Toledo (CA 133) - Naval Cruise Book

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. . .the widest ranging... ABLE stands for Auxiliary Machinery-all the auxiliary machinery on the TOLEDO outside the main engineering spaces. And to give a partial idea of how diversified this category is, it includes heating systems, refrigeration systems, small boat engines, diesel generators, laundry equipment, machine tools, and steering gear. All these and many other items come within the scope of ABLE DIVISION. To cover this wide field, ABLE has more different ratings than any other division on the ship-machinist's mates, enginemen, machinery repairmen, metalsmiths, and firemen. And yet the whole division only consists of about thirty-five men, a small team with a big iob. The division is grouped into four different gangs, but even the names of these gangs are misleading, for they do not cover all the different tasks. For instance, the boat gang not only cares for the engines on all the TOLEDO's boats, but also the ship's two emer- gency diesel generators and the vehicles, the pick-up and the ieep. Perhaps the best example is the so-called steam heat gang. Yes, they are the men who keep the ship warm in the middle of winter, who heat the water for showers, but besides that they are charged with the continual upkeep of the steering gear, the anchor windlass, the crane, the hangar elevator, and all the laundry and galley machinery. Refrigeration of the huge meat and vegetable boxes is the primary concern of the ice machine gang. However, all air conditioning also requires their attention-for Combat Information Center, for Damage Control Central, for sick bay, and most impor- tant, for the powder magazines. And finally, under ABLE DIVISION comes the machine shop, with over 5 I00,000 worth of precision tools, working constantly for the repair and upkeep of every imagina- ble piece of machinery throughout the ship. LTJG M. I. WALLER LTJG L. G. MITCHELL

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. . . . 'Make anything, fix anything' . . . . ROGER stands for Repair, every phase of repair from fire-fighting to replacing pipelines. In peacetime the men of ROGER DIVISION keep the TOLEDO seaworthy and operative, in war or other danger, they also become the nucleus of skilled personnel around whom the whole crew is organized to keep the ship afloat and fighting. There are around fifty men in the division, including damage controlmen, pipefitters, the damage control shop, the carpenter shop, and the pipefitter shop. But when big trouble occurs and the safety of the ship is threatened, these men become repair parties, distributed from stem to stern, ready to patch and plug, to brace and rebuild. Yet the less glamorous routine of ROGER DIVISION is equally important. The metalsmiths fabricate and install instrument parts, replace bulkheads, do most of the ship's welding, and maintain her extensive ventilation system. The pipefitters look after the working parts of all the washrooms and showers as well as the whole tiremain and sprinkling system. The damage controlmen are the keep her afloat experts, they can work with any materials that are handy-metal, wood, even bunk mattresses, but their routine tasks involve carpentry and keeping damage control and fire-fighting gear in top shape. Work requests of varying priority pour in ceaselessly to the shops of ROGER DIVISION. The requests with highest priority come first, but they are all completed by men who take pride in their work. It is interesting to note how many of these men follow their repair professions even if they leave the Navy, the large number testifies to the satisfaction that they have received from their work. LTJG G. REKATE ENS R. P. DEWALT CHCARP R. W. LARSON metalsmiths, and firemen. They work in three different shops in their day-to-day work-