Damage control is coordinated from three different repair lockers. Repair 5 is the main repair locker and is staffed mainly with engineering personnel. It is located in the center of the ship in on the main deck in the heart of engineering. The largest threat to a ship is a main space fire. A main space is classified as either engine room or one of the two auxiliary spaces.

Repair 5 holds everything that is needed to fight one of these fires. Besides a fire flooding in any of these spaces is handled by repair 5. On my ship we had three different lockers, 3, 5, and 7. Carriers have more and they are numbered differently.

Each locker has a group of people who head there as soon as they hear the general quarters gong go off. Each person has their jobs and they all know what to do. My job was #2 plug operator. I had to head to the fire plug, hook up 150 feet of hose, get 6 cans of AFFF, and get on my equipment. All this had to be done in less than 2 minutes. It was actually easy to do after practicing over and over and over again.

The only time we had it easy for a GQ drill was when the #3 generator was used for the fire. Since it was in the aft section of the ship we did not have to run a full fledged drill. We did have to send people for fire watches and to check other areas for smoke.

I have one quick sea story about a GQ drill for you. We were having our major engineering inspection and part of that is a main space fire drill. They called the fire away in MER1, Main Engine Room 1. That is the easiest one to have a fire drill in. So we set up like normal and everything is going along just great. I am asked to fire off my OBA, Oxygen Breathing Apparatus. I do everything right, but one of my tubes is blocked. The inspector looks at me like, “What did you do wrong idiot.” I get that problem corrected. He pats me on the back and says, “Good job petty officer.”

Part of my job was to make sure the hose had water in it, even during a drill. I would be told to send water on 2. I would reply and then open the valve to send water. This time I hear, “Water on 2!” I yell back “Water on 2, Aye!” “Stand by water on 2” “Sending water on 2” Just then I hear our ships inspector yell, “Simulate water on 2”

He never said that before, but he is running the drill, so I pretend to open the valve. Every person knew we never simulated water on 2. But he told me to do it, so I did it. I saw the other inspectors writing like mad. The one who wanted me to fire off my OBA came over to look at my name on my shirt.

So, by following orders from my ships inspector I pretty much failed the entire ship for the inspection. Afterward I was talked to by, the CHENG, XO, CO, DCA, MPA, My chief, my senior chief, and even an Admiral. All about doing what I was told to do by our ships inspector. I told them all the same thing, “PNC Hammond, told me to simulate. I even asked him say again. He repeated it back again.”

I had never seen so many scared people after our drill was over. I almost had to go up to the de-brief afterward and explain my actions. Chief Hammond backed up my story and took the heat for it. It is odd his name sticks in my head about this incident. Needless to say, he never told me to simulate again.