Catamount (LSD 17) - Naval Cruise Book

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THE DEPARTMENTS - 40 —

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sliirkcd at tlic ilinim;lii n( ilic lomiilcss limes you would h.i c to icll the rcLiiivcs .ihoiii your experiences, about Mouul I ' uji ami Korea .md wasu ' i it just iluilliuj; . . . you were se( retK ' looking forward to telliiit; iliem too . . . ... X til .iicr.i . . . lile on the ship, as well as olT, had l)een thnereiit in Japanese waters... an oscruiL lit wasn ' t the loninion lliin,L(... (hity had l)een h M y at times and slcej) had often been a pri ilejfe iustiMc! ol ' an ordinariK m iicdulcd e ent... you liad f row n more closely akin to the three huntlreil men on sour .shi|) tlian woulil lia c l)cen the case elsewhere . . . ou liad been spared tlie tenseness of combat, yet there had been the tlirill of participating in se eral landing exercises... and the pure and sim])le satisl.ution from feeling tlic wind ofl ' the oi can blowing at you as your ship rolled and pitched . . . . . . you lay in your rack that first night underway for the States and you were happy . . . you thought, perhaps that you had hated being gone so long, but that you woiddn ' t trade the last eight months for the world... you remembered the good things about the cruise and for some reason the bad seemed to slip from your mind... you were glad to leave... you were glad you ' d been there... you were speaking .sa ' y ni . . . you felt prctt} good. Going home - 39 -

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OPERATIONS Lt. j. g. Robert J. White, head of the Operations department has served his entire duty as a Naval officer on the Catamount. A graduate of Newport ' s OCS in June, 1951, he reported immediately to the ship and served as signal officer and communications cfficer before assuming his present duties. His home is Chicago, III., and he is a graduate of Marquette University where he majored in civil engineering. (Apologies on this picture are due Lt. ;. g. While. His sudden attack of appendicitis and subsequent hospitali- zation left the ship with only this closed-eye representation of the Operations officer.) Lt. j. g. John ii u.i. n nua -uii;ii.bioned in July, 1949, after five years in the Merchant Marines where he served in the Atlantic and Pacific aboard USS merchant vessels. He has been on the Catamount since August, 1952, as First Lieutenant and gunnery officer, and currently as navigator. His heme is Marrero, La. Times wer „ when the Na y consisted of two sections : Engineering and Deck. The whole Operations department consisted of a navigator. As the Navy has come down through the years, it has reaUzed the begiiniing of a new and vital need, the specialized Operations department witii its skivvie wavers, pip peepers and pencil pushers. They inhabit the upper part of the ship, from the occulator) ' senses at the radar mast down to its finger tips, the red-taped shij) ' s office. It is the nerve center of the ship - its spinal cord. The Signalmen - Those concerned with visual communications, spending their time on watch for intcr- sliip message traffic. Their time is spent in tlie mediums of this communication : semaphore, flashing light, flaglioist and yardarm blinkers. Tlicy are continually training to build cfliciency in these media for either battle or peacetime operation. Tiie Radarmen - The eyes of the ship when in darkness or fog, invaluable in safe ship handling, always on the alert for what human e cs cannot sec. 1 hc ' , coupled with the quartermasters, are an aid to the na igator in coastal navigation and in anchoring when the surroundings cannot be seen. The Quartermasters - The right arm of the navigator. Their help is in the maintenance of the ship ' s log, tiie plotting of the ship ' s position, and determining of the courses she should undertake. The Radiomen - Equally impressive is their contribution to the mechanics of shipboard operation. Tlicir dit-dum-dit ' s keep the ship in contact with all outside stations. The technical knowledge and skill tiiat is required in the operation of the various transmitters and receivers, the teletype machine, etc. is the mark of their trade. The Electronic ' s Technicians - The advancement of these modern de ices has made necessary their highly technical profession. Their job is to keep this gear in operation. Resisters, condensers, tubes and a keen mind are the tools of their trade. The Yeomen - If a typewriter is put through its normal paces, a statistician has proven the average yeoman or personnelman does enough ty])ing in one day to equal that of lifting ten and a half tons. They are in constant demand for special request chits, letters for schools, educational courses, personnel reports, correspondence, legal work, liberty lists and cards, and the continual query, Has my shore duty come in yet? As the Army travels on its stomach, the Navy travels on its paper work. The Mailmen - A liigh factor to Navy morale is the letters received from home. This makes the importance of the mailmen speak for itself This is Operations. Its beginning - one man, the navigator - has expanded to make a job well worth the capabilities of its members. — 41