Admiral W L Capps (AP 121) - Naval Cruise Book

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-A DIVISION Few people give thought to the fact that not all shipboard machinery lies in the engine room spaces. On a ship the size of the Admiral Capps there are literally hundreds of mechanical units scattered throughout the ship. The task assigned the motor machinistls mates, machinist's mates, and Bremen of 5-A Divi- sion was that of continually.checking and maintaining this as- sorted equipment. To begin with, 5-A Division maintained all of the refrigera- tion machinery upon which the Capp's perishable foodstuffs and stores depended. The continual functioning of this machinery was essential in order to prevent spoilage. Each of the 52 scuttle- butts contained a refrigeration unit to be cared for. Add to this the various pantry, galley, and miscellaneous cold units, and you have a general picture of the refrigeration maintenance problem aboard ship. In is l . ,. frm v , 3 X Zllfiiixeg ,T Starting the emergency Diesel generator N was-Q is K 5. W . Switching pumps in the steering engine room In addition to refrigeration, 5-A Division was charged with the maintenance and repair of all gasoline and Diesel engines aboard. This included boat engines, Diesel generators and pumps, and handybillies. All cargo Winches, boat Winches, and the anchor Windlass had to be checked and periodically greased. The galley with its machinery presented a major problem. It contained units, nearly as many and complicated as those in the main engineering spaces, involving steam, fuel oil burners, large pumps, a garbage grinder, potato peelers, a dough mixer, etc. The machinery in the laundry and tailor shop could give, and did give, as much trouble as any department on the ship. In 'rf 3 ,. I Eff 05,45 spite of frequent c-'ferha pressers and mangles of ments. lf your laundry plain-if it hadnt ing overtime on a back yet. - w Une of ,tie 7111 steering engir f rams at even drive the T pumps operated Q matically shifted only one unit. -1

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mqhtn imid- gi sniff did! ji Q1 tai' Q- ,Mi uni' 4th DIVISION ot' tnanning sniper posts to stop any attempts of japanese demo- lition tnen to destroy the ship by swimming out to it with special explosives. used for this purpose. All serious otlenders, whether they were Army troops, ship,s crew or civilian passengers were put in the ship,s brig, better known .is the Marine Hotel. There ax sentry watch was stood 24 hours .i day. During working hours the prisoners are turned to with .t Marine sentry acting as a Hchaserf' One time the Marines and their Hotel made the front page of all the west coast news- papers. This was brought about by the imprisonment of I2 Mereha nt Marine sailors, who refused to work, while enroute from Yokohama to San Francisco. Besides standing their continual security watches, the 4th Division maintained a regular schedule of training. Courses con- sisted of small arms instruction, guard mounts, tactics, combat conditioning, and other basic subjects. In addition, firing prac- tices were held from the stern of the ship. Inspections, too, were held regularly to prevent laxity in uniforms. Thus, every Marine, leaving a tour of sea duty, was well prepared for duty at a shore unit. The 4th Division always lived up to the highest standards and traditions of the Marine Corps and did an excellent job in maintaining security and law and order during the time the ADMIRAL CAPPS was operating as a Naval transport. y , if if , I' 'I' i!jiif'l,if'i figs' Ii' . T y ,Il 1 31' .QI IX, 1,t'43!, VIIHUII t H, , , ,ifnlftlf i If 3,15 .II igiuun , I , 1 igIIi'l ,MUNI fttffuli x . I 1 ,iigill rv X iii III? ifc- 'wifi visit: . tfiitt WHIP: liligif . mum' FUN! s 7 f sQ3Q3 E1- WIIIQ. i t I i its Hyun! -WX ill' I 4 iillitiui is E . l limi' I It M ,tt tg II IWLYIIMS I it It I tsl t lg, i , as It i It .It It It its 1 i 3 IQ l 'ti The brig :entry looks in on his charges

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I 'kiilf F901 .wire In 053115, 'Im we DICK! f gn-rfamrs SDJ 1-New ' me -i H -A DIVISION ,yr Q' The boat engine gets a cheek over spite of frequent overhauling, the washers, extractors, tumblers, pressers and mangles often required special repairs and replace- ments. If your laundry was a day late in returning, don't com- plain -if it hadn't been for a couple of machinist's mates work- ing overtime on a tumbler or a presser, you might not have it back yet. One of 'the most important units maintained by 5-A was the steering engine. Oil was forced by hydraulic pumps into the rams at even greater pressure than that of the steam used to drive the main turbines. During maneuvering conditions both pumps operated continuously, in case one fails, the load is auto- matically shifted to the other. Normal operation at sea required only one unit. The complete ventilation system fexcept for motors and their controlling devices which 5-E Division handledj was another job for 5-A Division. This entailed a great amount of cleaning. The blowers and suction and discharge screens became filled with dust and Waste rapidly. The heaters also required constant maintenance and repair due to steam leaks, frozen traps and regulating valves which had become deranged. When the enormous number of mechanical devices outside the enginerooms proper are considered, not to mention the great variety of those devices, it is a tribute to the industry and efficiency of 5-A Division that this machinery was made inconspicuous by its continued smooth functioning. ffm Checking the ice machines