STOWAGE OF SHIP'S STORE STOCK
Stow ship's store stock so the storeroom space is used to its capacity and at the same time take precautions to prevent damage and deterioration to stock. To use space properly, you should outline the planned use of the space. Stowage plans should be flexible to provide for changing conditions and requirements. For instance, if your ship is located in the shipyard for an extended overhaul, your requirements for stock will be greatly reduced and your plans for stowing stock will decrease. However, if your ship is planning an extended deployment overseas, you will require many stock items and need to do some preplan-ning before deployment. Preplanning for stowage of stock for deployment will normally occur 4 to 6 months before the actual departure date. The NAVRESSO fleet assistance team located near your ship is available to assist you in preparing stowage plans, but a request for assistance needs to be submitted at least 120 days before deployment. If your ship is underway or located in an area where technical assistance is not available, the individual ship will have to plan the stowage of stock on its own. Factors that will help you in deciding where to stow stock will be the storeroom's size, location, and characteristics. The characteristics include your stowage facilities such as bins, racks, deck gratings, and so forth. The purpose of these stowage facilities within the storeroom is to help you in choosing locations to fit the requirements for the material you are stow-ing and to prevent the waste of stowage space.

FUNDAMENTALS OF GOOD STOWAGE

When we discuss the proper stowage of stock it is a lot easier said than done. This is so true when we refer to the stowage of ship's store stock because it is so difficult to properly stow so many different items. The fundamentals of good stowage are those techniques, procedures, and precautions used to properly stow stock. These fundamentals will not only help you in using your space to the fullest extent, but they will help you in preventing damage or deterioration to ship's store stock. There are some specific items of ship's store stock that require special stowage instructions in addition to these good funda-mentals. The general requirements needed to obtain good stowage include the markings of stock, accessibility of stock, arrangement of stock, storeroom maintenance, issue and rotation of stock, proper ventilation and humidity control, and storeroom security. The bulk storeroom custodian needs to know and follow the fundamentals listed previously

Figure 3-5.

when stowing ship's store stock. Some of these fundamental; are required and some are effective methods that have been used before in stowage operations. Although they have proven to be effective, knowledge and experience in using these fundamentals afford the custodian of the bulk storeroom the skills required to stow stock properly.

SAFETY
Safety cannot be overemphasized in any phase of the ship's store operation and especially in storeroom stowage. The safety precautions for storeroom stowage are contained in the Navy Safety Precautions for Forces Afloat, OPNAV-INST 5100.19, chapter 2, "Storeroom Stowage." As the bulk storeroom custodian, you should be familiar with these safety precautions and make sure they are carried out in the bulk storeroom. The ship's store officer is responsible for preparing appropriate safety precautions for the bulk storeroom. These safety precautions should be posted inside the bulk storeroom in plain view.