San Marcos (LSD 25) - Naval Cruise Book

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rr 1' OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT, e skills and duties of the seven rates composing it. The The functions of the Operations Deparnnent are as varied as th Radiomen, Quartermasters, Yeomen, Personnelmen, Radarmen, Telemen, and Hospitalmen add up to a total of 44, a group just slightly larger than the- ever threatening MAA-PPO force, but the responsibilities and .duties of the Operations Department defy similar comparison. For no single operation or task was undertaken which did not call for the participa- tion of one or more indispensible rates. For example: ' f lt was the Captain's yeoman who first opened the guard mail androuted the correspondence that started this whole affair, and the Quartermasters, acting in their navigation role, stacked charts ,and sailing directions to the overhead 'so that we could locate such exotic-sounding places as Marseilles, Naples, Phalleron Bay, and then take the long way home if need be. On the way over the l-Iospitalmen began the never-ending job of protecting us from strange Mediterranean diseases. The innoculations, at least, seemed to work as we all stayed free of typhus, small pox, and such. . The first liberty port showed what a friend - or a foe - the mailman could be, and each succeeding port brought :more of the bitter and the sweet and more of those things in the guard mail that kept sending us further and further east. . East until we had our course set for one of those islands too close to Suez. Then the Radiomen, who had never lost con- tact with the outsideworld, got the message that turned us westward to rescue an Air Force rescue plane. On the way several trying hours of unanswered calls, shifted frequencies, and garbled signalslbrought forth an amazing conversation with distant Radio Benghazi that eventually led us on to Tripoli. 4 . p ' V Which brings to mind the landings made by the embarked Marines. Three in number, each one was the subject of a flood of communications. The Quartermasters, this time in their signalman role, manned the flags and lights to keep vital information coming in and going out. ' g Landings took second place to liberty, though, and no liberty started without the magic liberty list, theulabor of 'love of the ship 's office. Less love went into the personnel accounting that told the Bureau at each sailing that we were all aboard. Advancement in rate exams, mustering out pay, and transfenrequests were other routine responsibilities of the men who stand forever ready to ship us over for involuntarily extend usl. ' And in between liberties and landings, the Radarmen kept 'watch to insure that we didn't run down the flocks of small boats that carry fishermen and perfume salesmen to the farcorners of the Mediterranean., Other information, too, was their job - where to look for the target sleeves, the range to the flagship, the distance to nearest land. This-last job was carried to the ultimate on our last entry into Golfe Juan when radar ranges had to substitute for gyroscope bearings in find- ing our anchorage. , ' - All this is, of course, just by way of example. Other work was important and 44 names ought to be mentioned, be- cause, as the title implies, every task or operation undertaken contains a role of responsibility for someone in the oper- ations department. - 16

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Now let us wrestle with the second part of our little question. . I Th uestion before us is- Where are the Chiefs ? . This is simple. TheY are either on 3 wonderful shore station or In e q , their hanger Qhanger being Naval terminology for bedl aboard ship. At least that is where everyone claims you have to look to find a Chief. As you can see that answer is quite simple. A ' - ' ee some artistic interior But let's face it, the Chiefs are pretty swell on board the Two-bits and if you really want to s decorating, just stop by and visit the Chiefs Quarters. 15

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s I The Radiomen -g---.-A--,.v-...M , W, Rear row: Balhorn, Anspach, Oliver, Loftin, Brumbaugh, Walker, Tomlin, MacPar land, ENS. Dye Front row: Griggs, Powers, c , , S hultz Becker Germain, Baker, Hackett. The Quartermasters ,4.. ,l,-,-----, I Rear row: Mulrine and Nemith Front row: Fitch, Brockel, Guterriz, Hall, Salibe, Myers 17