Bunker Hill (CV 17) - Naval Cruise Book

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NAVIGATION The plotted the westward course to the enemy Star-gazers repeatedbf took us there and hrought us out ageing every minute is tremendously important when the safety and efficiency W 3,000 men are at stake. he Ways and Means Committee of a ship is the Navigation Department, which is composed of the Navigator, the Assistant Navigator, quarter- masters and quartermaster strikers, not to mention the ship's band, which, though not inclined toward star-gazing, is very much a part of the N Division. In the hands of these representatives rests the responsibility of getting us to and from a target, in and out of Naval anchorages, furnishing any infor- mation the Commanding Ofiicer desires re- garding navigational aids, tides, and channelsg these people also are charged with the actual handling of the ship, the anchoring procedure, and the quartermaster of the watch is the right-hand man of the Officer of the Deck in that he is the recorder of all ship's move- ments, formation guides and such watch rou- tines as enemy air attacks, launching aircraft, men admitted to sick bay and the amount of fuel taken on from a tanker-in other words he keeps the rough draft of the war diary. Also included in the Navigation Department's seemingly endless host of duties is that of charting courses back to home ports, a job they have not Cto our knowledgej had an op- portunity to practice since the Bunker Hill came to the Pacific theatre. First Navigator for this ship, or chairman of the Bunker Hill's Ways and Means Com- mittee, was Commander VVallace B. Mechling, USN, a Naval aviator of Wide experience, who last spring stepped up a notch and became the Executive Ofiicer. Commander Mechling came to the Bethlehem Steel Company in Quincy, in connection with fitting out the Bunker Hill, early in 1943 from the engineer- ing desk of the Bureau of Aeronautics. His aviation background includes nearly fifteen years of flying experience. In the Spring of 1944 Commander Mech- ling's move to the Executive Oflicer's Office followed Commander M. Carson's transfer from the ship, Commander Andrew MCB. Jackson, USN, then Commander of Air Group Eight, moved in as ship's navigator. Com- mander Jackson finished number one in the

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it t is S examining room were fully manned and ready for use. It might even be said that these people were actually anxious to try out some of their new equipment, which was as modern as any ever installed on a warship. But the health of the ship was relatively gOOCl f1'01T1 the start, for Bunker Hill medical personnel had supervised the ship's crew for several months before the commissioning ceremonies took place. During the period of pre-commissioning, Medical Department personnel were stationed at the Receiving Station, Fargo Building, Boston, Massachusetts, and at the Braintree Barracks, adjacent to Bethlehem Steel Com- pany's shipyard, to look after the health of the ship's company quartered at these two places. In Boston, where 1,000 of our men were stationed, the medical detail was headed by Lieutenant Commander M. E. Conti, CMCD, USN, and genial Lieutenant Sam Zurik. In addition to regular medical duties, the doctors spent morning and afternoon periods giving first aid and general health care lectures to members of the crew. Tak- ing care of the dental work at Fargo were Lieutenant Commander A. M. Rochester, QDCQ, USNR, and Lieutenant F.. C. Lytle, QDCJ, USN. At the Braintree Barracks the Medical Oliicer himself, CommanderfW. Dana, QMCD, USN, had general supervision, assisted by Lieutenant T. W. Steege, CMCD, USN. Pre-commissioning months served as a train- ing period for hospital corps personnel. Along with their regular studies, entailing lectures by the medical staff, eleven of the lower rat- ings were temporarily assigned duty at the U. S. Naval Hospital, Chelsea, Massachusetts where they underwent further instruction and familiarization with operating room, labora- tory and X-ray technique, and ward manage- ment. Shakedown cruise proved an eventful trip for the Medical Department: Commander Dana was promoted to Captain, and trans- ferred to the Sanford, Florida, Naval Air Station. He was relieved by Commander W. S. Rizk, CMCD, USN, whose stay was Cut 3 short due to a serious illnessg Commanm- Rizk was transferred to the U. S. Navgj Hospital, Trinidad, H-WJ-s havlflg been re- lieved temporarily by Lieutenant Commander A. P. Rhamy, QMCJ, USNR, senior flight surgeon aboard at the time. The ship rg. turned from shakedown, and in early August Commander O. VV. Chenault, CMCJ, USN, 9, veteran of the China Station, reported aboard as Senior Medical Ofiicer. Commander Chenault brought about new changes in his departmental setup, adding new dressing stations to his battle bill and, in general, polishing a department that was already well organized. His staff increased and changes were made: Lieutenant Com- mander Shortridge, CDCJ, U SN, replaced Lieu- tenant Commander Rochester, Lieutenant R. C. Bew QMCJ, USNR, replaced Lieuten- ant Commander Conti as ship's surgeon. Simultaneously two leading pharmacists mates, T. D. Merchant and D. T. Sims, were ordered to shore billets. The ship reached the war zone in Autumn, and it wasn't long until the Medical Depart- ment had had several opportunities to prove its mettle. Wounds usually came in small numbers, but on one occasion, during an enemy attack on the ship, a total of eighty- four wounded men were treated as a result of a near bomb miss. PM its . 1 ,f I ,J '- ' ., Other. officers included on the Medical staff were: Lieutenants W. F. Bill Nickel, JI'-i J- Pease and Lieutenant R. L. Cox, CHCJ. Chlef Pharmacist H. M. Niblack and Phar- macist H. P. DeAngelo. Lieutenant Com- Inander M. W. Etzenhouser, former Air Gr0Ul9 Hlghf Surgeon, became Senior Medical 05503- , ,Ay , .ig ZQ .1 P 1 '- . : fx

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Naval Academy Class of 1930. Leading assist- ant to the Navigator since the ship's com- missioning has been Lieutenant Parker Smith, formerly attached to the U.S.S. California. Charles E. Hahne, a chief quartermaster when the ship was commissioned, aided Lieutenant Smith in training the quartermasters. Hahne was promoted to Boatswain and transferred back' to the USA early in 1944. Under his supervision, quartermasters and strikers be- gan their training program. THE QUARTERMASTERS: Wheelhorse of the pilot house, indispensable aid to the Navigator Qwho is also the ship's Education Off-icerj, an all 'round man in the know on the quarterdeck or the bridge is the quarter- master. His rating badge is often a deceiver: a lot of other people look upon the quarter- master as the helmsman simply because there's a pilot's wheel sewn on his-sleeve. While he is supervisor of the helm, it is actually one of his lesser duties. He has a notebook to keep, he handles telephone traffic to the 1 i l E i lf fr li I i bridge, he presides over the intercommunica- tion telephone systems leading to and from the bridge, and he answers an average of 2,193 questions a day Cnot counting the im- portant onesj, most of which are indirectly directed at the Officer of the Deck, a man' whose job has no counterpart on shipboard. For these obvious reasons and additional veiled reasons, the quartermaster is a care- ff-fi -------'A:I.,,j,l -'j l fully chosen and well-trained man. Ev from above-average intelligence to a person outlook on life is pretty well requiiw, The Bunker Hill's N Division grew fram a group of energetic, willing seamen who built themselves around several old sea-goerg, Their initial training--and many of them were seeing their first sea-going vessels on these trips--came in Boston Harbor, where arrange. ments were made to have the men stand quartermaster watches on harbor craft--just for the experience and hell of it all. They aided pilots and tug skippers in maneuvering small craft in and out of wet slips, they charted make-shift courses to and from outer harbor points, and they recorded with dili- gence the activities of Tug X and AYB. After ,.......,....---we 5 S --1 L A! My 17' the ship moved into South Boston Navy Yard they stood practice watches on the quarter- deck of a sister carrier. On lazy afternoons they listened to lectures, practiced using nav- igational equipment, and learned the differ- ence between various tables. By the time the Bunker Hill was ready for sea, the quartermasters were all willing and waitingg and it didn't take long for their laborious efforts to show unmistakable signs of thor- oughness. .Much credit for the shaping of the N Dlvision goes to Boatswain Hahne, whose 1908! was' filled by George Butler, Chief Quarter' master, Carly in the year. These men invaluable assistants to Division Oliilcer Smiths Other men who have contributed Iiibmily