Bataan (CVL 29) - Naval Cruise Book

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31 August '45- The BATAAN had today steamed 150,000 nautical miles since commissioning The engineers, who for the most part have never seen a kamikaze shot down in flames, nor manned a plane or a gun, have still had a distinct and vital part in each battle. Theirs was a job of w-aiting, wondering and stand- ing by, sweating out attacks under battened hatches with ventilation secured and surrounded by high pressure steam, doing routine but necessary tasks, despite the feeling of not knowing what is happening topside. The Snipes hear over the p.a. system: He's dropping a bomb. lt's a B-E-E-G one! Coming straight down! Then s-i-l-e-n-c-e. Stomachs tighten, faces grow tense, -a life time seems to pass, and suddenly the p.a. becomes alive again. It's a near miss-off the HAN- COCK! Although the engineers have had their share of thrills, theirs is not a task that calls for brief periods of glory but, instead, long periods of work. Before the ship was commissioned, key men -experienced officers and men-were placed throughout the various engineering spaces. Mixed with them were the untrained, to weld them all into a crack battle team. A training schedule was inaugurated for each of the four engineering divisions-A, B, M and E-and before reaching the battle area, a smoothly functioning organization had resulted. During the precommissioning period many check off sheets were made up. These check-off sheets contained all the routine tests and inspections which were necessary for the 4.0 operation of the past two years. The nerve center of the engineering de- partment is Main Control which is located in the forward engine room. Erom here the Officer of the Watch controls the engineering spaces to comply with the orders of the bridge. The two engine rooms, each with two main engines of 25,000 horsepower, are the headquarters of M division. This gives the ship power of 100,000 steel horses. Each of these main engines consists of 3 turbines con- nected by means of gearing to the shaft- ing which in turn drives one of the pro- pellers. There is also a maze of piping and auxiliary machinery that goes with each main engine. Page One Hundred Eightg The main engines would be Just so many dead horses if it were not for the B division and their two firerooms. Each lireroom is built 'around two boilers. The auxiliary machinery in the firerooms supplies oil, water and air to these two flaming dragons, and they, in turn, supply the steam power which drives the ship and generates electricity. In doing this, the boilers are very hungry monsters and it is necessary for the oil gang to work around the clock. While the ship can hold 722,000 gallons of fuel oil and this would heat your home for many years, it doesn't last long with the BATAAN steaming at 25 knots. Also located in the firerooms are four tur- bine generators. These generators supply the power for the multitude of electrical gear on board. To E division falls the job of main- taining all this gear. Electric lights and ven- tilation are the most obvious uses of electri- city, but power, communication and lighting circuits weave throughout the ship in a fine mesh. The A division is the last of the engineering divisions. Although the first in the alphabet, it is really the rear guard of the Engineering Department. It takes care of the many odd jobs that can't be classified under the cog- nizance of E, B or M Divisions. The water for both the boilers and personnel is made by the evaporator gang from the salt water of the sea at the rate of 50,000 gallons per day. The machine shop does many repair or small manufacturing jobs each day, including the mass production of knife handles. The refrig- erators make ice and keep the meats and vege- tables fresh. Hydraulic gear of the A division ranges from the anchor windl-ass to the steer- ing gear and includes the airplane crane and elevators. It has taken a constant vigilant watch in three from most of the engineers to take the BATAAN from Philly to Tokyo. It is difficult to tell tall sea stories about dull training, tests and inspections and watches. But these routine duties are the heart of the En- gineering Department. That is why today the ship-without a breakdown or a major overhaul-was able to complete a total steaming distance equivalent to 7 times around the world.

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