EVACUATION OF CIVILIANS

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: ^{List the} responsibilities of various shipboard officers when civilians are evacuated. Describe the general plans, embarkation-debarkation, and processing of evacuees. Determine messing and berthing requirements and state the general quarters and emergency stations for evacuees.

The XO is responsible for establishing an evacuation bill aboard ship, assigning responsibilities, and issuing general plans for evacuating civilian personnel from unfriendly shores or disaster areas. Situations will differ in regard to the number and sex of passengers embarked and the length of time on board. Detailed plans should be formulated after assignment to a specific evacuation mission.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsibilities for planning and executing an evacuation mission are as follows:

The XO will organize, direct, and supervise the operation, assisted by the executive staff and other personnel as required

The Operations Officer is responsible for the following:

l Organizing and directing ship-to-shore movements and embarkation and debarkation

l Organizing and directing a beach guard to supervise and control the loading and dispatching of boats ashore

. Directing such officers and enlisted personnel as the XO may request to process and control evacuees

The Supply Officer is responsible for the following: 

l Organizing, directing, and supervising the messing of evacuees

. Issuing of clothing and supplies to evacuees as the XO may direct

The Wardroom Mess Officer/Caterer is responsible for assigning staterooms and head facilities to evacuees as required

The Medical Officer is responsible for organizing and directing the necessary medical facilities for the health of evacuees and the care and treatment of the sick and injured.

The Administrative Assistant is responsible for the following:

l Supervising a census of evacuees

l Issuing such orders and instructions to evacuees as the XO may direct

l Supervising the assignment of berthing and head facilities to evacuees as required

The Weapons Officer or combat systems officer is responsible for the organization and direction of such sentry details as the XO may direct.

The CMAA is responsible for directing the MA force in such policing duties as the XO may direct.

The First Lieutenant is responsible for providing all unassigned life jackets for issuance to evacuees as the administrative assistant may request.

GENERAL PLANS

Transportation of civilians in excess of available facilities will constitute a problem in berthing and messing. Evacuees should be berthed and subsisted as personnel of embarked units or passengers according to the provisions of the evacuation bill and other directives issued by the XO.

EMBARKATION-DEBARKATION

All available ship's boats and any other available boats in the vicinity should be used for the ship-to-shore movement. Loading and dispatching from the beach should be under the direction of the beach guard officer.

Boating at the ship should be controlled by the OOD and any assigned officer assistants.

Helicopter/fixed-wing aircraft attached to a ship should be loaded and dispatched from the beach under the direction of the beach guard officer. Landing and dispatching of aircraft at the ship should be controlled by the Air Officer as scheduled by the Operations Officer.

No baggage or household effects of evacuees should be loaded except that which can be readily carried by the owner.

All accommodation ladders should be rigged when embarking/debarking by boat. Cargo nets and Jacob's ladders may be used to embark evacuees if necessary.

ORGANIZATION AND PROCESSING OF EVACUEES

As evacuees are embarked, sentries should direct them to specified areas for census and berthing assignments under the direction of the Personnel Officer and the Wardroom Mess Officer/Caterer.

Men and women evacuees should be divided into separate groups. The groups should be further divided into units of 10 persons for administration and processing.

Officers assigned by the Operations Officer and assisted by sentries provided by the Weapons Officer should direct and supervise evacuees under the direction of the XO or the Administrative Assistant acting for the XO.

The administrative assistant should record data for each evacuee on an Evacuee Census Card (fig. 14-3) before to berthing, messing, and assigning emergency stations.

Evacuees should be examined by a doctor or corpsman to determine the general state of their health and to detect injuries or diseases requiring treatment.

Injuries or apparent diseases should be noted on their census card. On the advice of the Medical Officer, one compartment should be designated as a sick bay for evacuees.

The First Lieutenant should make life jackets available for issuance to each evacuee when registered. If the supply of life jackets is inadequate, women and children should be given preference. Life jackets should be in each person's immediate possession at all times.

Evacuees should wear a name tag at all times while aboard. The tag should bear the evacuee's name, berthing space, and unit number. The Supply Officer should make sure that an adequate supply of tags is on board and delivered to the Administrative Assistant, upon request, when the provisions of the evacuation bill are placed into effect.

The XO should select unit leaders from among the several evacuees. These unit leaders should be spokespersons, and all directions and orders to evacuees are made through them. Brassards should identify the unit leaders. If practical, unit leaders should speak a common language.

MESSING

Evacuees should be subsisted on separate messdecks at regular hours; however, if there is overcrowding, the supply officer should organize and direct an "around the clock" feeding system, to make sure the evacuees are adequately fed.

The unit leaders should detail certain evacuees to mess duties. The number so detailed and their assignment to duties should be determined by the Supply Officer with the concurrence of the XO.

BERTHING

If it becomes necessary to displace ship's company personnel from assigned living spaces in order to berth

Figure 14-3.-Evacuee census card (sample format).

evacuees, they should, as far as practical, be doubled up with personnel attached to their respective departments. Rotation of bunks by watches may be used to provide sufficient berthing spaces for enlisted personnel, as well as evacuees.

Where possible, evacuees should be located in one section of the ship to facilitate handling and control. Evacuees assigned to a particular unit should be berthed in the same compartment.