Repeat/Detailed  Investigation Although a compartment has been inspected and is free of fire and flooding, you should not assume it is secure; it must be reinspected. A fire can break out from undetected damage to an electrical circuit or from a hot splinter buried in combustible materials. Flooding may be caused by open or partly open valves, especially if intervening watertight boundaries fail. The initial/ rapid investigation is a preliminary inspection. A detailed investigation is made as soon as possible and in greater detail. This investigation should be thorough; otherwise, the extent of secondary or minor damage could go undetected. Sound all compartments, tanks, and voids adjacent to the original point of damage to determine penetration and flooding. Make detailed investigations of every compartment after every hit, particularly any compartment which lies within 50 feet of the point of impact. (Fifty feet is the nominal distance from the point of impact that damage should spread if the underwater protective system is initially intact.) If any compartment on the perimeter of this 50-foot arc shows the presence of water, extend the investigation beyond the originally estimated levels until an intact water- tight boundary is determined. Investigation for Flooding As a general rule, complete flooding of a compartment or flooding to sea level indicates that a compartment is open to the sea. Flooding to a lesser height may indicate that the puncture is relatively small or that progressive flooding is occurring. Although progressive flooding can be verified by subsequent soundings, the general rule does not always hold true. In more than one case, an unisolated saltwater line leading through a secured compartment has been ruptured and has caused the space to become completely flooded without direct access to the sea. Such a condition is even more dangerous than a penetration of the hull because, in time, the pressure within the compartment could reach 100 pounds or more and cause previously undamaged bulkheads to collapse. Investigation for Structural Damage Investigation for structural damage should cover a considerable area surrounding the immediate scene of damage not only on the same level as the principal casualty but also one level above and below it. You should look for such items as splinter holes, ruptured pipelines, warped or fractured frames or stanchions, cracks, open seams, leaky stuffing tubes, bent shafts, improperly closed fittings, and severed electrical cables. You should note and quickly report any damaged bulkheads that require shoring. Circuit breakers and electrical measuring instruments mounted on switchboards may give information on structural damage. When a circuit breaker trips in battle, it may be an indication of physical shock or of an overload caused by damaged cables or equipment. Hot bearings on motors and hot electrical cables may also be indications of structural damage. Identify and report the circuits or equipment quickly. Investigation for Fires An investigation for fires should not only detect fires but imminent causes of fires. You should look for items such as smoke; warm bulkheads, hatches, or decks; peeling paint and tile; arcing wires; hot/jammed watertight doors and hatches; and loss of lighting. These symptoms normally indicate that a fire is present. In addition you should inspect for spilled or ruptured fuel or flammable liquid tanks and containers; wreckage; loose stores; and broken or damaged electrical controllers, power panels, and switches. These items are potential causes for secondary fires. Reporting Information You should use message blanks to report your findings to the repair party leader. Then the repair party leader will correlate and evaluate the information and pass it to the parent repair party and DCC. Local leaders should evaluate the information and take immediate steps to isolate damaged systems, to attack casualties in the most logical manner, and to provide the correct equip- ment to meet the emergency. DCC will pass essential information to the commanding officer concerning casualties, their extent, their effects on the ship’s remaining buoyancy and stability, and their probable effects. After a casualty occurs, the repair party may appear to spend the first hour investigating damage and too little time localizing the damage or effecting repairs. This is not true; much of the damage is obvious within a few minutes. With a well-indoctrinated damage control organization, only a small number of people are required to 7-9