Porterfield (DD 682) - Naval Cruise Book

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LEFT TO RIGHT, BACK ROW: Nagle ETSN, Earl RD2, Heins LTGQD, McCray RDZ, Lunsford RD2, Childs SN. FRONT ROW: Franz ET3, Schmidt ETI, Michael RD3, Patterson SN, Lee RDS. PER- SONNEL NOT PRESENT: Murray RDSN, Biancone RDSN. ln Sasebo we went over for a steak dinner to celebrate Mike's and McCray's advancement in rating. A real crazy sight were the Gooney birds on Midway. ln tact, that's about all there was on Midway. The most beautiful place we saw was Hawaii, especially on the way home. Some of the gang rented a car and took a tour ot the island. They saw the sights, did some swimming, and argued about who was going to drive. Well, this brings us back to San Diego. Most ot the guys are on leave, and in a few months, many new faces will be seen in the division. So we'll sign oii now and leave it up to the gang oi the next cruise to tell you of their experiences. l ml-L

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THE GUNNERY DEPARTMENT The Gunnery Department is responsible -for the operation and care of all the Ship's offensive arma- ment, and the preservation, maintenance and care of topside areas. The ship's main battery of offensive armament consists of five inch dual purpose gun mounts. As another major weapon, it carries five torpedoes. The secondary battery is composed of forty millimeter gun mounts, which are used for anti-aircraft purposes. For antisubmarine warfare, the ship is equipped with hedgehogs and depth charges. There are five rates in the gunnery department. Boatswain's Mates CBMD, the jack-of-all-trades rate, have responsibility for the appearance and preser- vation of the main deck, O-l deck and the sides of the ship. lt is they who must continually struggle against the eternal decay and corrosion caused by the sea. ln addition, they are responsible for all ground tackle, and care and coxswaining of the ship's two boats. Truly the art of seamanship is theirs. Boatswain Mates are usually assigned to gunnery stations and repair parties during general quarters. Gunner's Mates CGMD must know how to operate, clean, and maintain the ship's five inch and forty millimeter guns. Rated gunner's mates are usually assigned the responsible jobs of gun captains at battle stations. This means they must not only know how to operate their guns and effectively coordinate their gun crews as a team, but they must be able, if necessary, to take complete charge of the mount and fire locally. Firecontrolmen CFTD are technicians, both in main- taining firecontrol equipment and in operating it. Firecontrol equipment electronically and mechani- cally solves the big problem of where to aim the guns in order to hit a target, and it is the job of the FT's both to keep this equipment in operating condi- .X X6 in tion, and, during the firing of the guns, operate the computer, rangefinder, and radar, so that the ship's gunfire will be effective. Theirs is an extremely re- sponsible job. Torpedomen CTMJ are primarily concerned with the upkeep of their five torpedoes, kept in the tor- pedo tube mount amidships. These torpedoes may be launched on a high speed run on any large enemy surface craft, and pack the largest single blow the ship can deliver. The Torpedomen also have charge of the depth charges, which are fired from projectors placed on either side of the ship, and rolled from racks off the stern. The hedgehog mounts which comprise the other half of the ship's anti-sub- marine armament, are twin projectors placed for- ward of the bridge on the O-l deck. The Hedge- hogs are a type of rocket, and are launched in two patterns. These are fired in a trajectory forward of the ship, and enter and fall through the water to strike any enemy submarine lurking beneath the surface. r The Sonarmen CSO? have the great responsibility of operating underwater sound equipment tsonarl to detect the presence of enemy sub-surface craft. Theirs is a day-in-day-out job spent scanning a scope and listening with their ears for the characteristic echo of any enemy submarine. Once contact is made, they function as a highly integrated and coordin- ated team, obtaining maximum possible information about the submarine in order that the ship may conduct a successful attack. ln addition, the sonar- men muslt maintain and repair their own equipment. Those are the five ratings of the Gunnery Depart- ment. Taken separately each is a specialist in his field. Taken together, all operate effectively and are coordinated by the commanding officer in battle to give the ship its offensive wallop. f'X