| View Scanned Page View Entry As Text |
Speaking Tube: An intercom between the cockpit and the charthouse.
Cockpit Scupper: Do not sweep dirt down this drain. The deck of the cockpit should be kept clean. Dirt from the cockpit has often clogged this drain.
Compass cover: Made of canvas, the cover serves to protect the compass face and mechanism from the elements during off patrol periods.
Torpedo Director: Can be used as a pelorus for taking relative bearings as well as for its primary use. It should be stowed below when not on patrol.
Torpedo Tools: Keep those tools in plain view and within reach of the torpedoes. Everyone should know how to stop a HOT RUN. Get your instructions. If a hot run cannot be stopped, run to the bow of the boat. An unarmed warhead will not explode.
Lockers: For stowage of MP (multi purpose) light, blinker gun, and batteries (dry cells). Other signal devices can be stowed here. Always keep recognition gear ready and in reach.
Armament: Treated in the GQ Drill Section.
Auxiliary Deck Cells: When not in use should be carefully folded and stowed in a dark cool place. Gear should not be piled or stowed on top of them.
When in use, be sure they are not in contact with sharp projections on the deck and protect them from chafing and puncture.
Head: Use it right. Pumps are difficult to get. Be sure the valve is shut after the bowl is flushed or else you will start to ship water. An open head pump underway is like having a hole in your bottom. This space is also a good spot in which to stow canned goods and your spare anchor, as well as spare soap and toilet tissue.
Crew’s Quarters: This will be your home. Take care of it. A well painted deck usually will keep it dry. Don’t forget to look under the lower deck plates. You may be carrying an aquarium around and not know it except that your boat will be slow and loggy. Electrolysis will eat holes in the pipe carrying salt water to the head. Inspect the pipe carefully, especially after your boat has been in commission over 8 months. A small undetected leak will fill your bilges in a short time and wreck vital equipment installed there. Learn the connections and valves. They are few in number and easily understood.
Gunnery Locker: This is a spacious cubby hole located about amidships. The gunners are gradually being forced out, but it still is the ideal place for stowage of gun barrels and other spares, as well as for small arms. It is a dry, clean spot and accommodates much ammunition. It is better to stow gunnery and torpedo tools topside in a watertight 20 mm box. Many boats have added this feature to the fantail of the boat. The tools are more accessible and the bulkheads below decks will be much cleaner. Many gunners think the bulkheads are “pay chits”. Hence, the many fingerprints often found there.