Epping Forest (LSD 4) - Naval Cruise Book

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The duties of the navigation officer are to designate the best course in nautical miles that the ship should go between two places and with his instruments and the assitsance of the men assigned to him, see that this course is followed. He has in his hands the responsibility of the ship, under the Captain, as much or more so than any other officer on board. He is also the postal officer and takes responsibility of the guard mail that is sent between the other naval activities and the ship. LT. (jg) HENRY W. MARBOTT USNR Canfon, Ohio Heidelberg College Navigation Officer LT. (jg) E. B. CARPENTER USNR Boomingfown, Pennsylvania Penn State University Operations Officer The operations officer is the man assigned to the brain- wracking job of planning and executing the operations and maneuvers of the ship. To assist him in doing this job he has the radarmen, radiomen, telemen, and quartermasters who keep the ship on a safe course by tracking and plotting the contacts on the radar equipment, keep the ship well informed by receiving all the despatches and guard mail, and send and receive all the visual signals sent to the ship. These men, in doing their job well, are the basis of a smooth operation, and without them the ship would be greatly hin- dered and of little use to the Navy.

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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.

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The first lieutenant is in charge of the activities of the ship ' s deck force. The men assigned to him are required to stand the watches necessary for the safety of the ship both underway and in port. They operate the cranes, boats, anchoring gear and mooring lines, as well as assist in bring- ing small craft into the well deck. They maintain cleanli- ness about the main and weather decks along with the boats, cranes, and the well deck. In port, they may be found over the side cleaning or painting the sides of the ship. The boatswain ' s mates and deck seaman make up an important part of the ship ' s activities. ENSIGN MARVIN W. RICKLING USNR Hamilton, Ohio Notre Dame First Lieutenant LT. H. F. CONLEY USN Long Beach, California 19 years service Supply Officer The supply officer is responsible for the procurement, stowage, issuance, and records of all the stores necessary for the best operation of the ship. To aid him in this task he has the commissarymen; who stow, issue, and prepare the food; the storekeepers who stow, order, issue, and keep records of the general stores, spare parts, and ship ' s store material; the ship ' s servicemen; who run the laundry, ship ' s store, barber shop, and ship ' s fountain; the steward group; which prepares the food for the officer ' s mess; and, through the disbursing officer, the disbursing clerks; who aid the disbursing officer in the handling of the pay accounts and other disbursements. He is usually on the prowl for any way to make his supply system run more smoothly.