WEAPONS DEPARTMENT

The primary purpose of a destroyer is to function as a floating weapons platform, ready and able to destroy enemy targets in the air, on land, on or under the sea. The Weapons Department, under the leadership of LT Jordan and LTJG Reeder, is in charge of a variety of weapons with which Gurke is equipped to carry out her mission.

Gurke's primary weapons and the ones most obvious to the casual observer are her guns. Each of the two gun mounts has two guns which fire a five inch diameter projectile up to nine miles with almost pinpoint accuracy. Each gun can fire the fifty pound projectiles at a rate of 15 rounds per minute and has the capability of firing at aircraft as well as targets on land or sea. One of the primary advantages of Gurke's guns is their reliability. The "gun gang", led by GMG1 Blunt and GMG2 Spedalieri and Mencel maintain not only the five inch guns, but all their associated magazines and handling rooms, plus all small arms, such as the 30 caliber M1 rifles used for security.

Directly associated with the five inch guns is the ship's fire control system. The purpose of the fire control system essentially is to aim the guns. This "aiming" is done primarily with the director, a large armored "box" on top of the ship which is equipped with telescopic sights, an optical range finder, and a radar antenna. A moving target can be "tracked" visually using the telescopes and the range finder or it can be tracked by radar. Once the radar is "locked on" a target it will remain on the target automatically, sending all target information into the fire control computer in the plotting room. The computer then sends orders to the guns which are aimed automatically at the target. FTGG Bruckler, assisted by FTG2 Berger and Stillings, supervises all the Fire Control Technicians in keeping all the complex fire control equipment in a constant high state of readiness.

Anti-Submarine Warfare has high priority throughout today's navy. The primary means of destroying enemy submarines is with modern, sophisticated torpedoes, which have come a long way since the old, steam-powered torpedoes popularized in World War II. Today's torpedoes are battery powered and can be programmed to dive to a given depth where they carry out a variety of search plans in hunting down the submarine. The longer range and bigger explosive payload make them an efficient antisubmarine weapon. Gurke has several means of delivering torpedoes into the vicinity of an enemy submarine: First, we have three torpedo tubes on either side of the ship which propel the torpedoes away from the ship by means of compressed air.

The torpedoes and tubes are kept at the ready by the Gurke torpedoemen, led by TM3 Kirk. The second means of delivering the torpedoes is by means of the Drone Anti Submarine Helicopter (DASH). DASH is a small but powerful helicopter that is flown by remote control several miles away from the ship, where it can drop two torpedoes directly on top of a submarine's position. ADR3 Allen and EN3 Brady are two members of the Gurke DASH crew, one of the best in the fleet. Third, and one of our most important and powerful weapons, is the Anti Submarine Rocket (ASROC). ASROC consists of a rocket booster coupled to a torpedo. The rocket boosts the torpedo several miles away from the ship almost instantaneously, whereupon the two components separate, enter the water, and the torpedo seeks out the submarine. GMG1 Capps is in charge of the crack ASROC team consisting of conscientious men such as GMG2 Carvin and GMG3 Pyles, who keep the ASROC system in top notch condition at all times.

Sonar is the basis of all the anti-submarine weapons systems. Without sonar to find and pinpoint an enemy submarine, all anti-submarine weapons would be useless. Working on the principle of detecting echoes of sound waves as they bounce off underwater targets, sonar is a highly complex piece of equipment. The sound technical knowledge and skills of the sonarmen, led by STG2 McDannald and STG2 Neaves, have kept the sonar in top operating condition throughout the deployment. ENS Schlichtig is charged with the operation of the Anti-Submarine Warfare men and equipment.

The deck division is also an integral part of the Weapons Department and is responsible for a variety of equipment. Essentially the entire outside of the ship is maintained by the deck force. With long periods at sea they carry on a constant battle against the navy's greatest enemy: rust. Under the leadership of BM1 Hewitt, the men of WD Division also maintain the ship's ground tackle, including the anchors, chains, windlass, mooring lines, and so forth.

BM3 Stadler, Fischer, and Martinez, and SN Nelson do an outstanding job of staying on top of the variety of tasks to be performed by all the deck force, while SN Poot and the boat crew keep the ship's boat shining and ready for duty. All of this activity is under the watchful eyes of ENS Kanive and ENS Bradley.