He is not going up first. They will send an experienced Boatswains mate up to rig any safety lines and anything need to raise or lower stuff from up there. He won’t go up until a First class or even Chief determines its safe for him and the equipment to be up there. All he is responsible for is the actual radar, everything else is someone’s else’s responsibility.
Keynes' Cruisers Volume 2
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He is not going up first. They will send an experienced Boatswains mate up to rig any safety lines and anything need to raise or lower stuff from up there. He won’t go up until a First class or even Chief determines its safe for him and the equipment to be up there. All he is responsible for is the actual radar, everything else is someone’s else’s responsibility.
Who also knows those tools backwards and forwards and can operate more by touch than sight. It is also a "learning experience" in that as stated his most LIKELY job it to inspect the cable from the top of the cabin housing to the antenna which unlike someone not trained with the system will know if it's kinked, stretched, or some other visual but vital clue that he's already been trained to look for.
He may be 90 feet above freezing sea but he'll also be as secure and safe as they can make him because that's the way the military treats most of it's techs. If he were 'just' an able-seaman then they might have him climb a periscope in the middle of a storm to strap a light to the top
On what do you base this dubious assertion? He's part of the radar team but that doesn't mean he's not cross-trained a LOT. That's kind of a "Navy" thing after all. And since part of his 'detail' is the antenna then climbing up, rigging safety gear and inspecting and testing equipment from top to bottom is part of his job.
Not hazing but practical. I truth the various 'reasons' the radar may not be working after you've checked all the interior 'standards' (breakers, broken tubes, lose wiring, etc) then the NEXT steps are checking the connections between the antenna and the system itself. Since the majority of problems will either be with the connections which 'simply' requires a visual check, albeit in crappy weather then the lowest ranker is the obvious choice. Meanwhile it's likely a higher ranker will be inspecting the antenna itself.
Using the 'lower ranks' is not hazing as much as in the hierarchy of the military the lowest ranking is in need of the most training and least able to do a full job at that moment. You need someone who knows at least the basics of the system and has a better chance of spotting issues. You ALSO need to have someone who may, (in this case) have a bit more up-to-date information on the system and conversely someone who also needs training in spotting real-world issues in real-world situations.
Yes hazing happens and it's frowned upon by most professionals as is treating lower ranks as 'expendable' assets. Don't get me wrong they ARE in many ways since as noted above the have the lowest training level and capability but hazing and such does nothing productive towards changing either situation. Yes the lower you're rank the more of the crappy, uncomfortable and messy jobs you get because those, as a rule, are some of the jobs you are in fact best 'qualified' to undertake. It's not at all a "Military" tradition as it extends into all jobs and all levels of society.
Randy
@RanulfC
In the middle of WW2, a rating trained and trusted to "baby" the main display of his ship's radar set in a major exercise
(and hence presumably into action)
was almost literally a priceless asset whatever their substantive rank or duration of service
Sending them into a perilous situation that can be handled by any able seaman "for a learning experience" is utterly stupid
(whatever their separate skills or lack thereof)
IMHO it is the officer, whether warrant or commissioned, who has given that order who needs to be taught a lesson
about the new realities of a technological war.
However, as you say old habits are hard to break
and as always it is a choice for @fester
In the middle of WW2, a rating trained and trusted to "baby" the main display of his ship's radar set in a major exercise
(and hence presumably into action)
was almost literally a priceless asset whatever their substantive rank or duration of service
Sending them into a perilous situation that can be handled by any able seaman "for a learning experience" is utterly stupid
(whatever their separate skills or lack thereof)
IMHO it is the officer, whether warrant or commissioned, who has given that order who needs to be taught a lesson
about the new realities of a technological war.
However, as you say old habits are hard to break
and as always it is a choice for @fester
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The new man in the radar section would have all the skills, including mast climbing, before leaving Radar school. He would be backed up by a Boatswains mate for safety,, but he learns as he goes, He had the basic skill on arriving, now he has to apply it. It goes with the rating. Better to learn in average weather and non combat then have to do it on the Murmansk run or in combat at night in the Pacific. This is war they are expendable, their are 30 new Radar techs in class waiting for the position.
Radar techs are not expendable, they are, at this period of time, one of the more technical oriented skilled people in the Navy. There was a shortage of them all through out the the war because of the amount of skills required. They had to know advanced math, electronics theory, electrical theory and practical use, mechanical theory and practical use for shipboard repair. They had to be able to read the blueprints of where the cables ran and to be able to figure what is power and what is signal lines leading to the different units. The equivalent n the modern navy would be a Nuclear power person with the knowledge they required. You said that 30 would be at school, that is right but they would need 50 or more for new construction and replacements in the fleet.
AlanJWhite: What he IS, is a Navy man being trained and prepared for going into an active war zone where his chances are high he'll be killed no matter WHERE on the ship he is. He's no more "priceless" than a Cook's mate or Boiler technician. (And according to around 98% of the ship compliment a LOT less valuable than either of those two including a lot of officers who are not trusting of that new-fangled and fragile technology) Again you miss the point that no "able-seaman" is in fact as qualified to perform the tasks assigned as he is. Period. He's learning to troubleshoot and FIX on-going problems with the radar set and yes the environment MIGHT be dangerous and will certainly be uncomfortable but you'll note he's learning to do so while NOT under-fire or dealing with major battle damage at the same time. This IS the "new reality of technological war" and he's being trained up right and proper to FIX the issue and not wait for someone else to do it for him.
jlckansas; You're also forgetting he's a NAVY man onboard a combat warship. There are NO 'safe' areas and he has to be able to troubleshoot, find and repair damage RIGHT FRICKING NOW! Just like Naval Nuclear Power Techs these guys are NOT treated as priceless and special people because of the knowledge they possess. They are treated and expected to not only possess and be able to apply that knowledge but also to handle and overcome any and all problems they encounter ALONG with that specialized job.
That radar goes out, (as it did in the segment) and they can't get it up and running with quick fixes then he may be the ONLY one who can run that problem down no matter where it is and having experience with doing so in non-combat situations highly increases his chances of being successful in a combat situation.
Train like you fight and fight like you train AND make that training as close to real conditions as possible so when conditions are less than ideal you will not hesitate to do your job right since it may be what save you, your shipmates and even your ship. (And mind you I'm Air Force where we send the officers off to 'tussel' while we stay home and wait to see what they broke THIS time around.... Collage education to break it, High School education to fix it
)Randy
they are priceless at this time due to the shortage of qualified men. Most people don’t possess the needed education at this time to even pass the entrance exams. If it was a case of an unplugged cable they would send an electricians mate up there to look at it and rerun or plug it in, this is the yard cruise for the St Paul . They are going to have yard reps on board to look at things first before the regular navy people even look at it, at the most the navy personnel look at it would be a damage control person, Chief or even an officer up first to make sure nothing is structurally wrong with the mast that could cause it to collapse or have pieces fall off. Remember this happened during the firing of the main battery and the concussive effects can cause things to happen.
Does not work that way, they are combat personnel on a combat ship that's planning on going into combat.
WWII proved that the military can be VERY good at training up people who lack the needed education IN that education, in a hurry. That was part of the whole point in it being a 'technological and education' war.
You already noted that he's has to "They had to know advanced math, electronics theory, electrical theory and practical use, mechanical theory and practical use for shipboard repair. They had to be able to read the blueprints of where the cables ran and to be able to figure what is power and what is signal lines leading to the different units." which is far and above what some general electricians mate is going to know and why he will be chasing that cable and not said electricians mate who is tasked with other duties. He or one of his peers is far better qualified and knowledgeable than a generic electricians mate and so quite obviously he's going up and out there to do his job as it's part OF his job.
Crew too which is part of the point as they will need to be able to repair in far worse situations as a rule.
And it's not clear if this is A "yard cruise" or THE yard cruise so it could be far enough along that the yard personnel are in the forefront or background. Since there is no mention of yard personnel being 'in-the-way' (which the Navy would consider them to be) or having to dodge clusters of 'civvies' it's not likely there are many if any yard personnel on-board. Even so this is a 'problem' and the Navy will want it's personnel to get used to and help if not be the main driver of the 'fix' since it's their ship in the end.
And what I find rather funny is the fact that while arguing THIS point you fail to note that if it WAS contractor personnel going to chase and fix this problem then the lowest 'ranking' civilian tech will be the one going out into the nasty weather and dizzying heights to FIND and fix the problem because this stuff is NOT just how the military operates
Randy
Everyone seems to be missing the point that the post was largely written from the perspective of said radar tech, whose view of matters will not be entirely reliable/accurate.
On a routine check of radar on the mast, the 3rd class is not priceless.. study history They would not expect an officer or Chief to first ascend a mast before a lowly radar 3rd does, at best he will get a seaman 1st or Boatswain 2nd to supervise his climb. If the unit goes out in bad weather or combat who is going to do it the 1st Class Radarman? there will be a minimum of 4 qualified men on board, just to cover the routine watches.
Sometimes it is the senior person who should take the point. It's called leadership. Something we used to see a lot more of.
Correct, sometimes, such as an in port teaching session, not an underway problem solving situation. If the new man never faces the challenge, what use is he?
Sometimes but then again I would quote the former Deputy Fire Commissioner of New York talking about one September morning "In the still after the first tower collapsed Pete Ganci directed every civilian and every firefighter to go north. He went south." They call that leadership.
A major terrorist incident where you know the chances of survival are low to zero and that sending your men into the building is killing them is a big different to a knackered radar on a working up sail round the harbour when the nearest enemy is (probably) several hundred miles away.
Having been both the new recruit and the boss I learned that sometimes it does a world of good for the organization for the boss to sometimes take the dirty job. Not always mind you, but sometimes.
It is and I was always taught that you don't ask your men to do something you're not willing to do yourself but the sprog has to learn his job eventually and it's better to do it in a calm sea and peaceful waters than in a North Atlantic storm while 15'' shells are landing around you.
Story 2348
Central Ukraine, December 11, 1943
All along the front, the ground began to shake. Four armies worth of infantry hugged the ground. Almost a thousand guns and mortars had started to fire a minute ago. The riflemen and submachine gunners and machine gunners would wait until the first part of the barrage had ceased and the second part, including smoke screens began. Then they would advance into the teeth of the German defensive zones. Engineers and scouts had crawled through snow and mud for weeks now. Almost every minefield was hopefully known and well marked. Lend Lease tanks that were vital in 1941 but now were barely able to be supported through ever more complex supply chains would be right behind the infantrymen and assault engineers to clear the minefield. More modern tanks, Soviet, Canadian, American and British built, were waiting behind the lead assault divisions to add weight to the areas where success either had been achieved or soon would be achieved.
Smoke started to erupt and tens of thousands of men began to advance in a limited offensive designed to force the Germans to honor a threat and move tactical, operational and strategic reserves to where STAVKA wanted them to be focused.
All along the front, the ground began to shake. Four armies worth of infantry hugged the ground. Almost a thousand guns and mortars had started to fire a minute ago. The riflemen and submachine gunners and machine gunners would wait until the first part of the barrage had ceased and the second part, including smoke screens began. Then they would advance into the teeth of the German defensive zones. Engineers and scouts had crawled through snow and mud for weeks now. Almost every minefield was hopefully known and well marked. Lend Lease tanks that were vital in 1941 but now were barely able to be supported through ever more complex supply chains would be right behind the infantrymen and assault engineers to clear the minefield. More modern tanks, Soviet, Canadian, American and British built, were waiting behind the lead assault divisions to add weight to the areas where success either had been achieved or soon would be achieved.
Smoke started to erupt and tens of thousands of men began to advance in a limited offensive designed to force the Germans to honor a threat and move tactical, operational and strategic reserves to where STAVKA wanted them to be focused.
Chief Ganci, was the equivalent of the ships Captain. He makes sure his people are trained, then tells them what is needed done. Then they are tested. The tech in question has been trained, it is now test time.
Just caught up with this TL (spending at least several hours each day for the past two weeks). Excellent work, solid and plausible and very pleasant to read. Congratulations to the author!
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