Bainbridge (DLGN 25) - Naval Cruise Book

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Chapter II Shipboard Organization Behind Bainbridge He the years of trial and error, of development and progress, of death and glory, that have made the destroyer force of the U. S. Navy the most versatile and indispensable fleet arm in naval history. Bainbridge has brought MOBILITY and ENDURANCE to the qualities of the destroyer fleet introducing a new era of destroyer capabilities. Ahead of her and her sister ships lies the unknown, the unpredictable, for there is no way to foresee the changing events and demands of a world that must stay armed and ready to fight in order to remain at peace. Operating as complex an instrument of naval power as Bainbridge re- quires skills and efforts of hundreds of well-trained officers and men. The Bainbridge is organized under the Commanding Officer and the Executive Officer into six departments; Operations, Weapons, Navigation and En- gineering Departments known as the Command Departments; Supply and Medical Departments known as the Support Departments. Each depart- ment consists of one or more divisions, functionally organized to serve the operational and administrative requirements of the ship. 29

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Navigation Department The role o{ Bainb ridge ' s Navigation Department, as on any other ship, is one of the most responsible in the sea-going profession, namely the safe navigation of the ship. Though much progress has been made in the past years to simplify navigation, the art of navigation still requires sound knowledge of the science coupled with unerring accuracy acquired through experience. The primary tools used in navigation include charts and their related publications. Being nuclear-powered with a world-wide cruising range re- quires charts and publications covering all the oceans and navigable waters of the world to be carried on board. Besides the charts and pub- lications the quartemiasters use sextants, pelorus ' s, alidades, and Loran to aid them in their navigation. In addition to maintenance of the charts and publications there are many other jobs requiring attention and accuracy. Some of these jobs include calculation of tides and currents, azimuths of the sun, correction ot the magnetic compass, care of the ship ' s clocks, the navigational chro- nometers, and maintenance of the Qiiartermaster ' s notebook. Weather reports are also the responsibility of the Navigation Depart- ment. Weather instruments are carried on board to provide accurate weather forecast anywhere in the world and under any condition of storm or climate.