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

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R DIVISION The most unglamorous job of all fell to R Division. Theirs was the never ending and thankless task of keeping the hull and its Httings in top shape at all times. Something was always breaking or otherwise causing trouble, and it was found necessary to keep men continually patrolling the ship looking for clogged drain lines, broken water lines, leaky valves, damaged bunks, and the countless other troubles that occur aboard a large ship. Seldom an hour went by that the call for C and R Patrol did not come over the P. A. system. Most of us became accustomed to this call and took it for granted, not realizing that each such call meant another disagreeable task to be performed by this busy division. h In addition to the repair work accomplished by R Division all construction or alterations, not sufficiently large to require the attention of a Navy Yard, were undertaken by this division. This includes the building of storerooms for the use of various other divisions, and lockers and racks of all descriptions. Most of this Operating the Handy Billy fre pump Burning of at zomm. gun mount Work was time consuming although, perhaps, from the standpoint of the carpenter's mates attached to the division, it was the most enjoyable. At the beginning of the war the subject of damage control was little known or practiced. After a number of U. S. Navy vessels had been lost that could have been saved, more emphasis was placed on this function, and when the Capps was placed in commission, provisions were made for an adequate damage control organization. R Division was the the backbone of the Admiral Capps, three repair parties located fore, aft, and amidships. These parties were equipped with the latest of damage control gear and were proficient in the use of that gear. It was necessary for the men in this division to master the use of the large and small portable fire pumps submersible pumps. the control of darna such as, the proper I that are found aboar and how to appif: e a hole in the ship Although not 5 related to it. is th cofferdams daily the amount of irate that space. the

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.4 vc. i ri 'tluretw making ...ff..ir-.3 wfurnmahon, es- :-clsf-f single pictc of 4 .mr 'Saw an the war. warns 'sm PIR? Pl-IDCIT g-Un, ewursc. speed and elsif vmellxgrnt ust of IM all If could lead US gf gf,-:gn IIIC f3LI2f11'l'Cl'I'5 tm. pak. wr greenish . um kept rwflfd '0 N DIVISION xg , T 4 i I it t I x h The Personnel Ofiee the scope in order to pick out one little spot from among the thousands of others and identify it as an approaching enemy sub- marine or enemy aircraft. The lives of 5,000 men, many supplies and a valuable ship rested on his alertness and ability. Operating alone or in convoy, the radiomen stood con- tinuous watches guarding fleet and local frequencies. Radio trans- mitters in their main radio room or emergency shack reached any part of the world. Coupled with the two aforementioned rates, comes the electronic technician mates. Formerly radio techni- cians, the advent of war and science gave them added duties. Their job of maintaining all radar and radio gear in good operat- ing condition was only accomplished by diligent day-by-day care. Have a yeoman do it , a phrase heard often on any ship, usually fell on the ears of the chief yeoman and his men in the Personnel Office. Theirs was the most monotonous job of all. Handling the ship's correspondence, maintaining service records, and filling out reports. The importance of this routine clerical work should not be overlooked. The paper workn aboard a modern naval vessel, although somewhat complex, provides for eflicient administration. As can be seen, each of the approximately eight different ratings in this division assumed its particular share of the load assigned to N Division and aided that division in establishing an enviable record. Copying FOX in the radio room

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'W 1'-6 '71 V -'arettlpotnt we 1- the most Mruage control tt li 9 Navy ., more emphasis Q tiegw mas VEQCCLI in -51 t'-s iamage control wtf., ,Q the Admiral 3 '- , Vggrhirlwiiillri. ,-,,,if- Mm,-tsl gear and ,Ht 'H-Q,-tft-mars for the the large and small R DIVISION The carpenter sh op .QMHI portable fire pumps, rescue breathing apparatus, asbestos suits, submersible pumps, and much other equipment designed for the control of damage. Certain skills also had to be mastered, such as, the proper Way to Hght the three different types of fires, that are found aboard ship, how to shore up weakened bulkheads, and how to apply emergency patches to a broken pipeline or to a hole in the ship's hull. Although not strictly classed as damage control, but closely related to it, is the routine job of sounding all tanks, voids, and coflerdams daily to determine the amount of water in each. If the amount of water in a given void exceeds the safe limit for that space, the engineroom is notified and the space is pumped out. Allied to this task of taking routine soundings is the maintenance of the proper list, trim, and stability of the ship. Here the First Lieutenant, who is in charge of R Division, must cooperate with the Engineering Ofhcer to obtain the desired results. R Division Was, perhaps, one of the least appreciated and un- derestimated divisions aboard. These men deserve credit for a disagreeable job performed in a pleasant and efficient manner. The carpenter? males handle the anchor wz'ndla5.f