The midland journal., 1915-05-14
IN A NAVAL FIGHT
Vital Work Is Done In the Con-
troll Room Of the Vessel.
THE HEART OF THE WARsHIP.

Coming Tower Is In Touch With
Every Person and Event on Board.
When warship sails into action her
heart pulses and throbs as eager for
the fray as the hearts of any Of her
crew. Yes, warship has a heart
The heart of warship is the control
room, deep down under the deck, stu
ated aft, usually abaft the second
funnel
Even on big lighting ships the heart
is small. Generally it is only ten feet
by six, and is almost noise proof and
eerily quiet 1t is really steel vault,
entered by door not unlike the door
of burglar proof safe.
From floor to ceiling the walls are
lined with dials, wires, gauges, electric
bells. speaking tubes, switches and a
great amount of other apparatus which
keeps the commander in constant touch
with every corner Of the ship. It is
the most wonderful and the most fear
ful room on earth or sea.
It is a fortress within a fortress, a
steel cell within the steel walls of the
fighting engine.
To be in the control room during ac-
tive service is to feel like being in a
vault with the door locked on the out
side. This little compartment, which
visitors seldom see. will keep alive as
long as there is living soul on board
able to hear and answer a call.
It is through the control room that
the commander issues his instructions,
observes and notes how the battle is
going, calls the gun crews from place
to place. directs the engineers, steers
the whole fabric and supervises every
thing. II submarine is seen in any
direction it is through the control room
that it is reported.
A little bell rings, a voice far away
speaks, Submarine on the port bow,
sir, two leagues Off" In an instant
the answer thrills the gun crews:
"'Ware submarine on the port bow;
enemy's craft. Readyw The gunners
have been ready for some time, and
W0CA tAS S4lCA SdAACl udS AaAO Gu6
gun to his satisfaction bang goes a
message the enemy will not forget If it
hits him.
If gun has to cease fire the order
comes through the control room. If
the enemy lands shell on deck or
anywhere in the warship the doctors
are notified that they are wanted at
that spot almost as soon as the men
have fallen. If the gun crew are dead
1t is from the heart of the ship that the
order is given for fresh men to fill
their places.
Though the captain himself is in the
coming tower above. he knows through
the officer in the control room just
what has happened to his ship and the
extent of the damage. and If the cap
tain is killed in the coming tower or
on the bridge the chief officer in the
control room goes up at once to take
his place
There are generally about six men
in this little throbbing heart of the bat
tleship. including operators and junior
officers
The chief officer gives directions to
the torpedo operators, the gunners. the
searchlight manipulators and the off,
GERS in charge of the fighting masts, If
such are part of the ships equipment.
But. besides all this, there are a thou
sand and one things to attend to dur
ing an engagement.
Every order has to be given at an
instant's notice; given distinctly. firm
ly, without the slightest hesitation or
furry. 1t is only in the control room
that one learns what the phrase ''de-
votiOn to duty" really means.
Everything goes with automatic pre-
cision in the heart of a warship, and
as it is the most vital spot on board
special care is taken to preserve it
from harm.
Think of the steady nerves required
Of those men. cooped up in this small
room when the shells are flying around
and the huh is being battered by the
enemy's guns! A wrong signal might
mean disaster. but the organization is
so near perfection that mistakes are
practically unknown.
There is no rest for the officers in
the control room during fight. They
! must stay at the ships heart tele-
graphing and telephoning to every
part of the vessel. without taking mo-
tice Of the wreckage that is being
heaped up on every hand. They know
that when the men In turret No. / or
turret No. 2 cease to reply to their
signals something serious has hap
pened.
They know that even when the con-
ming tower has been smashed by shot
and shell and the bridge has been
swept away they must stick to their
switches so long as there is an officer
alive to direct operations. Not until
the ship is blown up or rammed are
they allowed to leave that little room.
and then they go down with her.-St.
Louis Globe Democrat.
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