CHAPTER 2

DAMAGE CONTROL ORGANIZATION, INFORMATION, AND COMMUNICATIONS

Damage control is vital to all ships in the Navy. If a ship is damaged in battle or by a fire or storm, the damage needs to be corrected. You need to be organized to do that. This organization is accomplished through assigned jobs, training, instructions, use of diagrams, and efficient communications. In this chapter, we will discuss the damage control organization, ship's diagrams and blueprints, and the various means of communications.

DAMAGE CONTROL ORGANIZATION

The ship's damage control organization is the means by which you can reach the damage control objectives. In fact, organization is the key to all successful damage control. The damage control organization establishes standard procedures for handling various types of damage. It also sets up training in those procedures so that every person will know immediately what to do in each emergency situation.

Both preventive and corrective actions are vital. The prevention of damage requires that all departments carry out these actions:

1. Maintain the established material conditions of readiness

2. Train all departmental personnel in all aspects of shipboard damage control

3. Maintain the ship in the best condition possible to resist damage

To achieve these goals, the ship's damage control organization must be coordinated with other elements of the ship's organization. Therefore, each department must assign specific damage control duties to individuals in each division. This includes the designation of a divisional damage control petty officer (DDCPO). The corrective aspect of damage control requires the damage control battle organization to promptly restore the offensive and defensive capabilities of the ship.

The damage control organization consists of two elements: the damage control administrative organization and the damage control battle organization.

ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION

The damage control administrative organization is part of the engineering department organization. However, each department has major administrative and preventive maintenance responsibilities. These responsibilities include the planned maintenance covering damage control equipment, systems, and fixtures within the departmental spaces. Each department head is to ensure that damage control PMS assignments are completed and that discrepancies are documented and corrected.

BATTLE ORGANIZATION

The damage control battle organization includes damage control central (DCC), various repair parties, and battle dressing stations. The organization varies somewhat from one ship to another. The difference will depend upon the size, type, and mission of the ship. However, the following basic principles apply to all damage control battle organizations:

1. Ensure that all personnel within the organization are highly trained in all phases of damage control. They should also be trained in the technical aspects of their ratings to assist in the control of damage.

2. Decentralize the organization into selfsufficient units. These units must have communication with each other. They must be able to take corrective action to control the various types of damage.

3. Have one central station (DCC) receive reports from all damage control units. This station evaluates and initiates those orders necessary for corrective action from a shipwide point of view. This station also reports to, and receives orders from, command control. These reports concern matters that affect the ship's buoyancy, list, trim, stability, watertight integrity, and chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) defense measures.

4. Ensure that damage control units assigned work that is peculiar to a single department are under the direct supervision of one of that department's officers.

5. Provide for relief of personnel engaged in difficult tasks, for battle messing, and for the transition from one condition of readiness to another. Develop procedures to ensure that all relief crews are informed of the overall situation. Continuous and proper action to combat a casualty can therefore be assured.

6. Provide for positive, accurate, and rapid communications between all damage control units. An overall coordination of effort and direction can then be readily accomplished.

7. Provide for a repair party, remotely located from DCC, to assume the functions of DCC in the event that DCC becomes a battle casualty.

The battle station for the damage control assistant (DCA) is in DCC. The primary damage control battle organization units, shown in figure 2-1, are repair parties or teams. Battle dressing stations should be close to the repair parties.

Damage Control Central

Personnel in DCC, under the direction of the DCA, perform the following tasks:

1. Receive and evaluate information from all repair parties.

2. Inform command control of conditions affecting the material condition of the ship, including buoyancy, list, trim, stability, and watertight integrity.

3. Initiate orders to repair parties, as necessary, to direct the control of damage.

4. Keep command control informed of such factors as progress in combating damage, fire, flooding; the effects of CBR attack; and significant personnel casualties. Evaluate the necessity of flooding the magazines that are endangered by fire and recommend corrective action to the commanding officer. Order repair parties to flood the necessary magazines when ordered by the commanding officer.

5. Control watertight integrity, flooding, counterflooding, and dewatering.

6. Maintain the following material as described:

a. Post and label charts and diagrams to show the subdivisions of the ship and its vital piping and electrical systems.

b. Post a casualty board in DC central to visually show the damage sustained by the ship and the corrective action in progress. (A simplified schematic is to be maintained on the bridge for visual reference by command control on the casualty data reported by DCC.)

c. Post a stability board to show the ^{liquid loading,} the location of flooding boundaries, the effect of list and trim caused by flooded compartments, and the corrective action taken with regard to stability. A liquid loading and flooding effects diagram is normally used for this purpose.

d. Prepare a list of access routes for ready shelters, deep shelters, electronic casualty control, and battle dressing stations.

e. Prepare graphic displays to show what action was taken to correct damage control systems and electrical systems.

f. Prepare deck plans to show the areas contaminated by CBR agents; show the locations of, and safe routes to, battle dressing stations and decontamination stations.

g. Prepare a closure log to show the state of closure of the ship.

h. Prepare a CBR contamination prediction plot.