Wilhouite (DER 397) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 13 text:

OC DIV. -96 .,f,.,y -,-' H 5, ,f ,, V ,L gvbf' if as ui l'-fi-5! io '-vb 9 o 5 A 1 , 1 1:5 fs Q ' ' gps . - f s k -.4 cj f . 0' ' Y --' -f - X O0 Q ITIIIG Graham Nufable QMC Love RMC Gergal HMI Iiansdell SMI Runkles RMI Cooper PS1 Johnson SM2 Lively RM2 Jones SM3 Coty YN3 Florvjx ON3 Gipson RMS Mivl-colson RMS Perri-' R M3 Thompson RMS Austin SA Beyer PC3 Cams YN3 Jordan QMSN Radjenovic S Yonkofski Northrup R MSZN Richards QMSIN F ristol RMSN I 9

Page 12 text:

0C DIVISION A ship at sea without communications is a ship in a sea of its own. Avoiding this, in es- sence, is the purpose of OC division .... Communications, comprised of Radiomen, Signal- men, Quartermasters, Personnelmen, Yoemen, and a Postal Clerk. OC provides the various means of communications needed on the WILHOITE. Twenty four hours a day, underway or inport, OC division carries on communications to and from the WILHOITE. Many types of communiques are involved, and WILHOITE has many ways of communication. Radiomen handle messages ranging from last weeks football scores to highly secret coded messages. The Quartermasters both originate and evaluate communications concerning ship's position, weather, sea state, etc. Signalmen handle the flashing light and the flag hoists which are used primarily for tactical messages between ships involved in an opera- tion. In addition, the flashing light is constantly utilized for informal messages between ships in port. Finally, the Personnelmen, Yoemen and Postal Clerk collaborate to employ the U.S. Mail for delivery of a variety of official notices, and, of course, letters to and from home. OC division also handles two other very important jobs not directly involved with commu- nications. The Quartermasters work with the navigator. They keep track of the ship's position at all times, and plot the tracks used by the officer of the deck. Also in the division is the Med- ical Department, comprised of one Hospital Corpsman who gives us emergency medical aid, treats our colds, and gives us our benefits ..... shots. L 1 xxx I x Y X 'H ,g X A I iotrt i . I 4' , .1 1 D A X f E F14 A . it . 4 gif Q as I 6 Q 3 1 .' 'bf 1.

Page 14 text:

CI DIVISION When you first walk into the room, your eyes go splotched and if you're not careful you run into the pole immediately to your right. The room is dark, but as your eyes adjust to the darkness, you begin to pick out the men at their work. These are the men of OI division, the Radarmen and the Electronic Technicians that make this strange room hum. We call this room Combat Information Center. For brevity purposes we abbreviate it C.I.C.. C.I.C. with its fluorescent glow, eerie static noises, and pulsing radar sweeps, looks like the war room out of Fail Safe , or maybe the pilot house of a flying saucer. Properly coordinated, C.I.C. can be an invaluable gathering point of information vital to the operation of the ship. The radars enable the ship to see through the thickest of fogs, or the darkest of nights, and also keep the ship alerted to surface or air contacts that may pose a threat to it. Sometimes, C.I.C. is called the eyes of the ship. With the eyes come the voice, for in this room, voice communications are maintained as the operation requires. This may be ship to ship, or ship to shore, or as is usually the case, both. As if radar were not enough, C.I.C. also contains a fancy piece of gear that can detect enemy radar emissions even past the radar horizon. The Radarmen who make up the bulk of C.I.C., man the scopes and plot the contacts. The ET's operate the other elaborate detection gear which enables the ship to identify the contacts. Besides working in C.I.C. and performing tasks as a Radarman, the ET's maintain most of the ship's electronic equipment from navigational aids to antennas and transmitters. Both RD's and ET's have gone through extensive training and can be considered professionals in their field. 'K .ya I i