 Today, United States Army supplies are shipped throughout the free world in support of our military commitments. The handling of this costly military cargo in terminal operations is a vital and highly complex activity. It demands a thorough knowledge of the equipment used aboard the ship and on the pier in loading or unloading the vessel. This film, the second in a series on loading and unloading cargo vessels, is designed to familiarize members of United States Army Transportation Terminal Service Units and supervising officers with the nomenclature and functions of ship's gear and cargo handling gear. Ship's gear includes those components on the vessel itself used in lifting and moving the cargo. Cargo handling gear includes items used in conjunction with the ship's gear for the loading or unloading operation. There are three main categories of ship's gear, standing rigging, running rigging, and deck fittings. Items of standing rigging include the mast assembly consisting of the mast house, the mast, the cross tree, and the shrouds and stays. Major items of running rigging include booms, topping lifts, midship guys, cargo runners, outboard guys, and preventors. Deck fittings, which are devices used to lead or secure standing or running rigging, consist of pad eyes, cleats, bits, and chocks. At Fort Eustis, Virginia, home of the United States Army Transportation Training Command, various facilities such as this winch farm provide complete orientation in all ship's gear. But let's go aboard the land ship, another training facility, and take a look at the backbone of the ship's gear, the mast. It is a tubular steel structure descending through the main deck and below where it is secured on or at the keel of the vessel. Some vessels have king posts instead of masts. They serve the same purpose. Additional support is given to the mast by shrouds leading a fort ship and the stays which lead fore and aft. The shrouds are steel cables attached to the top of the mast. They lead to the outboard sides of the vessel where they are secured to turnbuckles attached to pad eyes. The cross tree forms a firm support for attachment of the blocks used in controlling movement of the boom. Surrounding the foot of the mast, the mast table provides the location for attachment of various deck fittings. Principal function of the mast is to support the cargo booms which are attached to goosenecks or flexible fittings that allow both horizontal and vertical movement. The safe working load is indicated on the heel of each boom. Secured at the head of the boom, the topping lift raises or lowers the boom as required for vertical positioning. Topping lifts may be single or multiple. The topping lift shown here consists of a single heavy-duty cable which is fastened to the link band at the head of the boom, then leads through the topping lift block attached at the top of the king post. Then it descends to the bale at the side. A multiple topping lift is rigged with the topping cable heaved between the blocks, giving additional purchase and relieving strain on the winch during topping operations. Guy tackles control the lateral movement and placement of the booms. And a midship guy is rigged between the heads of two booms. It leads from the booms to the top of the king post and then to the base where it is secured to a cleat. The inboard guy, so-called because it leads from the head of the boom inboard, eliminates the necessity for an a midship guy. Leading from the head of the boom outboard are the outboard guys. These are also used to stabilize the booms. Preventors or wire ropes give additional support to the outboard guys. The cargo runner leads from the winch through the heel block, through the head block, and is joined at the cargo hook to control the vertical movement of cargo. In standard operations, two booms are normally used for a single lift. Various expedients and combinations in boom rigging may be used for particular situations, as in the case of the four booms block and bite rig shown here, arranged for heavy lifts. Jumbo booms are used for lifts which exceed the safe working capacity of standard ship's gear. Most cargo vessels are equipped with jumbo booms which have a lifting capacity of from 50 to 60 tons. In transit, the jumbo boom is secured fully rigged in a vertical position to the mast. The jumbo boom requires four sources of power for its operation, as all vertical and lateral positioning of the boom is done under power. In working heavy lifts, all standing and running rigging and deck fittings must be checked frequently to detect unusual wear or chafing. This is the e-ball rig, an innovation in boom rigging. It provides greater flexibility in positioning the booms. The placement of the various blocks is a contributing factor to this flexibility. The ferrule rig is another innovation in boom rigging. Both the ferrule and e-ball rigs require complete electrically controlled power sources for topping, lowering, and lateral placement of the booms. Either rig may be operated by one man at the controls. The ship's gear includes various items of deck machinery, such as the winches, which may be steam driven as shown here, or electric as on many of the newer cargo vessels. Operation of booms and winches will be shown in a subsequent film in this series. Cargo handling gear, used in conjunction with the ship's gear, includes a variety of devices for securing the cargo so that it may be safely loaded or discharged. This pallet and bridle, typical items of cargo handling gear, are being used to lift a draft of unitized cargo aboard a stevedor training vessel in the Fort Eustis port area. For rapid movement of cargo, this method of handling is effective. In many instances, the cargo is banded to the pallet, eliminating the necessity of handling commodities on the pallet individually. Other typical items of cargo handling equipment include chime hooks. They are used in pairs and are designed to fit the chimes of drums or barrels. Bomb slings are made of wire rope and vary in size according to the weight of the bombs. These are running hook slings. Wheel nets and spreaders are used for vehicle lifts. Cargo nets and pipe plates prevent crushing of fragile commodities such as small arms ammunition. Safety net pallet bridles are used for similar fragile cargo lifts. Cargo sets of various types are available to ensure selection of the proper cargo handling gear for the particular lift. These contain all-purpose gear, which can be used for many types of cargo, and special-purpose gear, which is designed for use on one type of cargo. The cargo set, General Hatch, contains basic stevedoring equipment normally required to load or unload any piece of general cargo, not exceeding five long tons in weight. Normally, there are 12 General Hatch cargo sets to each full-strength transportation terminal service unit. Coopering and shoring sets provide tools and items of supply for on-the-job repairs of broken cargo containers, and for use in shoring, blocking, bracing, bulkheading, and cribbing cargoes. Plate handling sets contain basic equipment necessary to handle plate cargo in quantities sufficient to serve one terminal service company. Drum sets provide equipment required for handling drum cargo and accompanying dunnage in quantities sufficient to work a five-hatch cargo ship. Rigors sets contain basic tools required by rigors engaged in long-shoreman operations. A cleaning set contains all gear necessary for the proper cleaning of the holes and decks of ships, floors of piers, warehouses, and wharves. Proper maintenance of all cargo handling gear is the responsibility of the terminal service company's stevedore gear and equipment maintenance section. The chests containing the cargo sets are easily transportable and may be taken aboard the ship when necessary. Other cargo sets, organic to a terminal organization, include gear to load or unload heavy lifts, vehicles, and timbers. Aboard the vessel itself, the ship's crew is normally responsible for proper maintenance of the ship's gear. But the terminal service officer has overall responsibility for safe cargo operations. All gear on the ship or on the pier must be checked for defects before starting and repaired or replaced if necessary. Proper use of equipment in cargo operations is essential to prevent damage to cargo and injury to personnel. Remember the various categories and capabilities of equipment used in terminal cargo operations. In operation of ship's gear, be sure that the safe working load of the booms is not exceeded. For heavy lifts, use a jumbo boom within its capacity. Be familiar with innovations in boom rigging such as the evil rig and the farrow rig for greater flexibility in cargo operations. Be familiar with the different kinds of winches. Know items of cargo handling gear and use components best suited to the particular job. Be familiar with the various cargo handling sets and their application. Observe safety procedures throughout cargo operations. Terminal loading and unloading activities demand the highest degree of alertness, skill, and safety. Terminal service unit personnel can fulfill these demands only when the capabilities and functions of all ship's gear and cargo handling gear are thoroughly understood.