Weapons Department

What They Do

The Weapons Department owns the ship’s ordnance from cradle to flight deck. Its sailors receive, stow, inspect, and maintain bombs, missiles, ammunition, and the propellants that arm both the ship and its air wing. From magazines buried deep in the hull, they move ordnance upward through a carefully controlled chain to where aircraft wait to be armed.

Handling explosives at sea allows no margin for error, so the work is governed by exacting procedures and constant supervision. Specialized teams maintain the weapons, manage the magazines, and operate the elevators and handling gear, while explosive ordnance disposal personnel stand ready to render safe anything that goes wrong.

Aboard Constellation

When flight operations intensified, the Weapons Department fed the deck a steady stream of ordnance, building and staging weapons to match the day’s strike plan. Sailors moved heavy, dangerous loads through tight passages and up weapons elevators, every step checked and rechecked, because a single mishap in a magazine could threaten the entire ship.

Their discipline was relentless precisely because the stakes were absolute. Ordnance had to be the right type, properly assembled, and delivered on time to the right aircraft. The department’s quiet, methodical labor in the ship’s lower reaches gave the air wing its striking power and kept that power safely contained until the moment it was needed.

Divisions

Divisions

The Weapons Department comprised 6 divisions; each has its own roster page with every Sailor by rank, name, and a link to the cruise book.

Questions & Answers