the ship. Without adequate and proper means ofcommunication between the different units, thewhole organization of casualty control will failin its primary objective.To ensure that sufficient means of com-munications are available, several differentsystems are installed aboard ship. The normalmeans of communications are the battle telephonecircuits (sound powered), interstation 2-waysystems (intercoms), ship service telephones, ship’sloud speaker (1-MC), and voice tubes. Messengersare also used in some situations when othermethods of communications are not available orwhen written reports are required.The transmission of correct information re-garding a casualty and the speed with which thereport is made are essential to be of value in anymethod of communication.It is also essential that control of all com-munication circuits be established by the con-trolling station. The circuits must never be allowedto get out of control, because of “cross-talk”caused by more than one station operating at thesame time and each assuming that it has the prior-ity message. Casualty control communicationmust be incorporated into casualty control train-ing, since prompt action to notify the control sta-tion or engineering control of a casualty must betaken to prevent the development of othercasualties which could be more serious than theoriginal casualty.INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCEInspection and maintenance are vital to suc-cessful casualty control, since they minimize theoccurrence of casualties due to material failures.Continuous and detailed inspections are necessarynot only to discover partly damaged parts whichmay fail at a critical time, but also to eliminateany underlying conditions which may lead to earlyfailure (maladjustment, improper lubrication, cor-rosion, erosion, and other causes of machinerydamage). Particular and continuous attentionmust be paid to symptoms of malfunctioning,such as unusual noises, vibrations, abnormaltemperatures, abnormal pressures, and abnormaloperating speeds.Operating personnel should thoroughlyfamiliarize themselves with the specifictemperatures, pressures, and operating speedsrequired for the normal operation of equipment,in order to detect all departures from normaloperation.When a gage, or other instrument recordingthe operating conditions of machinery, gives anabnormal reading, the cause must be fully in-vestigated. A spare instrument, or a calibrationtest, will quickly indicate whether or not the ab-normal reading is due to instrument error. Anyother cause must be traced to its source.Because of the safety factor commonly incor-porated in pumps and similar equipment, con-siderable loss of capacity can occur before anyexternal evidence is readily apparent. Changes inthe operating speeds (from those normal for theexisting load) of pressure-governor-controlledequipment should be viewed with suspicion.Variations from normal pressures, lubricating oiltemperatures, and system pressures indicate eitherinefficient operation or poor condition ofmachinery.When a material failure occurs in any unit,a prompt inspection should be made of all similarunits to determine if there is danger that othersimilar failures might occur. Prompt inspectionwill prevent a series of repeated casualties.Strict attention must be paid to the properlubrication of all equipment. Frequent inspectionsand samplings must be made to ensure that thecorrect quantity of the proper lubricant is in theunit. Lube oil samples must be taken daily on alloperating auxiliaries. Lube oil samples should beallowed to stand long enough for any water tosettle. Where auxiliaries have been idle for severalhours, particularly overnight, a sufficient sampleshould be drained from the lowest part of the oilsump to remove all settled water. Replenishmentwith fresh oil to the normal level should be in-cluded in this routine.The presence of saltwater in the oil can bedetected by running a standard chloride test. Asample of sufficient size for test purposes can beobtained by adding distilled water to the oil sam-ple, shaking vigorously, and then allowing thewater to settle before draining off the test sam-ple. Because of its corrosive effects, saltwater inthe lubricating oil is far more dangerous to a unitthan an equal quantity of freshwater. Saltwaterin units containing oil-lubricated ball bearings isparticularly harmful.ENGINEMAN 1 & C9-2
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