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245

CHAPTER XXXIII

INVESTIGATING DAMAGE

33-1. Foreword. The type of for fires and to commence fire-fighting

investigation required immediately operations at once, and still other men
after a ship has been hit depends should be detailed to examine
upon many factors including (1) the bulkheads and frames and to make
size and type of munition causing the rapid estimates of their remaining
damage, (2) where it hit, and (3) strength and integrity.
whether it exploded inside or outside
the ship. Any damaged area may be on fire, and
will be almost certain to contain
Certain information as to the extent asphyxiating, toxic or combustible
of a casualty will be available almost gases. The first man to enter the area
immediately. Heavy shock and should therefore be equipped with
whipping of the hull structure may rescue breathing apparatus and be
indicate a major underwater accompanied by a tender. He can make
explosion, although intense vibration a rapid survey of the damage. He must
will not always occur from such be able to give information on damage
casualties on large vessels. A decided which could result in destruction of
or progressive change in trim or list, the ship, such as fire and flooding, and
as indicated by clinometers, will also on casualties that would interfere with
divulge information. limiting and repairing damage, such as
the absence of light and the presence
Additional information will come of smoke, fuel oil, wreckage and loose-
from gunnery and ship-control stores. He should be an intelligent and
stations, and from roving patrols well-trained man, because his report
near the scene of the casualty. Thus, a will have an important bearing on the
turret may report that it is entirely steps that are taken to localize and to
without power, the bridge may overcome the damage.
report that steering control has been
lost, and Repair III may report that 33-3. Casualties may not be
water is seeping through a certain immediately apparent. All damage-
bulkhead. control personnel should understand
that damage is almost invariably more
The foregoing information is extensive than a cursory examination
preliminary and superficial, but would indicate. Consider the following
combined with reports from lookouts example: A projectile or bomb strikes a
and other topside personnel it will vessel at A (see fig. 33-1), and passing
locate the damage and give a general forward and downward, explodes in
picture of its extent. There will, of compartment B. Investigation should
course, be other signs of damage - A cover all spaces along the path of the
minor loss of power, a wisp of smoke, projectile, and include all systems and
excessive warmth of a bulkhead, or structures in every compartment
slight leaking at a seam. All of these immediately adjacent to B, and even to
things must be investigated a depth of two or three compartments
thoroughly. They are symptoms of in all directions. This is to discover
damage conditions, and prompt damage occasioned by shock and
remedial actions may be necessary if splinters, and to establish boundaries
the ship is to survive. around the damaged area.
33-2. Survey of the damage.
Investigations must be thorough, but
they should be conducted with
caution. Ships have been lost, or have
at least suffered unnecessary
flooding merely because
investigating personnel were rash
and thoughtless in carrying out their
duties. Repair parties should
therefore be organized and trained in
the investigation phases of damage
control. On large ships it is
customary to have sub-groups of a
repair party detailed to investigate
specific items. For example,
electrician's mates should look for
damaged electric circuits, especially
those causing sparks. Another group
should be trained and equipped to
look
Consider also the case of a torpedo hit
similar to that diagrammed in figure
33-2. In this case the major damage
forward will be obvious. However, a
large number of less apparent
casualties will be present, and unless
they are discovered and dealt with the
ship may be lost through fire or
progressive flooding. Seams, stuffing
tubes and pipe lines will be opened
over a considerable area, and on
several types of light craft, shell or
deck plating at some distance from the

246

Figure 33-A. Rescue breathing apparatus being employed to investigate

damage in a smoke-filled compartment.

point of immediate damage may be operations immediately. The ship is in

cracked or buckled. Investigation
must therefore be thorough and all-
embracing.
grave danger, and no repair operations
can be begun until the fire is
extinguished. Men should wear rescue
breathing apparatus while fighting
fires in interior spaces.
33-4. Further investigation of
damage. After the original
investigator has made his report,
steps must be taken to localize and to
overcome the obvious damage, and
to investigate for latent casualties.
Repair personnel should provide
themselves with protective
equipment, lighting and ventilating
facilities, and with such tools as are
required.
Generally speaking, the following
steps should be taken:
Electric circuits in the damaged area
should be de-energized, preferably by
pulling switches in a compartment at a
distance from the scene of damage. If
this is not done short circuits may
cause combustible gases to ignite.
Power may be restored as soon as
circuits are repaired or are tested and
found to be intact.
Pipe lines in the damaged area are
certain to be ruptured. Valves may be
destroyed. If the lines are so

If fire is present, the fire-fighting

party should begin

247

Figure 33-1. Example to illustrate the progressive nature of fragment damage

incident to detonation of a bomb.

Figure 33-2. Diagram to illustrate possible buckling of plates incident to a

torpedo hit.

badly damaged that they cannot be to employ spark-producing equipment

repaired at once by using soft patches
or similar methods, the injured
sections must be isolated outside the
damaged area.
The air in a damaged area is certain
to be fouled with smoke, fumes and
gases, many of which will be
in the area to make repairs, fire
extinguishers should be brought to the
scene, and the air should be tested for
explosive vapors and for oxygen
content before repair work is begun.
Tests for poisonous fumes should also
be made, so that personnel will not be
overcome.
injurious to personnel. Furthermore,
a compartment may be so hot that
repair personnel cannot remain in it.
It may therefore be necessary to
provide fresh air through the regular
ventilation system, or by means of
portable blowers, or by bleeding
from the ship's service air lines. Hot
compartments can be cooled by
spraying them through fog nozzles,
and men can be cooled by drenching
their clothing or by playing streams
of water on them from fog nozzles.
Rescue breathing apparatus should be
available, and should be worn if the
need is indicated.
If the compartment is not on fire, and
it is necessary
248
Damage-control headquarters should
sift the information obtained, and
should prepare graphic records of
the damage as reports are received.
This can be done rapidly by marking
the subdivision and access diagrams.
A brief summary of the damage,
containing data regarding remaining
buoyancy and stability, speed
available, reductions in gun power
and probable results of the casualty
should be transmitted to the
Commanding Officer.
33-5. Soundings. The foregoing
remarks apply largely to
investigations made at the scene of
the original damage. If investigations
were no more thorough than those
described above, a host of lesser
injuries would go undetected, and a
ship might be lost. The following
additional steps should therefore be
taken:
If the casualty involves penetrations
of the underwater hull structure, all
compartments, tanks and voids
adjacent to the original point of
damage must be sounded to
determine which of them have been
penetrated and flooded. It would be
well to extend this examination to
every compartment any part of
which lies within fifty feet of the
center of damage, and the
investigation must be continued
beyond the original estimated limits
Investigators should report their
findings to the officers-in-charge of
their respective repair parties, who in
turn should coordinate the
information and pass it along to the
damage control officer. The reports
should be collated in damage-control
station, so that immediate steps can be
taken to isolate damaged systems, to
attack casualties in the most logical
manner, and to provide the right type
of equipment for meeting the
emergency. Portable sound-powered
telephones are invaluable for
maintaining communications between
the scene of a casualty and the repair
station.
area the damage will not be obvious,
and it may not come to notice until an
unnecessary degree of progressive
flooding has occurred. In one case a
secured boiler room was flooded
under these circumstances.
There should be a sounding detail in
each repair party, and all of the
personnel should know where and
how to sound all spaces in their own
and adjacent areas.
Soundings are taken with rods
fastened to lines, or with folding or
rolled metal tapes. When the bob on
the end of the tape reaches the bottom
of the tank, the liquid height is
indicated by oil or water adhering to
the tape. Soundings may be inaccurate
because of foamy oil or rolling of the
ship.
Under the conditions mentioned
above, all fuel-oil tanks on the ship
should be investigated for damage by
taking thief samples of the oil and
testing them for water. Likewise,
potable and feed-water tanks should
be tested for salinity. In some respects
these tests give truer indications of
damage than soundings do, for they
will disclose even minor leakage. It is
vital to the safety of the ship that the
engineering department be aware of
all fuel and water tanks contaminated
by sea water, for otherwise someone
may cut in on a defective tank.
until an intact watertight boundary is Great caution must be exercised in
discovered. removing the plug or cap from the
upper end of a sounding tube, for if the
Complete flooding of a compartment, damaged compartment is open to the
or flooding to sea level, will generally sea and the outside water level is
indicate that the compartment is above the top of the sounding tube,
open to the sea. Flooding to a lesser water and possibly oil will rush out of
height will indicate that the puncture an open tube. Instead of taking off the
is relatively small, and that cap rapidly, back it off slowly. Look and
progressive flooding is in progress. listen. If a rush of air escapes around
This latter estimate can be verified by the threads while the cap is still under
subsequent soundings. On some control, stop. You need no soundings to
vessels, however, the foregoing may tell you that the lower compartment is
not always be true. In one case a non- being flooded; to permit more air to
isolated salt-water line leading escape is to permit more water to enter
through a void was ruptured, and the the damaged space. If a trickle of water
space flooded completely without appears around the threads, you know
having any access to the sea. Such a that the compartment below is
condition is equally dangerous, for in completely flooded. Therefore, in both
time the pressure within the space cases, re-secure the cap and report
may reach fire-main pressure, with your findings.
the result that undamaged bulkheads
will collapse. While investigating damage, never lose
control of a watertight closure. In the
If the underwater explosion is severe, foregoing case, had the cap been
all voids, tanks, and lower completely backed off, the upward
compartments of the ship must be rush of water would have prevented
investigated. Rivets may be torn re-securing the cap in place, which in
loose, plating may be cracked, seams turn would have resulted in flooding of
may be parted, and bulkheads and an upper compartment with possible
shell plating penetrated at great serious consequences
distance from the principal point of
damage. Furthermore, internal 33-6. Investigating structural
flooding may spread over a large damage. Structural damage should be
area through improperly maintained investigated by personnel who are
or damaged watertight fittings. capable of assessing the damage and of
planning and executing emergency
Not all of these secondary casualties repairs. Flooding is almost invariably
will be apparent during a hurried the result of structural damage below
investigation. If water is on the the waterline. It is vital to limit that
opposite side of a bulkhead flooding in order
containing cracks or defective
stuffing tubes, the damage may be
readily detected. However, if flooding
has not yet reached that

249

to keep the ship from sinking, and to
remove as much of the flooding
water as possible in order to restore
buoyancy, stability, and a level gun
platform.
Like soundings, investigation of
structural damage must cover a
considerable area surrounding the
immediate scene of damage, not
alone on the same level as the
principal casualty, but likewise above
and below it. The investigators
procedure is to slack away slightly on
the dogs adjacent to the hinges. There
is a slight amount of clearance around
the hinge pins, and as the dogs are
loosened, water, if any is present, will
begin to trickle between the gasket and
the knife edges on that side. Control is
still maintained by means of the hinges
and the opposite dogs. This method
cannot be used with quick-acting doors
and scuttles.
should look for splinter holes,
ruptured pipe lines, warped or
fractured frames and stanchions,
cracks, open seams, leaky stuffing
tubes, bent shafts, improperly closed
fittings, severed electric cables and
the like, and should shore quickly
any damaged bulkheads that give
indication of requiring such support.
Important discoveries should be
reported at once to the officer-in-
charge of the repair party.
Investigation of structural damage by
visual examination presents many
difficulties and dangers. In order to
do a thorough job a man will often
have to open one or more watertight
doors or hatches. It is almost
invariably unwise to open any such
closures below the waterline in the
vicinity of damage, and it should be
done only after the best possible
investigation by means of soundings,
and after obtaining permission from
the damage control officer. One
injudicious move and the ship may
be lost.
No watertight door, hatch, scuttle or
manhole should be opened until it is
known definitely that the
compartment on the other side is
either completely dry, or so little
flooded that opening the closure will
not permit flooding to spread.
Unfortunately, many compartments
are not provided with sounding
tubes. However, this is no bar to
investigation. Tapping on a bulkhead
with a hammer will often disclose the
presence of water on the other side;
indeed, the exact height of water may
be judged by variation in the tones
produced when the bulkhead is
struck at different levels. Men should
occasionally tap various bulkheads
for practice, to train their ears to the
sound of bulkheads around
undamaged areas. The tones will
vary appreciably with the thickness
of the plate.
Another method of examining a
compartment for water is to back off
an air-test cap - slowly, so as not to
lose control of it if air or water
appear.
A dangerous, but sometimes
necessary method of testing a
compartment for flooding is to back
off slowly on some of the dogs which
A compartment containing drain lines
leading to pumps can often be tested
for flooding by putting a suction on the
space. If water is present it will show
in the pump discharge; if the
compartment is dry the check valve, if
one is installed, will rattle. The
investigator should assure himself that
the drain suction line is not ruptured
between the pump and the space
under investigation.
33-7. Spreading of fire. As in the case
of progressive flooding through
damaged or improperly maintained
fittings, fire, gas and smoke may be
spread in a somewhat similar manner.
Open flues such as trunks and
ventilation ducts are potential sources
of trouble. The latter are especially
dangerous, for if they are not properly
secured they will carry fire to other
parts of the ship. It is therefore
necessary to inspect a wide area
around the scene of a fire so that
damage may be localized.
From the foregoing remarks it may
appear that after a casualty occurs the
repair party spends the first hour
investigating damage, and no time at
all in localizing it or in effecting
repairs. This is not true. Much of the
damage is obvious within a few
minutes, and given a well
indoctrinated damage-control
organization only a small number of
men will be required to devote their
entire time to such investigation. The
remainder can begin remedial action.
After a casualty, adjacent repair parties
will collaborate in inspecting the ship,
and personnel on watch in manned
spaces can examine the areas in which
they are stationed.
The first two steps in handling a
casualty are to put out fires and to
control flooding. Without adequate
investigation, no one will know what
types and quantities of materials must
be provided at the scene, which
electric circuits and pipe lines must be
isolated, and which partially flooded
compartments can be made watertight
and pumped dry. Working in a
haphazard manner, without
information or plan, a repair party will
waste valuable time in attempting an
impossible repair on one leak while six
other compartments flood through the
hold a hatch or a door closed. In one holes which could be stopped in a few
or two cases, personnel have made minutes.
the irretrievable error of first
loosening the dogs on the side of the
door away from the hinges. The
result was that the door bent or flew
open, and another compartment was
needlessly flooded. The correct

250

CHAPTER XXXIV

REPAIRING DAMAGE IN ACTION

34-1. Battle damage. It is very 5. Flooded machinery spaces or other

important to know methods of
repairing damage during and
immediately after action to the end
that a ship may remain in the battle,
or can return to base for extensive
repairs. This discussion is not
concerned with Navy yard or tender
repairs, but with what ship's
personnel can do themselves while
they are still in the battle area.
vital spaces.
6. Warped or sprung doors and
hatches.
7. Weakened or ruptured beams,
supports and other strength members.
8. Ruptured or weakened decks.
9. Wreckage interfering with function.

10. Ruptured or cracked pipe lines.

11. Severed electric cables.

12. Broken or distorted foundations

under machinery.

13. Broken or pierced machinery units.

14. Fire, with its attendant heat, smoke

and other damage.

The purpose of this discussion is to

point out how damage-control repair
equipment can be used to minimize
the effects of the foregoing damage, to
confine it, to restore buoyancy and
stability, and to restore such services
as water in fire mains, electric power
and light, air pressure to guns, and
suction on drainage lines. Many
casualties may be partially nullified
Figure 34-1. The well-equipped when no special tools are at hand,
electrical repairman wears a helmet, merely by using readily available
insulated gloves and boots, and a full materials and common sense.
suit of dungarees. He stands on a
rubber mat. GENERAL

Some of the possibilities involved in 34-2. Protection of repairmen.

battle damage are the following: Provisions should be made to give
repairmen adequate protection by
1. Large holes in the underwater hull. means of proper clothing. Leather
gloves of a gauntlet type are highly
desirable to protect hands, and
2. Small holes and cracks in the
underwater hull.
3. Holes in the hull above water.
4. Punctured, weakened or distorted
bulkheads.
Having accurate reports from the
various inspectors, the damage
control officer can form a good
picture as to the extent of the
damage, and what steps must and
can be taken to localize and to
overcome the casualty. Prompt and
efficient communications are
extremely important.
Naturally, a severe explosion may
cause more damage than the repair
party in that area can handle
expeditiously or even in time to save
the ship. Do not hesitate to ask
damage-control headquarters for
more help.
A severe explosion or even a well-
placed shell may wipe out a large
part of a repair party, and at the
same time cause damage that must
be given immediate attention.
ATTACKING DAMAGE
34-4. Advancing flooding
boundaries. After the flooding
boundary has been established; that hidden cracks or leaky stuffing tubes,
is, after bulkheads and decks inboard or the bulkheads may not be able to
of which the ship is dry
asbestos gloves for handling hot plates.
Steel helmets and anti-flash clothing
must be provided. Electrical repairmen
should be protected by insulating
gloves, boots and mats. It would be
well for them to insulate their tools by
wrapping them with rubber tape or
friction tape. Insulation tubing
removed from scraps of certain kinds
of cable may also be used on some
tools.
34-3. Investigating damage. After the
ship has been hit, investigate damage
thoroughly following the principles
discussed in Chapter XXXIII. Start
putting out fires and controlling
flooding as soon as possible, and send
parties to inspect compartments and to
sound all tanks and voids surrounding
the affected area.
251
and likely to remain dry have been
located, the next problem is to push the
flooding boundary back toward the
original point of damage.
Examine figure 34-2. It represents a
ship that has received underwater
damage. Compartments A, B and C
have been ruptured and they are
completely flooded. There is little or
nothing that can be done about them.
Compartments D and E are only
partially flooded. Their outboard
bulkheads contain small holes-cracks,
loose rivets, broken seams and splinter
holes. Progressive flooding is taking
place. If the holes are not stopped the
ship will take on more water, it will
lose buoyancy, and may develop more
list.
Compartments A, B, C, D and E are the
damaged or flooded area. The
bulkheads and decks restricting that
area from the flooding boundary. If D
and E become completely flooded it
may develop that the flooding
boundary will not hold. There may be
stand the pressure put upon them. In
other words, just because there seems
to be a safe
 Figure 34-2. Diagram to illustrate damage assumed in Article 34-4.

252

flooding boundary one minute is no
sign that there will be one the next
minute. Therefore, it is necessary to
keep on re-inspecting, and to exert
every effort to make the flooding
boundary hold.
The next step is to push the flooding
boundary out toward the point
where the torpedo or bomb
exploded. If the outboard bulkheads
of compartments D and E can be
patched to get the flooding in those
compartments under control the
following effects result:
other part of the ship. Thus a torpedo
explosion forward may corrugate shell
plating at some other point and cause
cracks.
Two factors tend to make the repairing
of underwater holes rather difficult:
water pressure and inaccessibility. Most
men overestimate the difficulties of
water pressure. The inboard pressure
on a hole submerged on one side only
is.444 pounds per square inch for
every foot of depth. A hole seven feet
deep would have a pressure on it of
three pounds per square inch.

1. Safety of the original flooding

boundary is assured.

2. Additional flooding water is kept

out of the ship. 3. Further loss of
buoyancy and stability is prevented.

If the bulkheads are patched so well

that compartments D and E are kept
relatively dry, even more is gained,
namely:

1. A good deal of water is disposed of,

thus reducing list and trim.

2. Free surface is eliminated in

compartments D and E, with
resulting favorable effects upon
stability.
Figure 34-3. An air-line hose mask or
3. A contribution is made to potential
action against the enemy because the
fighting qualities of the damaged ship
are improved.
It is a natural tendency to attack
obvious damage, meanwhile ignoring
hidden damage that may cause loss
of the ship. Men often waste hours
trying to patch large or multiple
holes in compartments that are
already flooded. They overlook the
smaller holes through interior
bulkheads; holes which are causing
progressive flooding and more free
surface. In many cases it would be
far better to plug those interior holes
first.
34-5. Holes in the underwater hull.
Large holes in the underwater hull,
such as those caused by torpedoes or
contact mines or even by some near-
miss bombs cannot be repaired by a
ship in battle. Repairs in dry-dock are
required because large sections of
hull plating are destroyed and
flooding is complete and extensive.
shallow-water diving equipment may
sometimes be necessary to plug holes
under water.
The greatest difficulty in repairing
underwater holes is often accessibility.
If the inboard compartment is flooded,
it may be dangerous to attempt any
repairs, because opening a hatch or a
door may permit flooding of another
compartment. It may also be necessary
to send a man down into a dark space,
wearing an airline hose mask or
shallow-water diving apparatus so that
he may get at a submerged hole (see
fig. 34-3). Furthermore, the work may
be hampered by tangled wreckage,
which may be hidden by darkness or
water, and it is very difficult to
submerge buoyant repair materials.
34-6. Holes in the hull above the
waterline. Holes in the hull at or just
above the waterline may not appear to
be very dangerous but if the ship rolls
in a heavy

Farther inboard from the center of

damage, however, there may be a
bulkhead that has only small holes in
it-cracked plates or seams, warped
hatches, leaky stuffing tubes, or holes
made by blast or by flying debris.
Such leaks may be treated as small
holes in the underwater hull, which
indeed they have now become. By
plugging these holes it is possible to
localize flooding and preserve
buoyancy, and if the water is
removed from the compartments
that have been made tight a step has
been taken toward minimizing the
damage.

Small holes in the underwater hull

often result from near-miss bombs or
from violent explosions in some

253
Figure 34-4. Flooding effect comparison; unplugged holes vs partially plugged holes.
254
sea or loses buoyancy such holes
become submerged and admit water at
a very dangerous level-above the
center of gravity. Such holes should be
plugged at once, giving high priority to
those at the waterline on the low side.
Sheathing which interferes with the
plugging of holes can be removed by
taking out the screws (a slow process),
by cutting the screws with a cold chisel
and a hammer, or with a pneumatic
chisel, or simply by cutting it out with
an axe. The best tool is a pneumatic
shear if one is available and there is
pressure on the air mains. A linoleum
knife is effective on light aluminum
sheathing.
34-7. Flooding effect of holes. Figure
34-4 shows the flooding effect of
unplugged holes and of the same holes
after inserting the very simplest plugs.
The volumes of flooding water are
given in gallons and also in terms of
with the pumps and thus save the ship.
All of these patches-all of the
principles behind them--have been
proved in battle. They have helped to
bring ships and men home safely.
Some of them have even enabled ships
to remain at sea and in battle for
months after the original damage was
incurred.
It may be found that one type of patch
does not seem to work well. Perhaps it
is the wrong type for the particular
leak that must be stopped, or it is not
being employed properly. But do not
be too hasty in condemning it;
somebody else has used it and has
found it effective.
the number of electric submersible
pumps required to handle the
flooding. It should be obvious that
prompt plugging of holes is desirable
to save the ship, to release pumps for
use elsewhere, and to save wear and
tear on those in use. Note that the
pump capacities used are considerably
under the rated capacities, but if the
strainers are clogged with debris the
actual capacities may be much less
than the rated capacities.

34-8. Types of holes. Since many of

Figure 34-5. Combinations of conical
the specific facts about battle damage
and untapered plugs used to stop a
are confidential, they may not be
hole.
included in this volume. For such data
consult Bureau of Ships war damage 34-10. Use of wooden plugs. There are
reports. However, attention is again two general methods of repairing a
directed to the fact that holes resulting hole: put something into it or put
from battle damage may be large or something over it. In either case the
small, and that they vary greatly with effort is to reduce the area through
respect to shape and whether jagged which water can enter the ship, or
edges are turned in or out. Effecting through which it can pass from one
repair is therefore a matter of compartment to another.
adapting skill and knowledge to the
particular needs that may exist. The simplest method of repairing a
fairly small hole is to insert some kind
PLUGGING AND PATCHING HOLES of a plug. Plugs made of soft wood
have been found rather effective
34-9. Temporary repairs. The
under battle conditions, especially in
following suggestions for plugging and
holes not over 3 inches x 3 inches.
patching holes are designed for battle
They also have held up well in much
use. They are temporary repairs;
larger holes.
things that can be done in action to
keep the ship afloat and fighting. In Every ship should have a large
most cases they do not call for assortment of conical, square-ended
elaborate tools or equipment gear that and wedge-shaped wooden plugs at
can be destroyed by the first enemy each repair station. The plugs should
salvo. They involve principles that can not be painted, for unpainted soft
be applied by using either wood absorbs water and holds better.
prefabricated patches or other Plugs should be stowed in canvas bags
available materials that can be used to secured to the overhead.
advantage.
Combinations of conical, square-ended
No temporary patch will be perfectly and wedge-shaped plugs (see fig. 34-5)
watertight, but if the ingress of water may be used to get
can be reduced by only as much as
50%, it may be possible to control
flooding

255

better conformation to the shape of the
hole. It is best to wrap the plugs with
lightweight cloth before inserting. The
cloth will tend to keep the plugs in
place, and also will fill some of the
gaps between plugs. In most cases
wooden plugs will not make
hold better than conical plugs in holes
in plating one-fourth inch or less in
thickness.
Most wooden plugs are inserted from
inside the ship. In such case repairmen
have to contend with metal edges
protruding inward. Plugs driven in
from outside may not encounter so

Figure 34-6. Plug wrapped with cloth been rolled up and shoved into holes
prior to inserting in hole.
Figure 34-7. A rolled mattress used to was then wrapped with strips of
plug a large hole.
a watertight fit, but by calking the
remaining leaky area with rags,
oakum and smaller wedges, the
ingress of water can be greatly
reduced. Square-ended plugs
other end. The layers of cloth were
held together and to the core line by
much interference, but outside plugs
cannot be tended readily and do not
hold well over extended periods of
time. The use of a line secured to the
inboard end of a plug by means of a
screw eye (the line made fast to a
stanchion) helps to overcome this
difficulty. Whether to insert a plug
from inside or outside the ship may
depend upon several factors, such as
access, flooding, or the presence of
wreckage.
34-11. Pillows, mattresses, etc. as
plugs. Pillows and mattresses have
as indicated in figure 34-7.
Occasionally they have been rolled
around a wooden plug or a timber, to
increase their size and to provide
rigidity. Wrapping them in a blanket is
sometimes effective. Such plugs cannot
be relied upon, however, for they have
a tendency to be torn out of the holes
by waves.
A most effective plug was made by a
ship after an enemy shell had torn an
8-inch x 10-inch hole in the side at the
waterline. Unable to make repairs
from inside because of wreckage, the
ship made a built-up conical plug of
cloth. The core was a piece of heavy
line three feet long. An eye was spliced
into each end of this core line, which
blanket until a cone was built up, two
inches in diameter at one end and two
feet in diameter at the
Figure 34-8. A special plug for a large
hole.
256
vertical support when the patch is in
place. Similar eyes may be welded in
stitching and serving. Lines were
secured to the eyes in the core line,
and by means of these lines the plug
was lowered over the side and pulled
into place as shown in figure 34-8.
Such a
place at the forward and after ends as
securing guys.
The patch is lowered over the side by
means of the handling and supporting
line. Someone inside the ship reaches
out through the shell hole, grasps the
center line, and pulls the patch tight
against the ship's side. The center line
is then made fast to a stanchion.

Figure 34-9. One type of prefabricated

leak stopper.

plug has flexibility; it will become

adapted to irregular shapes.
Furthermore, it will absorb water and
swell, which tends to make it more
effective.
Figure 34-10. A plate patch.
34-12. Prefabricated plate patches.
Plate patches (see fig. 34-10) have
One of the most useful prefabricated
proved of great value in this war. One
patches is made of a square piece of
small ship returned from an action
ten pound (quarter inch) steel plate
with eighty-four of them in use.
(see fig. 34-9). On one side is a thick
gasket placed near the edges, 34-13. Improvised patches. Every
consisting of a thick tube of canvas ship carries a large amount of material
stuffed with oakum or cloth. The from which patches can be
gasket can be secured to the plate with improvised: mattresses, pillows,
machine screws, washers, and nuts, blankets, mess tables, planks, floor-
but the holes through the plate must plates, gratings, etc. One destroyer
be reamed so that the screws will not crew made an effective patch by
hold the plate away from the ship. The placing a crew mattress over the shell
gasket can also be held in place with hole outside the ship, backing it with a
retainer strips. mess table, and holding it in place with
two lines rove through two holes
At the center of the inner side weld a
drilled through the patch. The inboard
ring or an eyebolt for securing a line to
ends of the lines were secured to a
hold the patch close to the shell of the
stanchion, and were tightened by
ship. Another method often used is to
using cot sticks to make Spanish
drill a hole through the center of the
windlasses. Fore-and-aft guys also
plate, and to insert a line through the
were provided to keep the patch in
hole, with the outboard end knotted.
place against the action of waves. A
The line used may be either wire or
comparable arrangement is shown in
manila. Wire is stronger and it does
figure 34-11.
not give easily; however, when coated
with fuel oil it is very slippery and Another ship's force made a somewhat
manila is therefore preferable. similar patch, using a floorplate, a
mattress and a manila line. An eyebolt
These plates are made in various sizes
was welded to the plate to secure the
up to five feet square, and in the larger
line.
sizes they are very heavy. Therefore, it
is necessary to weld an eye at the top
center for securing a handling line,
which also gives

257

Repair parties should look about theiraccessibility, but to reduce the danger
areas to learn where they can readily of having the patch knocked away by
find materials from which they can waves. For inside patches many
make patches. experienced persons prefer
innerspring mattresses, largely
Mattresses often are used to make because they hold their shape better
patches over large holes. One such while being placed, and also because
patch has been described. Sometimes, they are thicker and hence
however, it is desirable to place the accommodate themselves better to
patch inside the ship as shown in protruding edges. It would be well to
figure 34-13, not only for use at least one thickness of blanket as
a facing for an innerspring mattress.
Two thicknesses of crew mattresses
generally will be more effective than a
single mattress.

Figure 34-11. An improvised patch

employing a mattress backed by a
mess table.

Figure 34-13. Improvised patch

employing a mattress and placed
inside the ship.

The mattresses should be backed with

Figure 34-12. Lines rigged for tending a satisfactory, but they have given good
large patch over the side.
mess tables, steel plates, or wooden
plates made of cleated planks, and
they must be stoutly shored in place.
Holes or cracks into which a mattress
cannot be pushed may be stuffed with
rags, oakum and wedges. In some
cases these patches have not been
results over many shell holes and in
replacing damaged watertight doors.

Feather pillows do not make effective

patches or gaskets over a long period
of time. When the feathers get wet,
 which is very soon, they tend to collect
in a lump at one end of the ticking
cover, and the patch

258

Figure 34-14. Diagram to show application of a box patch.

Figure 34-15. Types of hookbolts, and their use in applying a patch.

practically collapses. Furthermore, if hole without going outside the ship.

the casing rips, the feathers come out
and clog pump strainers badly. Kapok
life jackets might be more effective in
the long run. Folded blankets can be
used in place of pillows.
34-14. Special types of patches. A
variation of the plate patch is a
circular plate eighteen inches or less in
diameter, cut in two and so hinged that
it may be folded and pushed through a
hole from inside the ship. It is called a
folding plate patch. The plate should be
fitted with a gasket and also a line for
securing it to the ship. A man in a
shallow-water diving outfit can apply
this type of patch over a submerged
The patch, however, is limited to use
over relatively small holes because it
has no vertical support to hold it in
place.
A flexible plate patch has been
suggested for use over curved surfaces
such as the turn of the bilge. The plate
is made of lightweight sheet metal
reinforced with parallel strips of light
angle iron welded in place about six or
eight inches apart. The plate is
provided with four eyes for securing
lines, and it should have some kind of
a soft gasket on the facing surface. It is,
in effect, a rather stiff, metal collision
mat.

259
Figure 34-16. Materials used in assembling a folding T patch.
jagged edges protruding inward is a
steel box (see fig. 34-14) in sizes up to
eighteen inches square and six inches
deep. The box is open at one end and
has a gasket running along the facing
edges. The gasket may be made of
rubber or of canvas stuffed with
oakum.
The box patch is put over a shell hole
from inside the ship and is held in
place with shoring. When the
compartment is pumped dry, the box
may be secured by welding angle clips
between the box and the hull plating,
after which the timbers can be
removed for use elsewhere.
The box, however, cannot be fitted
readily to irregular surfaces, hence
adaptations to special circumstances
sometimes are necessary. One
variation is to stuff the box with
pillows, or to lay pillows over the hole
before applying the box. This has
proved rather successful. Another
possibility is to stuff rags and wedges
into holes between the box and the
rumpled hull. In the absence of ready-
made steel boxes, similar patches can
be made of planks. The advantage of a
wooden box is that its edges can be
A patch highly suitable for use over
holes having
An ordinary galvanized bucket (bucket
patch) can be used in a variety of ways
to stop leaks. It can be pushed into a
hole bottom first to form a metal plug,
or it can be stuffed with rags and put
over a hole like the box patch
previously described. It can be held in
place by means of shores, or by using
one of the hookbolts described below.
A hookbolt is a long bolt having the
head end so shaped that the bolt can
be hooked to plating through which it
has been inserted. The common types
are the T, the J and the L, so called
because they resemble those letters
(see fig. 34-15). The long shanks are
threaded and provided with nuts and
washers. Steel or wooden strongbacks
are used with them; generally the
latter. A hookbolt has no regular head.
The head end of the bolt is inserted
through a hole, and the bolt is rotated
or adjusted until it cannot be pulled
back through the hole. A pad or gasket,
backed by a plank or a strongback, is
then slid over the bolt and the patch is
secured in place by taking up on the
nut. It is generally necessary to use
these bolts in pairs. Hookbolts can be
employed in combination with many
shaped with a hatchet to fit closer to of the patches previously mentioned,
corrugations in plating. and

260

especially the folding plate, the box,
and the bucket patches.
A variation of the hookbolt is the
folding T, as shown in figure 34-16. It
resembles the T hookbolt, but it has a
hinge where the shank joins the cross-
piece, so that it is much like the tumble
toggle bolt. This bolt may be folded and
inserted through a small hole; when
pulled back, the cross-piece catches on
the hull plating.
that the ship actually was in worse
condition than it was before the plate
was installed.
MISCELLANEOUS LEAKS
34-16. Cracks. A fairly common type of
leak is a crack in a steel plate. If the
leak is in a flat surface away from
frames and other interferences, it can

34-15. Welded patches. Many large

holes in decks and bulkheads have
been successfully repaired in battle
areas by welding on steel plates. This
method is not so safe, speedy and
reliable as most uninitiated people
think it to be, and it may be necessary
to employ one of the temporary
patches previously described while
preparations are being made to weld
on steel plates. Moreover, smaller
vessels having only one welding
machine may have that machine
demolished by the first enemy salvo,
and larger vessels may be without
adequate power as a result of a large
explosion.

If a flat steel plate is to be welded over Figure 34-17. One method of installing
a hole all protruding edges must be cut a folding T patch.
away. This cutting is done with an
oxyacetylene torch or a pneumatic
chisel, but neither of those tools can be
used where gasoline or other explosive
vapors are present or there will be a
bad fire or explosion. Before using any
flame or spark-producing repair
equipment always test the air for the
presence of explosive fumes, have a
carbon-dioxide extinguisher at hand,
and lead out a fire hose.

A great deal of work may often be

saved in clearing a hole for repairs if
the patch is applied to the side on
which the projectile entered. Figure 34-18. One type of patch to stop
Therefore, if a bomb penetrates a deck leakage through a crack.
put the patch on the upper side-not on
the lower side. A patch may be applied
to the outside of the hull by lowering a
welder and his gear over the side in a
boatswain's chair, but this would be
very difficult if the ship were making
any speed in a rough sea. For this and
other reasons, early welded patches
generally are confined to those that
can be applied on decks and interior
bulkheads; others are put in place
when the ship has had a chance to
withdraw from the battle area.
A steel plate can be held lightly in
place by tack welding, after which the
welder can go around the plate with a
solid bead, not only to fasten it
securely, but also to stop all the cracks.
If the plate is large, it must be
reinforced with welded stiffeners on
the back and possibly with shoring to
prevent too much motion as the ship
works in a seaway. If this precaution is
not observed the welding may crack.
In one case the patch opened wide and
acted as a scoop, so
261
generally be stopped by scraping the
surface smooth and applying a patch
of sheet packing backed by a board as
shown in figure 34-18. These materials
can be held in place by shoring.
Figure 34-19. Crack under a welded
frame stopped by bracing a timber
over oakum.
ends of the crack, as shown in figure
34-20, and plug the holes. If there is
time, weld a plate over the crack.
It generally is not advisable to drive
wedges into cracks in thin plating, and
especially not hardwood wedges, for
they tend to open the cracks. Marline,
oakum and rags can often be used as
effective calking materials.
34-17. Torn seams. Among the most
difficult holes to plug are torn seams or
loose bounding bars where deck and
bulkhead plates are joined. Rags,
oakum, marline, soft wood wedges,
shingles, lead strips, lead wool, various
plastics and even metal calking have
been used to plug such leaks as
indicated in figure 34-21. These
materials are applied on the unflooded
side, but because the plates work the
cracks open and close continually.
Concrete held in place by a wooden
cofferdam has been used effectively in
stopping several such leaks. It is not
advisable to weld leaky riveted seams
for the intense heat will cause adjacent
rivets to leak.
Doors and hatches are often sprung by
blast, especially if they were not
properly secured. Sometimes the
closure can be made tight with
shoring. If small spaces are open
between the closure and the knife
edge, they can be treated as cracks.
 Armored hatches present a peculiar
problem, especially when the
surrounding decks are warped.
Sometimes the best remedy is to cut
the hinges, after which the hatch will
fall back into its proper place.

Stuffing tubes around electric cables

and reach rods leak all too frequently,
either because they were not properly
packed or because the packing has
hardened with age. Sometimes it will
suffice to tighten up on the packing nut
if it is accessible in a large nest of
Figure 34-20. Holes may be drilled at wires. Marline, oakum and very small
the ends of a crack and plugged to stop wedges have been used effectively. The
extension. best remedy is prevention: see that
they are properly packed, and check
If the crack is adjacent to a frame it with periodic air tests.
may be necessary to use oakum held in
place by the corner of a timber as In some cases leaky shaft glands have
shown in figure 34-19. Advantage been repaired by tightening up on the
should be taken of adjacent framing to nuts. In others, the studs have been
use clamps for securing the stopper. broken and it was necessary to shore
the whole gland back into place,
Upon re-inspecting a crack it may be preferably with welded braces. In one
found that it has increased in length. instance the leak was so bad that the
The plating is being torn like paper. In ship's force made a box patch in two
such case drill 3/4-inch holes at the sections, secured it around the shaft,
extreme and welded it over the gland. In effect,
the ship had a new gland.

Leaky rivets are not easy to repair.

Frequently they are pulled through
plating but remain so close that
wooden plugs cannot be driven home.
Slugs cut from sheet lead have been
used to good advantage, as have lead
wires, marline and red lead.
Sometimes caulking is effective.

262

Figure 34-21. A, stopping a leak under an angle iron; B, if a wedge is to be used

it must be of soft wood so that the joint will not be opened; C, stopping a joint
leak with cement.
 Figure 34-22. Cofferdam to enable opening of door into a partially flooded
compartment.

COFFER DAMS directly supported by frames and

stanchions, or held securely in place
34-18. Cofferdams as leak stoppers. A by shores. When constructed it may be
method often employed in stopping partially or completely flooded. If it
large holes involves the use of were possible to build a cofferdam
cofferdams (see figs. 34-22 and 34-23). thoroughly watertight, as in the case of
A cofferdam in this case, is a large wall welding plates together and to the ship
or fence built around the damaged no further steps would be necessary.
area. The steel box previously
described is really a prefabricated However, conditions seldom permit
cofferdam of limited size. For use construction of a watertight box. A
during and immediately after a battle, strong retaining wall should therefore
cofferdams are installed inside the be built around the hole and the box
ship. Outside cofferdams often are left open at the top. Mattresses,
used in salvage operations. pillows, bales of waste, clothing and
similar items are dropped into the box
A cofferdam may be built up of steel until it is full. Since most of these
plates or heavy planks (preferably materials will float it is
tongue-and-groove), either

263

necessary to weight them to get them
down to the bottom of the cofferdam.
When the box is full, keep the stuffing
materials down by means of iron bars
or shores. A cover may be put on the
top, if desired. This arrangement is
more reliable than shoring, although
the whole structure should be
strengthened by shores all around. The
fibrous stuffing materials will act as
calking agents to exclude water.
Cofferdams may be built to cover holes
in either vertical or horizontal plating.
It is possible that the hole will be so
large that even mattresses or bales of
rags would fall out through the side of
the ship. This can be prevented by
level, it will be possible to open the
scuttle with safety. A man in a shallow-
water diving outfit can then go below
to operate valves or to plug small
leaks.
The same cofferdam could be used if
the upper deck were flooded and it
was necessary to free men who were
trapped in a dry compartment below.
The cofferdam can be extended
upward to higher deck levels if
necessary, and escape scuttles can be
cut with an acetylene torch.
installing a grating of crossed pipes,
timbers or angle irons Over the hole
before attempting to stuff the box. One
repair gang made an effective mat
merely by laying a sheet of expanded
metal over the hole.
Figure 34-23. Top view of cofferdam
shown in figure 34-22.
34-19. Access via cofferdams.
Cofferdams may also be built around
hatches, trunks and doors when it is
necessary to go from a dry
compartment to a flooded
compartment (see fig. 34-24), or vice
versa. Above all do not permit the
flooding to spread.
Suppose, for example, that it is desired
to enter a lower compartment which is
open to the sea and completely
flooded. The outside water level is two
feet above the deck which bounds the
top of the compartment. Obviously, if a
hatch or scuttle is opened, the upper
compartment will be flooded.
However, if a tight cofferdam is built
around the hatch and extended
upward about two feet above the
outside water
264
Figure 34-24. Cofferdam permitting
access from a dry to a flooded
compartment below.
If steel plate and a welding machine
are available, it is possible to make a
most effective cofferdam. Make sure
that it is securely welded at the
corners and to the deck, and if there is
not time to make a tight weld all
around, caulk the cracks with oakum.
Cross-bracing or shoring is necessary if
the water will be deep in or around the
cofferdam.
For a wooden cofferdam, use planks,
preferably cut tongue-and-groove.
Install cleats across the boards of each
side, and lock the corners securely
with cross nailing or by means of
metal strips. Press the cofferdam down
tightly to the deck with adequate
shores from above, and calk all cracks
and seams with oakum or undershirts.
Provide shoring as necessary to
support the walls against water
pressure. A portable pump suction
may have to be put inside the
cofferdam to remove leakage.
The same principles may be applied to
a cofferdam
 Figure 34-25. One type of soft patch. A, ruptured, pipe; B and C, soft wooden
plug driven in; D, sheet rubber or sheet packing applied (should overlap ends
of hole by two inches); E, bound with marline or wire.

over a watertight door when it is with turnbuckles, may be found useful

desired to go from a flooded in pulling plating and equipment back
compartment to a dry one, or vice to their original positions. Supports
versa. The cofferdam must be high under dislocated machinery and guns
enough to extend well above the often must be carried down several
outside water level, and also large decks, because a single deck may not
enough to permit opening of the door. have the strength to support all of the
weight. It may be necessary to install
It cannot be too strongly emphasized successive supports clear down to the
that when using a cofferdam as a bottom frames. In shoring heavy
means of access between flooded. and weights, put the butt of the shore on a
non-flooded areas, the cofferdam must solid frame, or spread the weight
be strongly built and firmly secured. In between two or three frames by means
such cases one is almost invariably of sholes and cross-timbers.
gambling with the safety of the ship:
there is much to be gained if the plan Some strength can be restored to
succeeds, and possibly a ship to be lost cracked, fractured or weakened
if the cofferdam slips or collapses. supports under machinery by welding
However, cofferdams have proved on side plates.
their worth; they have saved ships and
many lives. PIPE LINES

STRENGTH MEMBERS 34-22. Soft patches. Before

undertaking repairs on any pipe it may
34-20. Damaged strength members. be necessary to remove pressure from
Beams, frames, decks and some the line, and to provide the same
bulkheads are strength members of the service by some other means.
hull structure and if they break or
become weakened the hull may Small holes or cracks in low-pressure
collapse and the ship break in two and (150 pounds) piping often can be
sink. A small vessel ordinarily does not repaired by using what are known as
have the necessary equipment to weld soft patches. One type of soft patch is
on heavy rails or angle irons about the shown in figure 34-25. When possible,
ship to give additional support, but the area of the hole should first be
some help can be afforded by shifting reduced by driving in softwood
weights to reduce the strain, and also wedges. They should not be driven in
by shoring. too far, or they will retard the flow of
fluids. The wedges should be trimmed
Beams and frames can be patched or flush with the outside of the pipe, after
strengthened by bolting or welding which the area should be covered with
doubling plates or bars along the webs. a strap of sheet or rubber packing
The velocity-power stud driver may be tightly held in place by two layers of
useful for this purpose. marline or wire. The packing should
extend about two inches on either side
30-21. Reinforcing supports. Supports of the hole.
for heavy equipment, such as 20 mm.
guns, may be pushed back into place The soft patch can be modified or
with screw jacks and shoring, and improved to suit immediate
later secured with stanchions made of conditions. It often is advisable to have
heavy pipe welded in place. Chainfalls a curved plate of lightweight sheet
and heavy wires, possibly fitted metal between the

265

Figure 34-26. Jubilee pipe patch; three types of clamps and method of
application.

266
Figure 34-27. Method followed in renewing a section of damaged pipe. A, pipe
ends cut off at dotted lines and threaded; B, new section of pipe (threaded)
inserted; C, union and coupling used to join new and old sections.

packing and the binding. A coat of a modification of a commercial hose

white or red lead on the face of the clamp. It consists of a piece of sheet
packing is also useful. Marline and metal which is rolled into a cylinder
oakum have been used successfully as and so shaped at the gap that the two
a calking material in cracks. In many ends are really flanges. These flanges
cases, as on sharp curves, it is not can be reinforced by welding on strips
possible to use sheet packing, but of strap iron, after which the two
combinations of wedges, marline and flanges are drilled to take from three
various plastics will often make to five bolts. It is advisable to weld
effective patches. small braces from the flange to the
back of the patch to keep the flange
The patches described above are not faces more or less parallel under
recommended for high-pressure steam pressure.
lines, but they are satisfactory for low-
pressure steam lines. Rubber packing The sheet metal in the body of the
will melt and make an offensive odor, patch should be as heavy and strong as
which may be confused with possible, but it should be capable of
poisonous gases, but it will vulcanize being sprung or bent so that the gap
and make a tight patch. In one case a will go over the pipe to be repaired. /V
150-pound steam line was repaired by sheet of packing is first put over the
wrapping the crack with marline hole, extending well on either side of
dipped in red lead putty. A paste of it. The Jubilee clamp is then sprung
litharge and glycerine can also be open and clamped over the packing.
used. After making such a repair, When the bolts are tightened this
cover the affected area with a burlap patch will easily hold. 100 pounds
bag to reduce the danger of injury to pressure. Every damage-control locker
personnel caused by hot drops. should contain several of these home-
made patches in assorted sizes,
34-23. Other types of patches. Soft because each patch fits only one size of
patches cannot be recommended for pipe.
gasoline lines, because the slightest
leak would create a tremendous fire Light calking with hammer and chisel
hazard. It would be far safer to renew has sometimes been used to close
the damaged section. small crack leaks, especially adjacent
to flanges. However, there is always a
Many jagged holes have been stopped danger of opening the crack even
by inserting cloth-covered wooden wider.
plugs. Sometimes combinations of
plugs may be used. Set up on the plugs Welding, brazing and silver soldering
with a hammer, and try to secure them can be used to repair leaks, especially
in place with clamps or wires; at the joints between pipe and flanges.
otherwise, they may work out under However, these methods are slow, are
pressure. If the hole is not too large it not reliable in the hands of unskilled
may be drilled and tapped for personnel, and may lead to fires and
inserting a screw plug. explosions. Therefore, their utility in
actual battle is limited.
C-Clamps and thumb clamps may be
used to hold plugs or patches in place. 34-24. Renewing pipe sections. If a
For example, a block of soft wood may pipe has been badly holed or ruptured,
be rough-shaped to fit over a damaged patching may not suffice, and it may be
area in a pipe, and the pad may be necessary to renew a section. It would
held in place tightly with two thumb be advisable, therefore, to carry on
clamps. Care must be taken to re-
inspect patches held in place by
clamps for they have a tendency to
work loose under shock or vibration.
The Jubilee pipe patch shown in figure
34-26 is
board spare sections of the smaller
sizes of important pipe. In an
emergency, it may be possible to
remove a section from an unimportant
system to use where it is needed more.
If the original pipe was fitted with
screw flanges,

267

remove the entire damaged section, "tricks" to be learned in connection

cut screw threads on the new piece, with this equipment every ship should
screw the flanges on to the new piece, have spare bands and clamps so that
and install it. The flanges are bolted men may be trained to use them.
together. To renew only the damaged
part of a small pipe, cut out the 34-26. Blanking pipe lines. Ruptured
damaged area with hacksaws, and cut pipe lines often are a menace in that
a fresh piece of pipe almost the same they cannot be isolated
length as the gap, as shown in figure
34-27. If the pipe is small, it may be
joined by means of a velocity-power
pipe bonding press. If you do not have
such a tool, cut screw threads on all
exposed ends of pipe, and make up the
joints by using pipe unions and
couplings. In the latter case, cut the
filler piece short enough to permit
inserting the pipe fittings. White lead
may be used on screw threads to get a
tighter joint.

Figure 34-29. Pipe cap used to blank off

low-pressure pipe line.

readily and still have the system

perform a vital function.

Low-pressure pipe lines can often be

blanked off by driving in wooden plugs
covered with cloth as shown in figure
34-28. Unsupported, these plugs have a
tendency to back out. Adequate
support generally can be provided by
using shores or jacks, or by drilling a
hole through the pipe and pinning the
plug in place with a nail. For frayed
Figure 34-28. Wooden plug used to ends of pipe cut by fragments
blank off a low-pressure pipe line. combinations of plugs may be
desirable.
The foregoing methods take time, and
if service is required in a hurry, unions
may be improvised similar to the soft
patches previously described.
However, if the joints are not held
together they may be pushed apart by
pressure reaction. It is therefore
advisable to force the joints together
by means of lines, shores or wedges.

34-25. Special clamping devices and

couplings. Nearly all large vessels
have now been provided with a hand
clamping device, together with the
necessary metal straps and clamps.
Complete directions for its use will be
found in the box. It is useful in
securing soft patches and in securing
hoses to couplings and pipe. Like any
other tool, it is no better than the man
who operates it, and 'since there are
certain
Figure 34-30. Blank flange used to
blank off pipe line.

When the damaged pipe is joined by

screw fittings, it is a simple matter to
unscrew the damaged part and to stop
the flow of fluid by means of a pipe cap
or pipe plug (see fig. 34-29).

268

Where the joints are made up by Whenever possible such gaskets

means of flanges, blank flanges may be
used (see fig. 34-30). A blank flange is a
flat plate of heavy metal, circular in
shape, and provided with standard
bolt holes. A gasket of sheet packing
normally is used with most low-
pressure flanges, and special gaskets
on steam lines.
should be used, even when making
rapid repairs during battle. Otherwise
there will be excessive leakage.
In order to save time and to have
everything ready for use, all flanges in
repair lockers should be made up with
studs, nuts and gaskets attached to
them.

Figure 34-31. Flange fitting for

adapting hose connection to a flanged
pipe connection. Figure 34-32. C-clamps may be used to
join flanges that do not mate.
 Figure 34-33. Hose jumper to restore service to a ruptured pipe line.

269

One type of flange resembles a blank ELECTRIC WIRING

flange, except that the center is cut
away and the hole is surrounded by a
short pipe having screw threads. It is
called an adapter (see fig. 34-31 ). The
flange may be bolted to any similar
flange on a pipe line, and a hose may
be coupled to the pipe threads, thus
permitting a jumper to be used.
For each size of pipe in the U. S. Navy
the flanges are standard. However, a
case may arise in which it is desirable
to connect flanges of different sizes of
pipe. The flanges cannot be bolted
together because the bolt holes do not
line up. The difficulty may be met by
inserting a gasket and holding the two
flanges together with heavy C-clamps
as shown in figure 34-32. Four such
clamps are desirable, even on fire
mains.
34-27. Conductors and cables. Almost
any kind of explosive or projectile hit
will cause extensive damage to electric
wiring. Wires may be cut, grounded,
shorted or completely destroyed,
leaving the ship without power on
many important lighting, fire-control,
communication, ship-control and
power circuits.
Electricity is carried from generators
to machinery by means of wires called
conductors. A conductor is a group of
small wires bunched together, but not

Figure 34-35. Diagram of

multiconductor cable.
Figure 34-34. A single conductor may
be made up of many fine wires in
contact with one another.
 Figure 34-36. It may he necessary to rig a cable from box A to box 13 in case
the original installation is damaged.

270

insulated from each other, so that they that the wires may be joined correctly
are the same electrically as a single in a short time. This is very important
wire (see fig. 34-34). Each conductor is when there are twenty conductors in a
covered with insulating material. The cable and you have to bridge a gap in
outside covering of each insulated ten of them to restore power on a
conductor is of a distinct color pattern; gyrocompass.
a different pattern for each conductor.
One may be solid green, another If wires were connected at random,
yellow and black, and a third may be the result would be a condition of
red and blue. chaos. Vital equipment would receive
no power and unimportant motors
A group of conductors held together might operate backward. However, if
and enclosed by an outer casing (cable red is connected to red, black with
sheath) is called a multiconductor cable green tracer to black with green tracer,
(see fig. 34-35). The conductors are and so on, the circuits will be restored
insulated from each other as correctly, and all equipment will work
previously described. The whole group properly.
may be further enclosed by various
materials, and may also be covered If a repairman could not identify the
with a wire braid. These additional color markings on conductors because
features are to protect the conductors of burning or discoloration by fuel oil
from fire, heat, water and rough he would have to cut back the outside
handling. armor and insulation until he could
find undamaged color markings, or he
34-28. Use of jumpers. Short ruptures could resort to a method of
in conductors and cables frequently identification used before the present
are repaired by inserting pieces of new system of marking was adopted. It is
cable, called jumpers. It is much the called "ringing through."
same as running a hose jumper
between two fire plugs to bridge a Men with sound-powered telephones
damaged section of the fire main. Most station themselves at each end of the
ships carry assorted jumpers up to ten damaged cable. They ground one end
feet long at each repair station, or reels of their phones to the ship's structure,
or to the metal armor around the
of cable from which jumpers may be cable, and one man secures the other
cut. end of his telephone to the first
conductor he desires to have repaired.
Before beginning repairs on any The other man uses his second wire to
damaged electric circuit it is almost hunt for the proper conductor, and by
always necessary to remove power touching each conductor in turn, he
from the line, not only to protect the can soon locate the one that must be
workmen from shock, but also to repaired. This telephone circuit can
prevent fires and explosions. This may also be used for exchange of
be done by opening switches, tripping information and orders.
circuit breakers, or removing fuses.
34-30. Insulation. Each individual
When small single conductors are cut joint made by joining conductors must
the damage may be repaired be thoroughly insulated with tape, and
temporarily by skinning back the when several such unions are made in
insulation on both the jumper and the a cable repair, the whole area should
original conductor, and splicing a be securely wrapped with waterproof
jumper across the break. Clean the tape to avoid contact with salt water or
wires. Scraping them with a knife the ship's structure. Do not permit the
blade will generally suffice. Twist and cables to lie on deck; if necessary, trice
lock the conductors together in such a them up to the overhead.
manner that they cannot be pulled
apart, making sure to have a good 34-31. Long cables. When damage to a
metal-to-metal contact. Then wrap the cable is extensive, it may be necessary
exposed metal joint tightly with tape. to renew a complete section between
junction boxes, or between
The procedure for inserting jumpers in distribution boards and boxes. Long
large conductors is much the same as cables rather than jumpers are
in the case of small conductors, except required.
that the larger size of the wire requires
the use of different methods of Sometimes the old cable is pulled out
securing the conductors to each other. through stuffing tubes and a new cable
The velocity-power press (steel cable) is installed. Care must he taken to plug
can be used. In an emergency, almost the tubes temporarily to preserve
any type of cable clamp will suffice. watertight integrity. In other cases the
These joints, too, must be carefully new cable is run by the most rapid
bound with insulating tape. means available, which may involve
taking it through doors and hatches.
34-29. Identification of conductors. Every care should be taken to avoid
As previously stated, each conductor is impairing watertight integrity any
covered with an insulating material of more than is absolutely necessary.
a different color combination. These
color combinations may be used to
identify conductors, so

271
Figure 34-37. The Western Union splice. To finish the job insulating tape and
friction tape are used.

272
 Figure 34-38. Mockup used in training repair personnel to plug holes.

The job of running these long cables Color Meaning

should be under the direction of Red vital -light and power
experienced electrician's mates who
are familiar with the electric circuits in Yellow semi-vital -light and power
their areas. However, all repairmen Blue vital -I.C. and fire control
should know that each conductor is Green semi-vital -I.C. and fire control
identified by a number on a metal tag
where the conductor is secured in a Hot circuits are those carrying electric
junction box, and also by colored, current. Because 440-volt current is
metal, numbered tags where the cable extremely dangerous, only the most
goes through a deck or a bulkhead. experienced electrician's mates should
be permitted to work on hot circuits,
In order to avoid wasting time on and then only when the workman has
repairs of unimportant circuits, to the been adequately insulated. In general,
detriment of repairs on vital circuits, it would be safer to isolate damaged
many cables bear colored tags at circuits before beginning repairs.
points where they pass through decks
and bulkheads.

273
Figure 34-39. Mockup used in training repair personnel to patch ruptured pipe
lines.

TRAINING of any other man in his party.

Electrician's mates can learn to shore,
34-32. Type of training needed. It is shipfitters to hook up the casualty
not sufficient that men merely read power system, and carpenter's mates
about how to make repairs or study to patch pipe lines. All hands can learn
pictures of equipment and methods. how to fight fires and to apply first aid.
Nor is it enough that they have all the A man may not become an expert in
tools authorized by the allowance list, every field, but he can at least become
or that they make all the prefabricated a capable helper, and in an emergency
patches and tools suggested in this his general ability may be just what is
book. All damage-control personnel needed to save the ship.
must know how to apply the principles
and materials in the most effective Heretofore, training in making battle
way. That knowledge can be gained by repairs on board ship has generally
education, training and actual practice. been limited by circumstances.
Occasionally the maintenance gang or
As indicated in previous discussions, the engineers had to repair a leaky
about the most important equipment a pipe, or the electrician's mates had to
damage-control man can have is a renew a small cable. But there seldom
thorough knowledge of his ship. He was a chance for the average member
must know his own area and also the of a repair party to do any real
adjacent areas, in case he has to go shoring, to stop a leak in the hull, or to
there to make repairs after another gain experience in any part of damage
repair party has been wiped out. control outside his own specialty.
Therefore, it is mandatory to exchange Training was therefore weak, because
a few men between repair parties the most imaginative and energetic
from time to time, so that they may organization had to pretend that
train and drill in adjacent areas. damage had occurred. There was
seldom any way to learn whether or
A good damage-control man is a jack of not the repairs made would have been
all trades. He should learn to do any effective under the pressure and
job that may be required vibration incident to battle conditions.
The test came when actual damage
was sustained, and we may

274
be thankful that even our elementary personnel to plug holes in plating.
and mock training has saved ships and Many types of patches can be used,
lives. and the box put under water pressure
to test the quality of the workmanship.
How many more lives and ships might Figure 34-39 shows a similar mockup
have been saved had every repairman for practice in repairing pipe lines.
been trained to use his head, his hand
and his equipment to the best While these mockups represent
advantage-if he had known all the circumstances far short of real battle
little tricks of using this patch or that, damage, they will give the men good
and just what result he could expect practice in using their hands, and an
from each? opportunity to study better methods
and short cuts in making repairs. The
34-33. Use of training mockups. use of water pressure not only makes
Various mockups can be used in the instruction more interesting, but
training men to make repairs. These shows even the best man that he needs
mockups can be made on board ship. practice if he is to do a good job.
Figure 34-38, for example, shows a
steel box used for training repair

275

CHAPTER XXXV

REPAIR PARTY EQUIPMENT

35-1. Allowance lists. The ship's the distribution of equipment, keeping

allowance lists, including those having
to do with damage-control equipment,
are prepared by the Bureau of Ships
and are distributed to the vessels and
the supply activities requiring them.
These lists serve as a guide for the
supply officer in outfitting with the
tools and equipment required to be on
board to operate and to fight the ship.
The damage control officer must
insure that he has a full allowance of
tools and equipment on board at all
times.
A full allowance of tools and
equipment can be maintained in
repair lockers only by frequent
inspections and careful inventories.
Tools must actually be in their
assigned stowages and in good
condition. A check-off list of required
tools should be kept in each repair
locker, and an officer or a leading petty
officer should be assigned to inventory
the lockers weekly. Missing or
inoperative equipment must be
replaced immediately.
In many cases the allowance list will
indicate for which repair locker
certain specified tools and equipment
are intended. When this is not the case,
the damage control officer must use
his own discretion in
in mind the special uses of various
tools in handling battle damage. Tools
and equipment must be so dispersed
that all of one type cannot be
destroyed by any single hit. It may
therefore be advisable to divide the
gear on any station between two or
more lockers widely separated within
the area. Tools must be provided for
each repair locker in keeping with the
area the locker must serve.
Consideration must also be given of
the machinery within the area, and to
any unusual casualties which may
occur there.
The section of the allowance list
devoted to damage-control equipment
does not include a large number and
variety of tools and stores that must
also be provided at repair stations.
Some of these items are claw
hammers, wrenches, sheet packing,
binding wire, marline, pliers,
screwdrivers, hand saws, hacksaws,
fuses, fuse pullers, light bulbs, chisels,
nails, bolts, nuts, washers, blank
flanges, sheet lead, and manila line.
35-2. Tool markings. All damage-
control tools should be marked with
distinctive colors so that they can be
positively identified as damage-control
 gear. Tools designated to be stowed at
repair stations can

Figure 35-1. Two types of emergency ladders.

276

Figure 35-A. Tools and equipment in repair lockers must be checked by

inspection and inventory.

be marked with red and yellow stripes, number and types thereof are limited
possibly with the addition of a only by the ingenuity of the persons
numeral indicating in which locker the concerned. Here are a few suggestions:
tool belongs. Tools that are to be on
bulkheads or hatches about the ship,
such as those normally used for
operating fittings, may be marked with
yellow and green stripes. These marks
will reduce the loss of tools through
carelessness, and the yellow stripes
will aid in locating tools when lighting
is poor.
35-3. Improvised tools. Many useful
tools can be improvised by the ship's
force or by a tender. The
1. A portable ladder made of pipe as
shown in figure 35-1, with a hook or
hooks on one end, for use in ascending
or descending through hatches where
ladders have been destroyed. There
should be one of these in each repair
locker.
2. A wide canvas belt fitted with loops
for carrying small tools as shown in
figure 35-2. This leaves the

277

wearer's hands free for work, and

keeps the tools within reach of the
workman. Otherwise, tools may be
dropped at random in a partially
flooded

Figure 35-2. Repairman's belt.

compartment, and critical time lost in

searching for them. Have one of these
for each two men in the repair party.

3. A canvas apron (see figure 35-3) with Figure 35-3. Repairman's apron.
loops and pockets may be used in place
of the belt. A similar apron may be
used for carrying rescue breathing
apparatus canisters and tending lines.

4. Beam clamps of suitable size and

shape are necessary when using
chainfalls and jiggers. Have two of
these (see figure 35-4) for each
chainfall in the repair locker.

5. If a regular carrier is not provided

for submersible pumps, slings made
fast at each end of the pump assist
greatly in carrying it through the ship
(see figure 35-5). Two men act as
bearers, placing their arms
 Figure 35-4. Two types of beam clamps.

278

Figure 35-5. Slings for carrying a portable submersible pump.

through the loops and carrying the
pump horizontally between them, the
shoulders supporting the weight of the
pump. Have a suitable carrying
arrangement for each submersible
pump.
6. The strainer baskets for portable
submersible pumps described in
Chapter XXIX may be made collapsible
for easy stowage (see fig. 35-6). Provide
each basket with a bale made of white
line or marline for lashing the basket
to the discharge hose. This permits
lowering the pump and basket
together into a flooded space. Have
one of these baskets for each pump
plus at least one spare at each station.
The spares are for interchanging when
it becomes necessary to clean a
strainer.
7. A shoring chest of the type pictured
and described in Chapter XXXVI
should be in the locker of each main
necessary to institute a search for
them. Further, when there is only a
hit-and-miss system of stowage it is
difficult to make a careful inventory. "A
place for everything and everything in
its place" is a slogan that should apply
to every repair locker. Figure 35-8
shows a suggested stowage for small
tools within the locker. It consists of a
heavy fire-proofed canvas backing,
provided with loops for holding small
tools. When in use it may be
suspended from a deck beam, so that
every tool contained is plainly visible.
Missing items are obvious. When the
locker is secured, the tool holder
should be rolled up and padlocked. If it
is fitted with a pair of strap handles
the entire roll may be quickly and
easily transported to the scene of
operations.
35-5. Stowage of large tools. Large
tools should be so arranged in the
repair station. A shoring chest is also repair locker that they will be easily
shown in figure 35-B. accessible when needed. This may be
done by the use of bulkhead clips for
8. A universal wrench as shown in tools such as crow bars, mauls, axes,
figure 35-7 provides a combination of and submersible pumps. Tools and
several units which would be of value equipment stowed in this manner
to men working in a damaged area. must be securely fastened in place, to
The wrench may be varied to suit the prevent their becoming missile
type of ship on which it will be used. hazards by being thrown around as a
Make two of these for each main result of a nearby explosion. They
repair station. must be secured against both lateral
and vertical explosive forces.
35-4. Small tool storage. Small tools in
the repair locker present a problem in It is advisable to paint tool outlines on
stowage. When such tools as pliers, locker bulkheads where tools are to be
screwdrivers and wrenches are secured in clips. Use black paint on
stowed on shelves or in bins they are white bulkheads. Missing tools will be
soon covered with larger tools. Then obvious at once, because of the
when they are needed, it is absence of the red and yellow stripes.

279
 Figure 35-7. Special universal
wrench. A, socket for nuts on hatch
dogs; B, lug to fit socket on flush
deck type of remote-control gear; C,
spade for flush deck armored
hatches, etc.; D, lug to fit socket on
deck drains in heads and wash-
rooms; E, socket to fit hatch nuts not
covered by A; F, body of 1-inch iron
pipe; G, 2 1/2-inch hose spanner; H, 1
1/2-inch hose spanner; J, socket to fit
nut on escape scuttle handwheel; K,
pipe left open at both ends for drop
bolts.

Small items such as nails, nuts, bolts,

Figure 35-6. Collapsible strainer basket for use washers, and fuses should be
with portable submersible pump. Make it large, secured in metal boxes or in canvas
but not too large to pass through scuttles. bags to reduce their splinter hazard.
The containers should be clearly
labeled as to the kind and quantity
of their contents.

35-6. Protecting the repairman.

Every member of a repair party
must be fully clothed for protection
against flash burns. A full suit of
dungarees is the minimum
acceptable. Shirts must be buttoned
up to the neck and cuffs buttoned at
the wrists. Provide each man in a
repair party with a steel helmet.

Other items for personnel protection

may be made on board ship. Among
them are:
 280

Figure 35-8. Canvas roll assembly for stowing and transporting small tools.

281
 Figure 35-B. A shoring chest.

1. Slippers made of sheet asbestos Every man in a properly equipped

packing, which may be worn over the repair party should be provided with:
shoes of men working on hot steel
decks. 1. A flashlight on a lanyard.

2. Shin guards similar to those worn 2. A knife (sheathed or on a lanyard).

by baseball players. These protect the
legs of men working around jagged
edges of steel plating in a damaged
area. The shin guards may be made
of light sheet metal.
3. Asbestos gloves for handling hot
steel plates, or leather gloves for
handling jagged plates.

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