Higbee (DDR 806) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 18 text:

First Row-Strass, RDC, Pratt, Tucker, Abercrombie, Beck, Broussard, Matthews, Haffle, Ens Garrison Second Row-Guthrie, Kuxhausen, McMurray, Mason, Choate, Thompson, Jones. Third Row-Towner, Kenney, Jernigan, Wells, Youngblood, Prather, Lockwood, Montgomery CDI DIVISICN Skunk Alpha bearing 154 degrees, range 12 miles, is a rather foreign phrase to most sail- ors, but a routine report that sets all kinds of Wheels in motion in CIC CCombat lnformation Centerb. CIC, for the un-informed, is that dark little room just aft of the Captain's Cabin on the Cl deck with all the unfamiliar status boards, radar scopes, radio voice circuits and what seems to always be a Wave of mass confusion. lt is the nerve center of the ship. Under the competent eyes of Ltjg Clause, recently relieved by Ens Garrison, and Chief Strass, its Radarmen and ET's keep the Bridge Well informed on any Radar or ECM contact that is picked up. To the Radarmen fall the important job of Radar Navigation when We are entering port. They must be ever alert for rocks, shoals, land- marks and anything else of value to the Bridge. To the ET's falls the job of keeping every piece of Radar and Communication gear on the ship in Working order. This is a 24 hour-a-day job and could involve anything from clearing up a slightly distorted voice on a radio circuit or changing a tube, to a compound complex radar breakdown. How they manage to find one little break in a maze of wires, fuses, capacitors and resistors is a question even they can't answer at times DRT PLOTTERS

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First Row-Gunn, Ens Conlon, Higby, FTC, Rutherford. Second Row-Newman, Blevins, Gorton, Sarvaunt, Grasel, Hein. Third Row-Frey, Garmire, Potter, Neubarth, Kurtzo, Robinson, Knipple, Timmsen. FCX DIVISION Besides priding itself on keeping the ship's Fire Control gear and Sonar gear in top shape, Fox Division, which consists of Fire Controlmen and Sonarmen, has a few onlys which no other division on the ship can boast of. They're the only division on the ship which sleeps right under the Galley's Steam Line. They're the only division which have, in their IC and Sonar rooms, air cooled offices. They're the only division to possess two solid hours of Joni James records. They're the only division which owns their own paint sprayer. Lastly, they're the only division on the ship which can conduct most of their business with their fingers through the handle of a coffee cup on the mess decks. Headed by Ltjg Conlon and Chief Killer Higby, this division plays a major role whether the ship has an air, surface, or underwater contact. With Peter Gunn, Cookiesan Rutherford, and Knute Knipple manning the Directors 5 Rembrandt Kurtzo, Tiny Timmsen manning the Sonar scopes and Short-timer Bob, your favorite disc jockey spinning music to stand watch by, his division is ready and wait- ing for any emergency that may develop. When an emergency does pop up, Cookiesan is usually on hand with his standard solution, the onliest thing I can see to do ...... ? HAPPY SONARMEN

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First Row-Bockmeyer, PNC, Ens Steveley, Williams, SMC, Ferguson, RMC. Second Row-Collins, Harmon, Temple, Underwood, Clough, Lynam, Motley, Schriver. Third Row-Kayser, Hall, Ochoa, Wilson, Martin, Dahle, Debner, Davis, Levis. Fourth Row-Reidy, Rarer, Crocker, Gilmore, Walker, Fontenot. OC DIVISION The CC Division probably touches more of the ship's company personnel than any other divi- sion on the ship. QM3 Dahle and his Quartermasters, with their plotting of the sun and stars, keep us on course and tell us our position. Lights Lynarn, Seadog Fontenot, Mighty Mite Motley and the rest of the Signalmen, With their flashing lights, Waving Skivies and multi-colored flag hoists keep us in contact with other ships in visual range. Whether in company with other ships sitting at the pier or operating independently, Collins, Debner, Clough, Terrazas, Wilson Sr Co. are on the job 24 hours a day, seven days a Week keeping a steady flow of information coming and going to interested commands and other ships of the fleet. All this is fine you say, but l don't see how much it effects me so much. Well, if We're ever out in the middle of the Pacific and you have to send an emergency message home, you'll see how much this effects you. Speaking of messages home, is there a man aboard this ship who doesn't know old Scrap- iron Walker, the smiling mailman? lf there is any other thing on a Navy vessel that means more to a man than a letter from home, his Wife or loved one. then We haven't been able to find it. Ever had occasion to go on leave, take an advancement exam, run through a special re- guest chit, check your service record, or any one of a thousand and one things '? All this requires the assistance of Martin, Davis, Harmon, or Rarer DIT-DIT'-DAAA--PHHT in the Ship's Office who are an important part of CC Division. This Division has its finger on the very pulse of the HTGBEE and with men like Ensign Steve- ley, Chiefs Dingy Williams, Tiger Bockmeyer, and Red-Neck Ferguson at the pulse will beat normally for a long time to come.