Damage Control Organization and Systems – Lecture Review

74 vocabulary flashcards summarizing key terms, teams, systems, equipment, communications, and procedures related to U.S. Navy shipboard damage control, as covered in the lecture notes. Each flashcard pairs a critical term with a concise definition to aid exam preparation.

Damage Control Central (DCC)

Primary shipboard control point that gathers casualty reports, informs command, issues orders to repair parties, controls watertight integrity/flooding, and maintains material-condition records.

Alternate DCC

Pre-designated secondary location that can assume DCC functions if the primary space is lost.

Damage Control Repair Station (DCRS)

Manned locker that functions as a repair party command post; one is normally designated as secondary DCC.

DCRS Subdivision Letters

F – Forward, B – Middle, A – Aft, S – Starboard, P – Port.

Area of Responsibility (AOR)

Portion of the ship assigned to a specific repair party or team for damage-control response and upkeep.

Main Deck Repair Party

Repair party whose AOR is the main deck and topside spaces.

Forward Repair Party

Repair party that covers spaces from the bow to the forward end of the propulsion spaces.

Aft Repair Party

Repair party responsible for the stern section, aft of the propulsion spaces.

Amidships Repair Party

Team assigned to spaces roughly amidships that overlap forward and aft parties.

Propulsion Repair Party

Repair party dedicated to engineering plant spaces and associated systems.

Ordnance Casualty Control Team

Specialized team that handles weapons, ammunition, and magazine casualties.

Aviation Fuel Repair Team

Team that responds to JP-5/aviation-fuel system leaks and fires.

Crash and Salvage Team

Flight-deck team that clears wreckage, rescues aircrew, and combats flight-deck fires.

Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) / Removal Team

Specialists who locate, render safe, and remove unexploded ordnance.

Rapid Response Team (RRT) / Flying Squad

Small, highly trained group that reacts immediately to initial casualties before full repair parties are manned.

Scene Leader

On-scene supervisor who decides attack method, PPE requirements, boundaries, hose team size, and reports to the Repair Party Leader.

Battle Dress Station (BDS)

Medical treatment station rigged during battle to receive and stabilize personnel casualties.

Stretcher Bearer

Crewmember trained to safely transport injured personnel to a BDS.

Damage Control Rescue & Assistance / Re-entry Locker (DCREL)

Locker equipped for Rescue & Assistance missions and as a re-entry point if DC deck is smoke-filled.

Rescue & Assistance (R&A) Detail

Party that provides aid to other ships or isolated shipboard zones in distress.

Sound-Powered Telephone Circuit

Voice circuit requiring no external power; uses speech energy to drive receivers.

Integrated Voice Communications System (IVCS)

Powered, computer-controlled shipboard phone network allowing multi-party and dial-up calls.

JA Circuit

Primary sound-powered circuit between DCO, bridge, and DC stations (main DC telephone circuit).

JG Circuit

Sound-powered circuit for engineering spaces and propulsion plant coordination.

JZ Circuit

Damage-control stability and trim information circuit between DCC and repair stations.

X-Ray Circuits

Auxiliary/emergency sound-powered circuits used if primary circuits are inoperative.

Interior Communications (IC) System

Electrically powered shipboard comms network (e.g., announcing systems) that provides rapid, direct communication between stations.

Telephone Talker

Crewmember who operates a handset/headset, relays messages verbatim, and logs all traffic.

Message Blank / Logbook

Written record where telephone talkers document incoming/outgoing messages for plotting and decision support.

Standard Phrase “Silence!”

Command that immediately clears all traffic on a circuit; typically used only with DCA or higher permission.

DC Communications Bill

Ship’s instruction that lists all comms circuits, their outlets, and cross-indexes stations to installed circuits.

Investigator

Repair-party member who systematically searches for fire, flooding, and damage, reports findings, and verifies boundaries.

Investigator PPE

SCBA (when required), anti-flash hood & gloves, firefighting gloves, helmet, FR coveralls, and rubber boots.

Sounding Tube

Vertical pipe with removable cap used to lower a tape, weight, or wooden baton to measure liquid level in a compartment.

Time-Delay Device (TDD)

Pneumatic/pyrotechnic delay that allows personnel time to evacuate before halon discharge.

Halon System Activation

Break glass, pull pin, move lever to OPERATE, verify alarms/vent shutdown, wait for TDD, halon releases through cylinder valve.

CO₂ System Control-Head Cable

Pulling handle 3–5 inches opens the pilot cylinder, releasing CO₂ to actuate the main cylinders for flooding the space.

Water-Mist Supply Tank Limit

Can operate continuously for approximately 15 minutes before refill or alternate supply is required.

AFFF Valve Handwheel Colors

Firemain – Red; AFFF Concentrate – Red/Blue; AFFF Solution (firemain mix) – Red/Green.

AFFF Fixed Eductor System

Includes proportioner/eductor, seawater supply, concentrate tank, mixing chamber, and hose/sprinkler outlets.

Open-Head Sprinkler

Normally open nozzle that discharges when a remote valve is opened; used in AFFF and magazine sprinkling systems.

Closed-Head Sprinkler

Individual sprinkler sealed by a heat-sensitive element that opens automatically at a preset temperature.

Aqueous Potassium Carbonate (APC) Nozzles

Appliance, duct, and plenum nozzles—located in galley hoods, ductwork, and exhaust plenums respectively.

Firemain System

Network of pumps, pipes, and valves that delivers seawater for hoses, AFFF proportioners, sprinklers, flushing, drainage, and cooling.

Firemain Fault Causes

Large demand online, pump failure, or piping rupture causing pressure/flow drop.

Casualty Power System

Temporary cabling, bulkhead terminals, and risers that bypass damaged ship-service power cables to restore vital loads.

Casualty Power Source Switchboard

Designated by the Engineer Officer or Electrical Officer; provides power for casualty hookup.

Casualty Power Route

Planned by Repair Electricians and approved by the DCA to preserve watertight integrity and avoid heat/smoke paths.

Energizing Authority for Casualty Power

Commanding Officer (or delegated senior engineer) gives final approval to energize the rigged circuit.

RPM Chapter on Casualty Power

Chapter 6, Section 3 of the ship’s RPM has several sections designed to aid the DCA and the Repair Party Leader (RPL) during the rigging and unrigging of casualty power.

Supply Ventilation

System that forces fresh air into a space to support personnel and equipment.

Exhaust Ventilation

System that removes contaminated or hot air from a space.

Recirculation Ventilation

System that filters and reuses interior air to maintain temperature and reduce energy cost.

Smoke Ejection System (SES)

Portable or installed blowers/ducts that remove smoke from a compartment to improve visibility and habitability.

Damage Control Unit Locker (DCUL)

Smaller locker subordinate to a DCRS that stores repair gear closer to likely casualty areas.

Damage Control Unit Patrol Station (DCUPS)

Peacetime manning point for rapid walk-through checks; doubles as a gear cache during GQ.

Two-Digit DCUL/DCUPS Designation

First digit = parent DCRS, second digit = numerical sequence of subordinate unit (e.g., 21 = second unit of Repair Party 2).

Three-Tiered DC Organization

Tier 1 – Flying Squad/RRT; Tier 2 – Condition II DC (one or two DCRS manned); Tier 3 – Condition I GQ (all stations manned).

Active Desmoking

Process of setting a supply path, rigging a blower, and establishing exhaust to clear smoke while firefighting continues.

Main Space Fire Doctrine (MSFD)

Located in NSTM 555, Volume 1, provides Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) machinery space class B firefighting procedures.

Direct Fire Attack Methods

Straight stream, narrow-angle fog, and wide-angle fog applied directly onto burning fuel or surfaces.

Indirect Fire Attack

Applying water fog into a hot fire space through a vent, access, or cut hole to cool and smother without entering the space.

Negative Ventilation

Exhaust-only setup that creates suction, drawing smoke toward the fan outlet and away from entry points.

Positive Ventilation

Supply-only setup that forces fresh air into a space, pushing smoke out existing openings.

Class B Fire Out-of-Control Criteria

Flames impinge on overhead/structures, temperature rising, fire spreads beyond initial boundaries, or agent supply inadequate.

Oil Leak Initial Actions

Report to EOOW/OOD, isolate leak by closing COVs or securing pump, contain/collect oil, set fire boundaries.

Halon/HFP Re-entry Precautions

Wait specified soak/vent times, test atmosphere for 10% of agent TLV and for adequate O₂, enter with SCBA if limits not met.

Powercheck Valve

Allows the flow of AFFF concentrate from the pump to be mixed with seawater.

What actuates the balanced pressure proportioner system?

1. The back pressure regulating valve recirculates AFFF concentrate back to the tank in order to maintain AFFF pressure equal to the firemain pressure at the ratio controller inlet.

2. Equal pressures between the AFFF concentrate and firemain, and the reduction in concentrate volume through the orifice plate, result in a 6% range AFFF station water/foam output.

3. The distribution of foam to the end user occurs through the function of service SOPVs, which control the opening of the appropriate sprinkler valves or isolation valve for a hose reel group, if installed, by applying or removing firemain pressure to the valve.

The APC fusible link melts at ___.

360°F

When conducting a compartment inspection, investigators should look for signs of what types of damage?

1. Fire (class of, cause, possibility of spreading).

2. Flooding (cause, primary and secondary boundaries).

3. Smoke (cause, type, how to contain).

4. Communication derangements.

5. Firemain damage.

6. Piping system damage.

7. Hull structure, doors, hatches, and scuttles.

8. Ventilation systems damage.

9. Machinery derangements.

10. Power and lighting cables damage.

If any casualty is detected while investigating, what action should be taken?

Note vital information, including compartment number, frame numbers, and nature of the casualty.

Reports received in the DCRS must be recorded on ___ .

message blanks or logbooks;

Investigator methods to determine or observe if the ship has incurred further damage.

1. Investigate by pumping

2. Observe pressure gauges

3. Observe circuit breakers

Investigation of Structural Damage

Must cover areas surrounding the immediate scene of the damage, not only on the same level, but also on decks and below the main casualty.

Examples of Structural Damage

1. Fragment holes.

2. Ruptured pipe lines.

3. Warped or fractured frames and stanchions.

4. Cracks.

5. Open seams.

6. Leaky stuffing tubes.

7. Bent shafts.

8. Improperly closed fittings.

9. Severed electric cables.

10. Damaged bulkheads.

Underwater Explosion Investigation

All voids, tanks, and lower compartments on the ship must be investigated for structural damage.

If any compartment on the perimeter of this area shows the presence of water, the investigation must be extended beyond the original estimated limits until ___ .

an intact watertight boundary is identified

When underwater hull damage is found or suspected, ___ .

sound all tanks and voids and compare the results with the pre-damage soundings.

Complete flooding of a compartment, or flooding to sea level, generally indicates that ___ .

the compartment is open to the sea

To lower the firemain pressure and increase flow through operating pumps, ___ .

reduce the number of pumps online, or place additional ship’s services online without adding pumps

To raise the firemain pressure, ___ .

place additional pumps online or secure ship’s services

Firemain DC diagram color-code

1. Red indicates firemain piping, valves, fittings, and pumps used for supplying sprinklers, AFFF, countermeasure washdown systems, and water mist backup supply water. Red also indicates branches from the firemain that provide miscellaneous services, such as flushing systems and machinery cooling.

2. Black indicates the points where the firemain system is connected to the seawater cooling, fuel oil compensating, and drainage systems.

3. Blue indicates components of the seawater sprinkling system.

4. Brown/purple indicates the components of the water mist system (not shown in the figure below.

5. Green indicates the components of the AFFF system.

6. Orange indicates the components of the countermeasure washdown system.

Final authority to energize casualty power circuits rests with the ___ .

DCA

The source switchboard and riser is designated by the ___ .

Engineer Officer

Section 3 of the RPM also includes ___ .

1. Tab A – Casualty Power Bill, which includes preplanned casualty power cable routes.

2. Tab B – Casualty Power Checklist

3. Tab C – Electrical Damage Checklist

The three types of shipboard ventilation

1. Supply

2. Exhaust.

3. Recirculating.

Ventilation systems DC diagram for supply and recirculating systems color-code

1. Blue indicates mechanical supply fans, closures, and ducts.

2. Orange indicates natural supply and exhaust closures.

3. Red indicates recirculating systems.

ventilation systems DC diagram for the exhaust systems, color-code.

1. Green indicates mechanical exhaust fans, closures, and ducts.

2. Orange indicates natural supply and exhaust closures.

In the affected machinery space initial action is to set ___ .

negative ventilation (i.e., exhaust on high, supply on low)

In the unaffected machinery space initial action is to set ___ .

positive ventilation (i.e., supply on high, exhaust off)

When activated for a fire zone, the SES reconfigures the normal ventilation system within the affected fire zone to direct airflow to passageways, providing an air sweep that restores ___ .

20-foot visibility in passageways within five minutes

The design and construction of the ship determines the number of repair stations onboard, with up to ___ parent repair stations (depending on the size of the ship class).

10

The DCUL is composed of 12 personnel, assigned as follows:

1. One unit locker leader.

2. One phone talker and plotter.

3. One scene leader.

4. A three-person investigating team.

5. Six personnel, who set fire and flooding boundaries and combat damage until assistance arrives from the main repair station.

If the damage affects the ship’s stability or has an impact on more than one space, condition II DC, or condition I GQ will be set at the ___ discretion.

CO’s

Where is Firefighting Methods locating in the RPM?

Chapter 4, Section 2

The three distinct direct fire attack techniques

1. Direct attack at the seat of the fire

2. Fog attack to control the fire

3. Direct attack from the access

Active desmoking is performed to remove smoke from the smoke control zone and is accomplished in the following order:

1. Prepare a desmoking flow path.

2. Rig portable blower.

3. Establish and maintain desmoking.

If Halon is effective and the fire has been extinguished

1. Report that the fire is contained.

2. Wait for a 15-minute Halon soak period from the time of the Halon discharge to reduce likelihood of reflash, HF acid gas, and fuel vapor concentrations.

3. After the Halon soak period, if the fire has not reflashed, operate exhaust ventilation, if available, for at least 15 minutes to minimize fuel vapor explosion potential before reentry.

Actions while periodically monitoring the smoke control zone atmosphere for HF acid gas.

1. Activate SCBAs if the HF concentration is above 3 ppm.

2. Withdraw all personnel if the HF level exceeds 90 ppm.