CHAPTER 1 THE DAMAGE CONTROLMAN RATING

The Damage Controlman rating is a general rating. There are no service ratings.

As you study the requirements for advancement to DC3 and DC2, you will notice that the rating covers a wide variety of subject matter. As a Damage Controlman you will perform organizational and intermediate level maintenance and repair of damage control equipment and systems; plan, supervise and perform tasks necessary for damage control, ship stability, preservation of watertight integrity, firefighting, and chemical biological and radiological (CBR) warfare defense; instruct and coordinate damage control parties; instruct personnel in the techniques of damage control and CBR defense; supervise and perform tasks in procurement and issuance of supplies and repair parts; and prepare records and reports.

As you advance to DC3 and then to DC2, you will find that you have increasing responsibilities for military and technical leadership. Your responsibilities for military leadership are about the same as those of petty officers at the same level in other ratings; every petty officer must be a military leader as well as a technical specialist. Your responsibilities for technical leadership are special to your own rating and are directly related to the nature of your work.

Your ability to lead other men is particularly important, In casualty situations, damage control can become an all hands evolution, with damage controlmen holding key positions in the damage control organization. In order to coordinate the efforts of many men for the successful control of damage, you must possess qualities of leadership as well as skills and knowledge in the field of damage control. Organization and teamwork are the keys to successful damage control. Strong leadership is required to keep the organization functioning and to ensure effective teamwork needed to meet the following goals:

1. Preserve or reestablish watertight integrity, stability, maneuverability, and offensive power

2. Control list and trim

3. Repair material and equipment

4. Limit the spread of, and provide protection from, fire

5. Limit the spread of, remove the contamination by, and provide adequate protection against, chemical and biological agents or noxious gases and nuclear radiation

6. Care for wounded personnel

Shipboard damage control will work toward these three basic objectives:

1. Take all practicable preliminary measures to prevent damage

2. Minimize and localize damage as it occurs

3. Accomplish emergency repairs as quickly as possible, restore equipment to operation, and care for injured personnel

The damage control organization has the same objectives whether the country is at peace or at war. The ship's ability to perform its mission will depend upon the effectiveness of its damage control organization.

To attain these objectives, we need to accomplish the following actions:

1. Preserve stability and fume-tight and watertight integrity (buoyancy).

2. Maintain the operational capabilities of vital systems.

3. Prevent, isolate, combat, extinguish, and remove the effects of fire and explosion.

4. Detect, confine, and remove the effects of chemical, biological, or radiological contamination.

5. Prevent personnel casualties and administer first aid to the injured.

6. Make rapid repairs to correct structural and equipment damage.

Damage control includes the following areas of responsibility:

1. The functional combination of all equipment, material, devices, and techniques that prevent and minimize damage and restore damaged equipment and structures. This damage can occur in wartime or peacetime.

2. The passive defense against conventional, nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare.

3. All active defense measures short of those designed to prevent successful delivery of an enemy attack by military means or sabotage.

In the rest of this chapter, we will discuss the damage control responsibilities of various individuals, DC training, DC personnel qualification standards, and sources of information.