Marquette (AKA 95) - Naval Cruise Book

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THE DECK AND GUNNERY DEPARTMENTS The mission of the AKA U to provide several types of landing craft, which hit the beach during an amphi- bious assault, and carry men and supplies to the point where the enemy will be most embarrassed b their coming. We have had a description of an amphibious landing, and the part played I Marquette in it ' s execution. Next we will turn to the duties of the group of men i i direct]) responsible for handling the boats and the cargo; Marquette ' s Deck Depart- ment. At the word ' land the landing Force , the boats arc lowered. Strategically -potted about the ship arc •hatch bosses , who coordinate the unloading from each hatch, signalling to the men controlling the booms and to the men on the steadying lines a the) guide the - ' ton «LCM ' s» over the side. The job of the deck force is far from completed when the boats arc waterliornc. however. A crew of three men is required in each ol 21 boats; two ol these are deck personnel, while the third i- the boat engineer. reat responsibility falls on a boat coxswain; in a loaded LCM arc well over a hundred fully equipped troop-. Competent boat seamanship provides a solid blow at the enemy with the safe arrival of each boat at the edge of the beach, and a high degree .l -kdl i- re- quired to control a boat where high sea-, submerged obstacles, and enemv lire combine to make things difficult. Late in the landing the suppl) phase begins, and here again expert manipulation of cargo boom-, lines, and boat- lead- to suc- cess in a complicated task. Here. then, arc the -troth offensive activities of K 95 in amphibious operation-. She also has a more defensive set of teeth: anti-aircraft batteries. Although far from having the anti-aircraft power of a battleship or cruiser. Marquette can contribute 5 ince, 10MM and 20MM tire to defense, as well as night illumination for other ship- bat- teries and her own. In addition to these more dramatic functions of the deck and gunnery force, there are many routine jobs, which are nonetheless important. 1 he gun force is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the ship s batteries and fire control equipment, as well as for the suppl) of small arms and ammunition stored in the ships armorv. Long hours of careful work are required to keep the guns in such condition that they will be dependable at a moment ' s notice, and will stand up under long periods of use if need be. Among the deck gangs many ta-k- are responsibility for the general upkeep of the boats (except for the engines), as well as maintenance of most of the weather deck spaces. Together with the Engineering Department, the deck force handles fueling at sea in controlling lines and fueling hose. The Deck Department also handles the details of numerous other opera- tions; towing, passing mail and personnel at sea. raising and lowering the anchor, and providing many of the personnel needed to handle the ship at sea and in port. The Deck Department might be said to carry the greatest load of respon- sibilities on the ship; at the least it is certainly the group of men most closely in touch with the primary mission of the Marquette. orking with its component, the Gunnery Department, the deck force is an organization of highly trained men, doing a highly important job.