Aboard the USS Intrepid: A Navy Aircraft Carrier

The captain or assigned officer was responsible for directing the ship. The helm (steering wheel) and other controls are housed here in the pilot house, which is in the island. The island is the tower that rises from the flight deck.

Navigation equipment, including a compass repeater (a tool that repeats locations from the separate, main compass), provided information about Intrepid’s location. Just outside is the navigation bridge. The captain observed the flight deck and gave commands using equipment on the bridge.

The engine order telegraph allowed men in the pilot house to instruct sailors in the engine room to power the engine at a particular speed. Intrepid’s maximum speed was between 33-34 knots (38-40 mph or 61-64 kph). Its average speed was 15-20 knots (17-23 mph or 28-37 kph).

This board showed task group formations (groups of ships controlled by one leader) and the real-time locations of ships surrounding Intrepid.

The chart house is also on the navigation bridge level. Under the guidance of the ship’s navigator, crew members determined Intrepid’s location and plotted the ship’s course using manual and electronic navigation tools. Charts, drawing instruments and reference books were stored here. Personnel could observe the position of other ships, lighthouses, buoys and other aids to navigation from platforms surrounding the bridge.

The Navy used dead reckoning tracers (DRT) in navigation. Crew members entered the ship’s starting position into the DRT. The DRT automatically updated the ship’s position using data about the ship’s course and speed. It’s like a satellite navigation system before there were satellites!

Speaking tubes, or voice pipes, are located throughout the area. Crew members spoke into these shiny, brass tubes to communicate with crew in other parts of the ship.

It’s important to understand who surrounded the ship at all times, especially when preparing for battle. This radar could detect the position of enemy and ally ships up to 25 miles (40.23 km) away in any direction.

An admiral commands a group of ships and is responsible for their coordination, strategy and movement. The ship that carries the admiral is designated as the flagship. On occasion, Intrepid served as a flagship. During these periods, the admiral’s bridge or flag bridge, was reserved for use by an admiral and his staff. The flag bridge is located in the island, one level below the navigation bridge.

The squawk boxes were part of an intercom system, which was used to make important announcements. Crew members directed their messages to different areas of the ship by controlling the various switches.

The plotting table showed the positions and movements of both Intrepid and other ship contacts. This table also illuminated these positions on a paper chart placed on top of the glass. A different colored light represented each ship.

The Navy installed a closed-circuit television system named Pilot Landing Aid Television (PLAT) on carriers in the 1960s to record flight operations. Crew members viewed the launch and recovery of aircraft on this monitor.

Located below the island, the combat information center (CIC) was Intrepid’s information hub. Sailors assigned to the CIC collected, analyzed and shared information about the location and movement of all aircraft and ships, friend or enemy, within the area. Radar equipment, plotting tools, internal and external communications equipment allowed sailors to identify and track possible threats. They communicated important information to the ship’s commanding officer and other personnel.

Radarmen were trained for their position in CIC. Radar equipment allowed radarmen to track friendly and enemy ships and aircraft in the surrounding area.

Sound powered telephones, used only to communicate within the ship, did not need external power. If the ship lost power, these phones still worked. Each telephone changed sound pressure from the user’s voice into electric current, which was then converted back to sound at the other end.

Status boards provided information to the air traffic controller, CIC officer and plotters. Different information is listed on different status boards, but there was always at least one for air contacts (planes) and one for surface contacts (ships).

Pilots came to the squadron ready rooms to prepare for their flight missions. When the ship was built, these rooms were located near the flight deck (runway). Pilots waited for orders from the squadron commander. The commander informed pilots about wind, weather and ways to stop the enemy. After a mission, pilots reviewed the results in the ready room. Between flights, the room offered sanctuary where pilots relaxed and socialized.

Intrepid had two anchors at the bow, or front of the ship. These were used to hold the ship in one place. The ship’s massive anchor chains entered the ship at the fo’c’sle (a contraction for forecastle, a word for the forwardmost part of the ship). Here, sailors used machines to raise and lower the anchor chains into the water. Each anchor weighs about 30,000 pounds (13,608 kg), or the weight of approximately ten automobiles.

Sailors working here used the windlass, a tool to raise and lower the anchor. To raise the anchor, sailors prepared the windlass engine, released the brake and then raised the chain bit by bit. While raising the anchor, sailors cleaned ocean water and mud off the chain to prevent corrosion.

Sailors working in the anchor chain room made the space their own by painting images like this anchor. Other paintings in this room include an American flag and the Road Runner cartoon character. Many examples of sailor art survive throughout the ship.

Intrepid’s cooks prepared approximately seven tons (6.4 metric tons) of food every day to feed a hungry crew of more than 3,000 men. There are two large galleys (kitchens) fully equipped with the same grills, fryers and ovens found in a large restaurant. After waiting in line, crew members took their trays into one of the mess (dining) areas that were close-by. The mess is located in the middle of the ship.

Dishes were washed in areas called sculleries. New sailors were often assigned to work as “mess cooks,” but they didn’t actually cook. They cleaned the mess, galley and scullery areas and prepared food to be cooked. Although Intrepid had industrial dishwashers, sailors scrubbed many items by hand.