The custodian should develop an effective locator system so that specific items of stock may be located without delay. Storeroom areas, units of shelving, bins, or other easily identified and defined sectors should be assigned numerical or alphabetical designators indicating the fore-and- aft and athwartship location of sectors within the storeroom. The location of each item or box of repair parts should be recorded on the applicable Afloat  Locator/Inventory  Record. Material needed in a hurry (even if not needed frequently) should always be immediately accessible. In actual emergencies, accessibility of vital material has enabled a ship to regain full capability almost immediately. Common items that are frequently used should be kept near at hand. The once-a-month item, usually not needed in a hurry, should not clutter up bins near the door of a stowage space. Sufficient passageways should be provided in stowage areas so that even the most infrequently used items can be removed with little or no shifting of other material. Stowage spaces should be kept orderly, clean, and in good condition. You should consult the supply officer if special stowage problems arise aboard your ship. CONTROLLED EQUIPAGE Controlled equipage are specific items that require special management control because their use is essential for the protection of life; for example, lifeboats, first-aid boxes, firearms, binoculars, or items that are pilferable and easily converted to personal use. A  list  of  items  designated  as  controlled equipage is contained in various supply procedural publications. Items designated as controlled equipage are carried on board in allowance quantity  only.  They  are  generally  under  the custodial responsibility of the department head. When you are a work center supervisor, controlled equipage may be subcustodied by your department head to you. You will then be responsible  for  maintaining  that  piece  of equipage, accounting for it, and inventorying it as necessary. Designation of Items to be Managed as Controlled Equipage The Controlled Equipage Item List (CEIL) is an item listing that fleet commanders developed jointly for special inventory control; that is, a list of items that are essential for the protection of life or that are relatively valuable and easily convertible to personal use. Excluded from the CEIL are those equipage items adequately managed through other ship- board programs. The items managed as controlled equipage are categorized and listed as “signature- required  items”  and    “non-signature-required items” in appendix 11 of NAVSUP P-485. Signature-required items require the signature of the responsible department head in the original custody records maintained by the supply depart- ment. These items also require the signature of the actual custodian in the department head’s duplicate  custody  records.  Signature-required items annotated with the # symbol in appendix 11 of NAVSUP P-485 also require that the serial number of each unit be listed in the original and duplicate custody records. Items Designated by the Commanding Officer or Type Commander When  commanding  officers  or  type  com- manders do not consider the CEIL in appendix 11 to be sufficiently inclusive, they may designate additional items as controlled equipage (either as signature-required  or  non-signature-required). They  may  also  change  non-signature-required items listed in appendix 11 to signature-required items when additional control is necessary. A list of items designated and changed by a commanding officer is prepared by the supply officer and approved by the commanding officer. The original of the list is retained by the supply officer, and a copy is provided to each depart- ment head concerned. When items are designated by the type commander, the supply officer retains a copy of the type commander’s directive and pro- vides a copy to each department head concerned. Department Head Records Your department’s basic custody record for controlled  equipage  is  the  duplicate  of  the NAVSUP  Form  306  furnished  by  the  supply officer. Receipts, expenditures, and inventories are posted to the duplicate records as they occur. The supply officer and the custodial department head are jointly responsible for ensuring that the original and duplicate custody records are in agreement. A comparison of the original and duplicate copies is required incident to inventories; however,  a  comparison  of  the  original  and duplicate of an individual record should be made each time a receipt or expenditure entry is posted. 4-17