Weapons Elevator Maintenance and Safety

The weapons department is responsible for maintaining all weapons elevators aboard aircraft carriers. As an AO, you will perform preventive maintenance and repair elevator systems. The IWHS elevators are located close to the 5,500-pound elevators. Consequently, the same personnel are required to operate, maintain, and troubleshoot both types of elevators, even though they differ significantly in design and level of sophistication.

Although the primary responsibility of elevator maintenance rests with the AO, some maintenance procedures require the assistance of personnel within other ratings, such as Machinist Mate (MM) and Electricians Mate (EM). When this requirement exists, it is noted on the PMS card.

All electrical power requirements for the weapons handling system come from the ship's service 440-volt, three-phase, 60-hertz power supplied throughout the system. Ship's service power is converted to other ac and dc voltages by either the controllers or control panels to meet system equipment requirements.

For the safety of maintenance personnel, the tag-out and tag-in system has been established The steps within this system are standardized throughout the Navy. You should comply with your ship's tag-out procedures to ensure safety.

Ship's service sound-powered telephones are located at each operator control station. They are used to supplement weapons handling system control indicators and coordinate operations between various deck levels. An elevator must not be dispatched from one deck to another until communications between the sending operator and receiving operator have been established.

In addition to OJT, most commands require that all personnel operating elevators possess a valid operators license. The license should reflect the type(s) of elevator(s) the individual is authorized to operate. For example, an operator may be authorized to operate all elevator systems at any control station, or an individual

Figure 11-18.-Typical upper-stage, wire-rope, weapons elevator.

wire-rope elevators. The following discussion describes the difference between upper- and lower-stage, wire-rope elevators.

The elevator trunk enclosure extends from the 3rd deck to the underside of the flight deck. Power-operated ballistic hatches in the main deck, 02 level, and flight deck allow passage of the elevator platform, and they maintain ballistic integrity within the trunk. There are power-operated doors in the trunk for elevator loading and unloading.

So the elevator platform can be raised flush with the flight deck, the wire-rope attachment points are on extensions of the platform structure, placing them below the main hoisting sheaves. An arrangement of hoisting and idler sheaves in the upper end of the elevator trunk with less training may only be authorized to operate the 5,500-pound elevator systems at any station except the 2d deck main control station.

WEAPONS MOVEMENT

The movement of ammunition consists of routine operations such as intramagazine movement (fig. 11-19) and movement of weapons and components in support _{of flight operations.} It may also consist of major evolutions, such as ship rearmament or major loading and off-loading operations. Regardless of the size of the operation, anytime weapons or explosives are removed from their proper stowage environment, the opportunity for the occurrence of an ordnance mishap is much greater. Therefore, one of the most important factors of any ordnance evolution is preplanning. Additionally, a safety-first attitude must be paramount.

Weapons Movement in Support of Flight Operations

To enable squadron personnel to meet the short turnaround time of the flight schedule requirements, weapons must be preassembled and located in staging areas on the hangar deck with sufficient lead time.

The area of the hangar deck that is to be used as a weapons staging area must be coordinated with the hangar-deck control officer. The weapons can't interfere with the movement of aircraft or obstruct fire lanes, but they must be positioned so they are protected by the hangar-bay sprinkler system. This area should be located as close as possible to the aircraft elevator doors to provide a means for jettisoning the weapons overboard in the event of an emergency. Anytime live ordnance is staged on the hangar deck, a security watch must be posted to restrict the area to authorized personnel only and to initiate movement of the weapons in case of an emergency.

The weapons staging area on the flight deck is located outboard of the island structure and inboard of the catwalk or deck edge for aircraft carriers and behind the island on LHA and LND amphibious class ships. This area is commonly called the "bomb farm." Anytime live ordnance is present, this area is manned by the bomb-farm watch. Bomb-farm watch personnel maintain direct communication with the aviation ordnance control station (AOCS). In addition to security of the ordnance, the bomb-farm watch issues ordnance to squadron personnel according to the ship's ordnance load plan.

The bomb-farm staging area also incorporates an emergency jettison ramp. The emergency jettison ramp, when in the rigged position (down), forms a ramp from the flight deck edge to an opening in the outboard bulkhead of the catwalk. This provides a path for jettisoning weapons overboard during an emergency. Additionally, jettison ramps are located fore and aft on the port and starboard sides of the flight deck so weapons can be jettisoned by aircraft loading crews during an emergency. Be careful when the emergency jettison ramps are rigged; they bypass the catwalk and safety net. When the ramps are in the stowed (raised) position, they form part of the catwalk structure.

The bomb farm is routinely replenished with weapons from the hangar deck staging area between the launch and recovery of aircraft. The weapons are transported from the hangar deck to the flight deck by the upper-stage weapons elevators or deck-edge aircraft elevators.