-5 minits but it added up to many hrs. I’d set the clock ahead or other things & it’d work maybe once. Still bugs me, I just can not understand a mind like that.
Well, I mean the opposite CE. I had a few reliefs that quit before coming back. One quit the day before we got to port, and another the day that he was supposed to relieve me (I was even packed and had evening plans before going home, and he just didn’t show). Oh, and one other that showed up so drunk before sailing, that the Assistant Engineers had to take over. And another that showed up so drunk in his first day, I had to send him home. . . .
As for watch relieving, I have to say that there was never an issue as you described. Sure, every now and then, but nothing consistent. . .
I do not think i’ve ever seen a person quit at sea, saw a couple pier head jumps. not showing up at all was a result of travel problems, I showed up a bit lit in south america someplace but we weren’t supposed to be sailing, we just had to shift ship.
15 minutes before shift change was the rule most ships but those that’d been on the run for years that went out the window, other places we’d show up 15 minutes early and take the normal time to shift, you just did it and it wasn’t a big deal, like moving the clock ahead 15 minits. what i hated was when something broke and you had to take over from prev shift, or work a LOT later than you thought to finish up or get relieved … gawd, that led to some fast sleeping!!