The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1915-02-04
IN A NAVAL FICH'I|
Vital Work Is Done In the Con-
troll Room Of the Vessel.
THE HEART OF THE WARsHlP,

Through This Steel Cell, Deep Under
the Deck, the Commander In tho
Coming Tower Is In Touch With
Every Person and Event on Board.
When a warship sails into action her
heart pulses and throbs as eager for
the fray as the hearts of any of her
crew. Yes, a 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 fighting 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 a 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
full 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 &C.
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. If 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. Ready" The gunners
have been ready for some time, and
when the chief gunner has "laid" the
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 a 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
it 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 OF
on the bridge the chief officer in the
control room goes up at once to take
his place.
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.
~, without the slightest hesitation OF
furry. 1t is only in the control room
that one learns what the phrase ode.
votion to duty" really means.
Everything goes with automatic pre-
cision in the heart of warship, and
as it is the most vital spot on board
special care is taken to preserve il
from harm.
Think of the steady nerves required
of those men, c0oped up in this small
room when the shells are flying around
and the hull 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 a fight. They
must stay at the ships heart tele,
graphing and telephoning to every
part Of the vessel. without taking no
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.