Epping Forest (LSD 4) - Naval Cruise Book

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' How many people in civil life Will take the time to think, That Sailor Men do other things Than bum around and drink? Don ' t judge us by the one or two You see that act the fool. For is it not that exception That proves most every rule? When you see a man in civilian life Go staggering down the pike, You don ' t run down the civilian man And say they ' re all alike. Now most men of the uniform Are really pretty good. They ' ll never steal your chickens Or carry away your wood. And yet in time of peace We are as welcomed as the gout. You wonder what we ' re drilling for And what ' s it all about. But let there be a sound of war You make a lot of noise. And strain your lungs and voices While cheering for the boys. And yet there is just one more thing That should be understood. They send us back to Civil Life If here we don ' t make good.

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CDR FREDERIC C. FALLON, USN 18 years service Point Loma, California Commanding Officer One could never begin to ennumerate oil the duties and responsi- bilities of the Commanding Officer. Every situation, be it of primary importance or of lowly insignificance, is the direct re- sponsibility of the Commanding Officer and each case must be met with the integrity and judgment of on expert. For he is the Captain of his ship; it is up to him to take core of it. To help him in this terrific task, the Captain has an Executive Officer and other junior officers who ore placed in charge of certain departments throughout the ship. When the Captain has the cooperation of these officers, as well as the cooperation of every enlisted man aboard, the job becomes routine and you can look for a good ship and a happy crew. Since his primary duty is the morale and general welfare of every crew member aboard, the Captain must insure that justice reigns over all. Naval discipline is a primary factor in keeping up the morale of a ship. Rewarding the good may be easy, but pun- ishing the bad is an unenviable task. The Commanding Officer must be an expert navigator, engineer, and seaman. Many a sleepless night is spent by him when the ship is underway, while he diligently mans his conning station, guiding the ship through all kinds of weather. He directs his junior officers not to hesitate to call him out of his slumber if a questionable situation arises while the ship is at sea; he finds out that many times these situations do arise. An engine suddenly becomes inoperative; an evaporator motor foils; on anchor will not respond; these are just a few of the many situations that arise in the course of the Captain ' s daily pitfalls. It is up to him to make the right decisions, to correct the defi- ciencies, many times with little or no time to think it over. The Captain, therefore, must be a man of action. He must keep a clear and cool head at all times. He must know how to handle men. For it is in no small measure that the Commanding Officer will moke the difference between on ordinary ship of the fleet or on outstanding ship with a contented crew.

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The executive officer of any ship or station must be a man of many capabilities. It is up to him to take much of the load off the shoulders of the com- manding officer. Together they must work dili- gently to keep a good ship running smoothly and efficiently. The primary duty of the executive officer cannot be singled out as one particular job; there are too many of them. Since the next step in the chain of com- mand is that of commanding officer the exec must have more than a working knowledge of every detail associated with keeping the ship up to naval standards. Administration, personnel welfare, and the morale of the crew are just a few of his many tasks. He is the man who controls the liberty of the crew, through him must go every piece of correspondence for approval before being submitted to the captain for final signature. The executive officer must be a man of high moral character, as well as an outstanding leader and busi- ness man. He must be able to make the right deci- sion at the right time on a moments notice. If anoyne on the ship must be a jack-of-all-trades , it ' s the executive officer. LCDR ROBERT A. DAVIS USN 19 years service La Mesa, California Executive Officer LT. CLARENCE C. FELDHAUS USN 27 years service San Diego, California Chief Engineer The duties and responsibilities of the chief engineer consist, mainly, of the readiness of all engineering spaces for steaming and supervision of damage con- trol. He keeps all engineering records, logs, and statistics in his custody and, through subordinates, is responsible for the care, maintenance, and per- formance of all the machinery aboard ship. Electric power, fresh water, and the machinery required to provide these things are in his care. The ballasting of the ship for participation in amphibious invasions and the repar of any damaged craft that are brought aboard for repair are other duties of this officer. He is ably assisted by junior officers and crew members of the engineering force. A great deal depends upon whether or not these things are accomplished in the correct manner, thus: a constant vigil must be held by the crew members and officers of the Engineering Force.