Page 149 - NAVAL SCIENCE 3 TEXTBOOK

SHIP IIO,\RD ORGANIZATION ANO WATCHSTANDING 155

departmental equipment, as well as the cleanliness and upkeep of visual and electronic communications and all the communica-
spaces assigned. tions equipment. He or she is also responsible for thc routing of
I-leads of departments and their principal assistants are all mcssages in the ship. He or she must be f~1I11iliar with aU tactical
assigned battle stations where they (;111 best supervise their assigned and communications publications. He or she is in charge of com-
personnel in combat. munications watch and signal officers. conducting their training,
and supervising their watchstanding.
The COlllllltlllications ofi1ccr supervises cryptographic
(encoded cOllllllunications) opefi.ltions, and looks after the secll-
rity of crypto publications and equipment.

Combat Systems Officer or First Lieutenant
Most newer navill warships have either a combat systems or a
deck department. Ships mainly concerned with ordnance or air-
craft have a combat systems department headed by i.\ combat sys-
tellls officer. Other ships, such as amphibious and logistics ships,
have a deck department headed by the first lieutelJ(lIlt, who is
assisted by a weapons or gunner}' officer. (Some older ships have a
lI'enpol/S depart/llellt headed by a weapolls officer, instead of a COI11-
bat systems department and officer.)
Aviation units in a ship without an air departmcnt are assigned
to the combat systems department; they make up the aviation divi-
An operations specialist monitors air contacts in the CIC of the sion. These units retain their own basic organization even when so
cruiser USS Lake Champlain (CG 57). (Greg Messier)
assigned. An embarked ivfarine Corps detachment is assigned to
the combat systems or deck department, also.
The combat systems officer is responsible for the operation
Operations Officer and maintenance of the ship's armament and fire-control equip-
ment. He or she must see to the stowage and care of ammunition,
The operatiolls officer collects, evaluates, and disseminates
including the magazines and sprinklcr systems.
combat and operational information wherever needed in the com-
The first lieutenant is in charge of deck e\'olutions and repair
mand. He or she also is responsible tor operations of the ship and
and care of the ship's exterior, and in control of the paint, sail, and
assigned airborne aircraft.
boatswain's lockers. This officer is in charge of lifeboats and rafts,
The operations department is responsible for:
life jackets, and other sur\'i\'al equipment. He or she sees that all
Surface, air, and subsurface search (radar and sonar) gear about the weather decks is properly secured. The first lieu ten-
Electronic warfare (listening to and jamming enemy commu- ant is in charge of all surface underway replenishment opemtions.
nications and electronics equipment)
Aircraft when airborne and under combat or operational COI1- Engineering Officer
trol of the ship
Operation and maintenance of the ship's machinery are
Collection, display, analysis, and dissemination of intelligence
assigned to the engineering department. Damage control and cer-
intormation
tain types of repair ilre also handled by the divisions that make up
Preparing operations plans and training schedules
the department: am;:iliaries, repair, boiler, main propulsion, and
Planning of seamanship evolutions
electrical.
C;athering weather information and informing the command
The ellgineering oDicer. sometimes called the chief ellgilll.'er, is
Ship's cOlllmunications, if there is no communications
the head of the engineering department. He or she. is responsible
department
for the operation, care, and maintenance of all propulsion and aux-
iliary machinef}', electrici.ll-powcr generators, switchboards, and
Communications Officer wiring. Engineering personnel operate the ship's engines, power,
light, telephone, ventihltion, heat, refrigeration, compressed air, and
In 1110st ships the C0111111ll11imtiollS officer is a division officer
wilter systems. The engineering officer is in charge of the stowage,
in the operations department. In some large ships, however, such
care. and use of fuels and lubricants. He or she maintains the engi-
as aircraft carriers and amphibious command ships, he or she is
neering log, engineer's bell book, and other engineering records.
a department head. The communication officer is responsible for