Watts (DD 567) - Naval Cruise Book

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What ls A Division. The word division, in a military sense, quickly brings to mind a huge army unit composed of many thousands of men. Most people are quite surprised to learn that the basic unit of men aboard a naval vessel is also called a division. Like most destroyers, the USS WATTS is divided into eight divisions. Each division, in turn, is part of a larger entity called a department. The Gunnery Department of the WATTS is composed of three divisions: First, Second and Third. The First Division is made up entirely of boatswain mates, whose never-ending task it is to keep the exterior of the ship in tip-top condition. This entails much scrubbing of the decks and sides of the ship, and endless hours of chipping and painting. As the name implies, the boatswain's mate also cares for and operate the ship's two boats. The Second Division is made up ot gunner's mates who maintain and operate the guns. The five 5 38 dual purpose mounts, two quad 40 MM mounts and the lone twin AO MM are all the responsibility of the Second Division. Three distinct groups of men make up the Third Division: The Fire Control- men, the first group, work in close cooperation with the gunner's mates. They see to it that power drives of the mounts, fire control radar, gun directors and teles- copes are kept in satisfactory working order. The second group in the Third Division, the torpedomen, are responsible for more gear than the it name might suggest. Beside caring for and operating the quintuple torpedo tube mount located slightly aft of midships, the torpedo gang must also care for the depth charge racks and proiectors, and the two hedge hog TTTOUDTS. The last and smallest group in the Third Division is the sonar gang Their

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successful maintenance and operation of the sonar gear determines the ship's success in conducting anti-submarine warfare. The Engieering Department has two divisions: E Division-or Engineering Division-and R Division, the R standing for repair. The prime duty of E Division is the maintenance and operation of the ship's four boilers and two tire rooms. R Division is a small but highly specialized group which includes such rates as machinist's mates, Electricians mates, pipe-titters, metal smiths, damage controlmen, machinery repairmen and many others. The Operations Department also has two divisions: O Division and C Division. O Division, the smallest on the ship, is made up of men who operate and maintain the radar gear. The radarmen operate the gear, the electronic technicians repair and service it. The Communications Division, or C Division, is concerned with all types of communication concerning the ship, whether it is transmitted or received by word, flags, flashing light or letter. Found in C Division are radiomen, quartermasters and yeomen. The Supply Department and S Division is the same animal. Regardless of whether you are after a haircut, your laundry, your pay check, supper, a camera in the ship's store or wish to submit a reguistion for a spare part, you come in contact with S Division. lt's iob is both to serve the personal needs of ship's company, and serve the material needs of the ship itself. This is a brief and necessarily incomplete description of each division's duties. The next few pages will give you a glimpse of the men in their respective divisions.