Maury (AGS 16) - Naval Cruise Book

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The deck deparimciu in the Maury as in all ships is the place where the boy be- comes the sailor. He learns how to live aboard ship. He learns the value of a ship- mate and the many reasons vhy, when men must live .so close together, there is so great a need for each man to play his part and stand on his own two feet. He learns, too, that all is not beer and vittles, and that Jack does a good day ' s work before he goes ashore to play. Here the boy learns to man the guns with which battles are fought. He comes to real- ize that he is part of a team afloat and soon comes the certain kno vledge that his team has to be the best team afloat or it cannot survive. He has no desire to be the weak sister who does not kno v what to do with the ammunition which can defeat his enemy. He learns also the great part that the ship ' s boats and the ship ' s rigging play in making a ship a going concern. He sees boats weighing many tons hoisted on board and soon is able to do his part in these operations. He knows then what damage a weakened piece of wire or a bit of fotiled rigging can do. He perhaps becomes a member of a boat crew, where he begins to acquire the skill and kno v-how so necessary in small boat operation. For the first time in his young life he finds himself with a very small group of men like himself almost completely on his own. As he gains confidence he is per- haps permitted to operate the boat under the instruction of the boat coxswain. He finds that running a ship ' s boat is not quite like taking the family car out to Jones Beach. There are no parkways, no friendly traflic cops to point out the dangers. He finds that he must rely on his compass and charts and most of all on his own judgment. He begins to learn the meaning of respon- sibility. He finds that it is he who is re- sponsible for the safety of the boat and its cargo of himian life or valuable stores. He may be assigned to the Boatswain ' s Gang. Here he again sees the value of self reliance, for he must learn to rig the stages on which he must work over the side or aloft. His first job is likely to be that of a side cleaner. After a few practice sessions of rigging his stages on deck under the close supervision of an experienced petty ofBcer, he makes his first drop over the ship ' s side. If he has learned well he will stay dry. If not he may go for an unsched- uled swim, and must suffer the shame of having to be hauled aboard by his ship- mates. In the Boatswain ' s Gang he also acquires other skills. He learns to handle manila line and wire rope properly. He also learns to put an eye splice in a piece of vire or manila, and how to reeve off a set of falls or a tackle. He continues to learn more and more, for the ship ' s Boatswain is the best seaman of them all and has spent years learning and teaching these skills and tricks of the trade. The yoimg seaman apprentice may be assigned to the foc ' sle detail. Here he gains a Avorking knowledge of the ship ' s ground tackle or anchor gear. He assists in handling the Maury ' s 11,000-poimd anchors, and 214-inch diameter anchor chain. Soon the words wildcat, capstan, gypsy, pelican hook, jews harp, stopper and many other nautical

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DECK DEPARTMENT

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phrases which just a short time ago vere so much gibberish take meaning and shape. He has gathered a little more salt and has taken another step to vard becoming a sailor and a seaman. He may work for a time in the Maury ' s busy sail locker. Though the Navy no longer depends on sail, the art of canvas work has not been lost. He sees the three rugged sewing machines under the skilled hands of the sailmaker and his helpers, turning Qut all sorts of items from awnings to hydrogiaphic signals. Even a fancy chair cover for the Captain ' s cabin or an odd- shaped cover for a delicate piece of elec- tronic equipment must be made on board by the sailmaker. A host of other jobs may be his lot. Com- partment cleaner, captain of the head or mess cook. Each job, though it may be a small one in itself, is contributing to that big team— the ship. The time he spends in each of these jobs and the proficiency which he acquires, all add up to the fact that he is fast becoming a sailor and a seaman. He is leaving the boy and his vays behind and becoming a man. Which rate he chooses to strike for is his choice to make, but the time he has spent in the hard school of deck seamanship will ahvays stand him in good stead and the skills he has learned are never lost to him. Preparing for dive uiulcr Maur ' Side cleaners.