Damage Control

Introduction and Organization

N72B 6.1

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 References
• Nuclear Defense at Sea and Radiological Recovery of Ships after
Nuclear Weapons Explosion, NSTM Chapter 070
• Personnel Protection Equipment, NSTM Chapter 077
• Practical Damage Control, NSTM Chapter 079, Volume II
• Repair Party Manual, COMNAVSURFORINST 3541.1 Series
• Shipboard Biological Warfare/Chemical Warfare Defense and
Countermeasures, NSTM Chapter 470
• Standard Organization and Regulations Manual (SORM) of the US
Navy, OPNAVINST 3120.32 Series
• Surface Ship Firefighting, NSTM Chapter 555, Volume I
• Surface Ship Survivability, NTTP 3-20.31, Series

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 Terminal Objectives

• DISCUSS typical Damage Control (DC) organization fundamentals,

positions, and functions onboard U.S. Navy vessels.

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 Enabling Objectives

• IDENTIFY the duties and responsibilities of the Damage Control

Administration and Inport Damage Control Organization.

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Introduction

USS COLE
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 Damage Control

• Shipboard casualties can:

– Cause loss of life
– Cause severe damage to equipment
– Jeopardize ship integrity and stability

• Damage Control consists of three

subcategories:
– Prevention
– Minimization
– Restoration

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Prevention

• Maintain conditions of
readiness and watertight
integrity
• Provide reserve buoyancy and
stability
• Properly stow materials posing
fire hazards
• Perform preventive
maintenance

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 Minimization

• Combat fire
• Combat flooding to preserve
stability and buoyancy
• Provide first aid to injured
personnel

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Restoration

• Segregate ruptured piping systems

• Reconfigure systems, and establish
casualty power
• Regain a safe margin of stability
and buoyancy
• Reinforce shored and weakened
structures
• Man essential equipment, and post
watches

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Damage Control Administration

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 Commanding Officer

• Responsible for the safety of the

ship and the lives of the crew
• Ensures the command is
adequately trained and
continually exercised
• Maintains a full awareness of the
adequacy and operability of all
Damage Control (DC) equipment
• Gives the order for Abandon Ship
if necessary

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 Executive Officer
• Keeps the CO advised as to the status of the ship’s readiness
• Commands the Damage Control Training Team (DCTT)
– DCTT is the shipboard training team responsible for training and
self-assessing the crew’s response to damage control casualties
• Gives final approval for DCPOs
• Heads the Planning Board for
Training (PB4T)

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Department Heads

• Ensures optimum readiness

within the department
• Ensures cooperative DC training
with the DCA
• Provides required personnel for
repair lockers and inport fire
parties
• Ensures that personnel are
qualified and assigned as
Damage Control Petty Officers
(DCPOs)

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 Damage Control Officer
• Maintains hull, machinery, and electrical systems in battle readiness
• Supervises firefighting and ensures Fire Bill adequacy
• Organizes and trains Repair 5 in accordance with the Battle Bill
• Acts as authorizing officer for use of installed ventilation for
desmoking spaces after a fire is extinguished

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 Damage Control Assistant
• Submits all-hands DC training schedule to the PB4T
• Informs the Damage Control Officer (DCO) of changes to DC
equipment status
• Oversees training and qualifications of repair lockers and Damage
Control Central (DCC) personnel
• Supervises training of all DCPOs

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Division Officers

• Assigns personnel to DC
organizations on the Watch,
Quarter, and Station Bill
• Ensures divisional personnel are
assigned requisite DC PQS
(Personnel Qualification Standard)
• Recommends a DCPO to the
Department Head
• Ensures Compartment Check-Off
Lists (CCOLs) are current, accurate,
and posted
• Conducts spot checks of DC PMS
(Preventative Maintenance System)

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 Divisional Damage Control
Petty Officer
• Maintains DC duties as primary responsibilities
• Conducts all PMS on portable DC equipment in divisional spaces
• Supervises daily setting of specified material conditions within
divisional spaces

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Questions?

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