ships so equipped. This alarm is sounded when there hasbeen a CBR attack on or in the vicinity of the ship. Allhands must exercise protective measures andprocedures to reduce exposure and personnel injuries.General AlarmThe general alarm signal is sounded by the OOD tonotify the crew of a battle condition (GQ). Immediatelyafter the alarm is sounded, some ships pass the word,“General quarters, general quarters, all hands man theirbattle stations.” All hands report to preassigned stationsfollowing the correct GQ traffic routes and set materialcondition ZEBRA.Flight Crash AlarmThe flight crash alarm is sounded by the OOD orPreFly to notify ship’s company of a pending or actualflight deck emergency.MESSENGERSMessengers are used to deliver written messagesbetween repair lockers and DCC as a matter of record. Ifall methods of communications have failed, messengersare used to relay orders and information. Messengersdeliver messages between repair lockers and DCC,between DCC and the bridge, or between otherlocations. Messengers should be familiar with the shipto get from one place to the other without delay.Messengers must be able to deliver oral messageswithout error.REVIEW 3 QUESTIONSQ1. The X40J circuit is commonly referred to aswhat kind of line?Q2. List the names of the alarms that can override themicrophone control of the 1MC.a.b.c.d.Q3. When all communications systems fail, how aremessages and orders relayed between repairlockers and DCC?SHIP’S INTEGRITY THROUGHSUBDIVISIONLearning Objective: When you finish this chapter, youwill be able to—Identify material conditions of readiness andrecognize their purpose.Naval ships are subdivided into many smallwatertight rooms or as we say watertight compartments.This breaking up process of a very large area is calledthe “compartmentation process.” It limits the spread oftoxic or noxious gases, fire and flooding, and otherbattle damage when it occurs. This system whencombined with material conditions of readiness(discussed below) increases a ship’s ability to survive.Each space or compartment on a ship is accessedthrough a door to a new space or passageway connectingother spaces on the same deck or to the weather deckarea (outside). The space may have a hatch or scuttlethat allows transit from one deck to another via a ladder.In some spaces you may have many doors, hatches, andscuttles. These accesses are either watertight, airtight,fumetight, oiltight, or nontight by design.Piping and ventilation systems work on the sameconcept as compartment access fittings. They havevalves at strategic points that will isolate sections of asystem, limiting the spread of damage to smaller areas.Because of all the fittings and closures that are on a ship,you might be asking yourself the question, “How will Iknow which ones to close or leave open and when to doit?” Those answers are covered in the paragraphs tofollow.12-10Student Notes:
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