Missouri (BB 63) - Naval Cruise Book

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As Missouri steamed past the rock of Gibraltar into the Atlantic Ocean, memories of the magnificent Palma Ca- thedral and old statues were captured in the mind ' s eye. Also present were the pleasant memories of just casually walking down the pathways of Palma for SN Boehmer, ET3 Lozano, ET3 Beattie, ET3 Rose, and ET3 Bugaj.

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Although modern technology has changed the type of items we supply since the days of beans, bullets, and black oil, the basic functions of the Sup- ply Department remain the same as when a battleship last circumnavigated the globe. From managing a $2 million a month payroll to preparing over 5,000 meals per day; from filling 250 requisi- tions a w,eek to handling over 50,000 pounds of laundry a month; supply sup- port of a 58,000 ton battleship is a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week job. STORES DIVISION: Unlike their World War II predecessors, today MIS- SOURI ' S storekeepers are faced with supporting modern day complex weap- ons systems in an environment of the strictest accountability. From manag- ing repairables to issuing repair parts to joining with their maintenance ship- mates in forming the first battleship lo- gistics support center, MISSOURI ' S SK ' s provide the parts and supplies needed to allow us to complete our mis- sion. Managing over 16,000 line items, including eight miles of flourescent light bulbs; 800 gallons of wax; 400,000 sheets of Xerox paper; 15,000 rolls of toilet paper and six tons of rags, the SK ' s make 1,000 issues and process over Supply Department 2,500 receipts a month. FOOD SERVICE-WARDROOM DI- VISIONS: When MISSOURI last sailed with the fleet, food service support for officers and enlisted was segregated into separate ratings, Stewards and Commissarymen. Mess Management Specialists of today must be able to pro- vide support in both specialties. If you stop and think about the sheer volume of food prepared daily aboard a modern battleship, the numbers are staggering. Over 240 gallons of milk, 500 gallons of coffee, 210 dozen eggs, 200 pounds of bread, 500 pounds of fresh vegetables and 1,000 pounds of meat products go into the preparation of the 5,000 rations fed each day. Combining this with the strictest sanitation requirements, stores handling storage responsibilities and coordinating receptions for over 2,000 people on this cruise alone, you have one of the most challenging Mess Man- agement Specialist jobs in the fleet to- day. SHIP ' S STORE DIVISION: Un- doubtedly the most versatile rating in the Supply Department, only Ship ' s Servicemen are trained in the manage- ment of four entirely separate function- al areas. In a sense, they perform a little of each of the other supply functions and then some. From food handling in the soda fountain to storing a half mil- lion dollar inventory; from handling monthly cash receipts exceeding $140,000 to processing well over 3,000 garments a month in the laundry; from cutting 2,000 heads of hair a month, to providing up to 150 cases of soda pop a day, Ship ' s Servicemen are constantly living up to their name, providing ser- vice to the crew. DISBURSING DIVISION: Probably the best understood division in the Supply Department, our DK ' s with their automated Uniform Microcom- puter Disbursing System (UMIDS) do a lot more than just hold payday. Each month in addition to payrolls, they dis- burse over $100,000, collect over $70,000, manage over 1,500 pay records, process an average of 100 travel claims and cut over 3,000 checks; not a bad month ' s work for eight people. All in all, the combined SK ' s, MS ' s, SH ' s, DK ' s, LSC members and mess- cooks work together maintaining the Supply Corps ' tradition of keeping MISSOURI ready for sea.