Des Moines (CA 134) - Naval Cruise Book

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Optical shop. At work in plot. FRONT ROW: J. A. Rourke, SN: B. B. Bourgeois, FT3: R. G. Smith, FCS3: K. A. Michaucl, SN. . . . SECOND ROW: E. M. Spear, SA: E. R. Wagner, FCS3: J. R. Winnard, SA: L. Sallee, SN: L. D. Euson, SN: J. K. Porter, FT3. . . . THIRD ROW: B. Morgan, Jr., SN: G. H. Hysom, SN: L. G Nicholls, GMI: Lt. Ci.g.J R. M: Bronson: Lt. li.g.J C. J. Davoli: J. E. Harrah, FCS3: R. E. Newell, SA: J. J. Kurtz, SN. . . . FOURTH ROW: J. L. Ragano, SN: B. F. Whitney, FC2: R. G. Campagna, SN: A. J. St. Pierre, SN: J. F. Tobin, SA: H. E. Rauch, Jr., FCSN: R. L. Mileson, SN:.A. W. Brown, SN: C. Steed, FC3: R. W. Schmidt, FC3.

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l 1 I --WW F Div'sion THE HW DIVISION, commonly called the Fox Divi- sion, is a unit of the Gunnery Department. The men of this division must possess a high degree of intelli- gence and technical ability to operate and maintain the complex tire control installation of the modern heavy cruiser. A plane passes over the ship trailed by 'a red sleeve, there are a series of explosions, a few puffs of smoke in the sky, and the sleeve suddenly changes speed from 200 knots to zero. Then again maybe the sleeve just ignores the puffs of smoke and goes on its merry way. But hit or miss, it's the Fire Controlmen with their fire control equipment who put those puffs of smoke in position and determine whether the sleeve comes down or not. Again it's the men of the Fox Division who see to it that an island gets chipped a little more in the correct spot each time we fire shore bombard- ment. Not only does the division have to see that its equip- ment positions the guns to get hits, but also that this highly technical equipment is in good working order. Without constant care and maintenance of rangefind- ers, radar, computers, and sights it would be impossible to get hits on sleeves, sleds or even islands. fThe 3 'nch battery being relatively new to the N avy, presents 1 . a particularly tough maintenance problem and without Satterwhite's 3 inch repair gang and Wagner and Lambert, the Wizards of the Mark 56 systems, we would probably end using the 3 inch guns as orna- ments. However we'd still have Vlfhitney and his boys with the Mark 37 system and 5 inch guns. They seem to be fairly proficient at putting those bursts in the rightiplace and could do much 'toward discouraging a pilot from making a run on the DES MOINESJ When it comes to bombarding islands and pounding sleds, the big guns take over and Plummer's main bat- tery men take a bow. The story goes that when the DES MOINES opened up in rapid fire on a certain island a while back the observers were so amazed at the accuracy and rapidity of fire that one dislocated his jaw this mouth fell open that fastl, and another asked for a check on his eyesight. When we think of thevFoX Division, we naturally think in terms of F ire Controlmen and many may not even realize that the Gunnery Ollice Yeomen are also Fox Division men as are the Gunneris Mates down in the Armory. These Fox Division Gunner's Mates also form the cadre of the saluting battery. Inspection. FRONT ROW: E. E. Hayward, FT3: R. T. Birnie, SN: W. S Yonkovitch, FC3: W. Y. Daniel, SN: J. M. Pierce, SN: H. R Plane, SN. . . . SECOND ROW: H. W. Harvey, SN: L. F. Bar- bano, SN: R. C. Buckley, FC'li J. J. Lambert, FCC: Lt. D. A Webster, Lt. Ci.gJ F. D. Jack- son: G. A. Taraskavage, SN: D L- Cox, FT3: H. W. Hacker, SN . . . THIRD ROW: D. Giammario SN: W. J. Stocksdale, SN: J. W Zahniser, FT2: E. R. Fortier, FC3 V. L. Parocli, SN: R. R. Gollo- bifSCh, SN: R. G. Tufano, FCS3, R. H. Eads, FT3: G. Yelenovskyf SN: D. B. May, SN. 0 I

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FRONT ROW: A. J. Robinson FC37 D. W. Cumblin, SN7 L. D Erhqrdf, FT3i J- M- Kipp, SN J. Kueck, SN .... SECOND ROW, T. M. Beck, SA: W. L. Kilcreuse FT27 F. C. Ramsey, SN, N. W Roscoe, FT37 P. W. Hudson CHGUN7 H. T. Plummer, FCI, J S. Frisina, SN: R. J. Larson OM33 R. F. Chase, SN. . . THIRD ROW: R. E. Holley, SN, R F. Belles, SN, E. L. Clouse, SNg E. E. Douse, SA, B. J. Stewqrf FC3p L. M. Norton, FCS3p L. J King, FC3: R. L. Schluter, FT37 D. J. Collier, FT3p F. Stanley FT3. Armory. I I I I