Santa Fe (CL 60) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 130 text:

TlzeSANTAFE ' ll iz E' k ie: 5 ong enoug at nzweto lo take aaoard,from an ammunition barge afongside, powder ana' .flzelfsfor her ravenouJ gum. Lieutenant Commander George M. Hawes, USN, the Gunnefy Offer, eombinex gunf and men into an ejjfeienljighting unit. 126 ITS GUNS SPELL DEATH AND DESTRUCTION F OR THE ENEMY ,i 4 N HE largest and most important department on the ship is the Gunnery Department-for obvious reasons. The SANTA FE, like any other major warship, exists only because of her guns, so her effective- ness as a fighting unit must be gauged by her ability to damage and destroy the enemy wherever and whenever she meets him. Her success depends on the Gunnery Department-on its ofiicers and men, and on its equip- ment. 'The Gunner's Mates and their strikers have H Herculean task in the upkeep and maintenance ofthe various batteries-the booming six inch, the slamming five inch, the pounding forty millimeters, and the stutter- ing twenties. This work is second in importance only tO selecting and training personnel for all positions in the Gunnery Department's battle organization-for the men must have a thorough understanding of the guns, their .r,-, .

Page 129 text:

AH' -- I Q it Holding selzool in the clzartlzoase, the Chief .Quartermaster explaim details of navigation and piloting to the younger men. XD rPEEDS 1 3175 all -gg ' -If .- 1W:fHC,1 W -milfs 2 i- rf bum' , 1 , ,,., -sfffryw mr A the shi? , . 'f. ':' , . .fu 5. ,Y-in ,. 1 1 V' :,- Tu? 'W .19 . 16 'f ,ggl-'I . V , W , , .V W ' ' i Tlze qziartermaster who identfes and takeav liearingy on land- marks help: fx the poyition for ootlz navigation and giinneiy. On the open bridge the Navigator and his a.v5i.rtant5 perform a daibf ritual- taking .fights of the liglzthouses in the Jky. 41 3 The renter Q' navigational activity is tlze clzartlzouse, 'where the Navigator conftantbf keeps the Jhiplv position plotted. k '4.L, Tlze Ohm-567' of tlze Deehtlze ouarternzafter, and tlze helnixrnan keep a eonxtant vigil in tlze pilothozzfe wlzcnever underway.

Page 131 text:

. GH .Nl Qaiixiiii' fa . ,f . . we, g .. - L 'fr J' vbyliyll. 5 ,,a' I 'f 4 ,L-fili' LA' L ffiilc' ., i- ,yffrfl , V 1 ' J,- ' W' f ,. . i capabilities, and the methods and equipment used in controllingthem. Of 1200 men on the ship,700 are in the Gunnery Department. But even these are not enough to man all the G.Q. battle stations, Gunnery must train oflicers and men of other departments soithat they can assist in manning the guns. The department has many other responsibilities outside the guns themselves and theirf ammunition. Among these are fire control, radar, aviation, lookouts, photog- raphy, and athletics. While these activities seem some- what unrelated, they all contribute to the primary func- tion of getting the guns into action to destroy the Jap. VVhen not behind their guns, the personnel ofthe Gun- nery department perform many other important tasks in the administration ofthe ship. The officers and men stand security watches, bridge watches underway, and quarterdeck watches in port. The ship's boats are manned by coxswains and seamen from the gunnery divisions. The Gunnery Department handles the lines and hoses for the all important tasks of fueling and ammunitioning at sea, fills key stations during anchoring or mooring the ship, loads stores as well as ammunition, and bears the brunt of keeping the ship a clean and live- able home. With the end of the war comes the silencing ofthe guns and the scattering of the crack teams that made the Gunnery Department and the ship the best in the whole Navy. Peace brings the responsibility of continued train- ing so that if the need for a fighting ship again arises there will be a nucleus crew of experienced men. The Jeorehoard shows SANTA FE record: sunk'-I CVL, I CL, I DD, 4 luggersg .vhol down'-7 planes, hlastedee-IZ Yap beaches. These are the ojfcer: Qf lhe Gunnery Department, the men in charge of afghling ,fhip'.f gun and eontrol stations at General Quarters.