Medical Department

H & D Divisions

H-Division is responsible for the health and welfare of the men of the ship. They are prepared at all times for the routine and emergency treatment of disease and injury. Their duties include everything from handing out aspirin in case of a headache to major surgery in case of an attack of appendicitis. In order "to keep as many men at as many guns for as many days as possible" the watchword of H Division is preventive medicine. This is accomplished by a series of lectures to the crew on first aid, self aid, preventive medicine, frequent inspections of sanitary conditions and counseling of the individual.

D-Division has the facilities for the populace of a small city. The men of Newport News receive their dental care aboard the ship under the most modern facilities possible. Preventive Dentistry is a major role of the Dental Department - without this present program the number of patients to be seen on the ship would more than double. Proven techniques in Oral Hygiene classes and the topical application of fluoride agents has greatly reduced the incidence of oral diseases for the crew. During General Quarters the officers and enlisted men of D Division join with those of H Division to man the various battle surgeries on the ship.

This is your historian at work aboard ship!