In The Navy (On the Boat), Part 2

I settled on one of the benches while people rushed around getting the “Maneuvering Watch” set. I sat at a booth and watched a few guys of the crew get suited up for a DC (Damage Control) party and they talked with me. I was able to ask a lot of questions, which went over well, considering my situation.

The Boat was only being moved from one pier to another, by Tug Boat and the Boat’s EPU, emergency propulsion unit (a small electric motor driven propeller), so it was no big deal. They always setup for the worst though. If the Boat happened to smash into something and catch fire or start to sink, the DC Party was there and ready to Rock and Roll.

It was strange to be in a floating tin can and feel it move for the first time. It was similar to that little tug you feel at the start of a Roller Coaster ride. The whole thing went OK, until we hit hard into the pier we had to move to. It shook the whole Boat and I heard shouts filtering down from the Control Room.

I found out later that the Tug had pushed a little too hard, but nothing was broken because of it. While we moved I imagined in my mind how it was all going, as if I was watching from the pier. I was feeling the slight changes in direction and speed and tried to judge what was happening.

It took well over an hour.

After we tied up at the new pier, the Maneuvering Watch was “secured”, which means you are done with it. I stayed put on the Mess Deck and just waited, taking in the flurry of activity around me. Eventually someone came down to get me and we went back up to the Control Room.

I had my first chance to take in the place that would be my main station while I was on the Boat. The FT gear was on the Starboard (right) side of the Control Room and took up the whole wall. There were the very familiar Mk-75 Attack Directors and the Mk-81 Attack Control Consoles. The Weapons Launch Console and the test equipment was all there too. Benches were hooked into the floor in front of each piece of equipment. These could be unlatched at the base and slid forward or back a bit, basically like your car’s seats.

Dyke took me on a quick tour of the front of the Boat, we went to the Sonar shack first. I got to meet the guys there and they seemed indifferent to me. I found out later, that there is a major rivalry between Sonar and FT guys. Even though we depend on each other, both (like testosterone fueled idiots) think they are better than the other.

It’s these rivalries that actually motivate almost every part of the military. Sonar over Fire Control, or reverse. Nuke ET over Navigation ET, or reverse. Sub Navy over Surface Navy, or reverse. Navy over Marine, or reverse. It’s what really drives military people to do their best at the job at hand and causes a lot of mischief along the way.

The rivalries were rampant, but when it came to doing the job (especially in an emergency), everyone always dropped that crap and worked together.

I got to see the Torpedo Room and was amazed at how many weapons they squeeze in there. It was my first time seeing a “Live” weapon and was pretty exciting. The smell on the lower decks was new to me. It is caused by the bilges (the lowest part of the boat), which collect any liquid that might be spilled, peed or condensed outside the normal water, hydraulic and waste systems.

It collects there in the bilge and gets pumped overboard with the other waste. It is not a pleasant smell, ever been in a street sewer?