The “combat information center” or CIC is the heart of every modern navy ship.
It was foreshadowed by early sci-fi novels in the beginning of 20th century, and the earlier variations of what would become the CIC after the Second World War were introduced initially on U.S. aircraft carriers as combat direction centers between 1942 and 1943 and as aircraft direction rooms in the Royal Navy in 1942. Modern CICs function as tactical centers and provide processed information for command and control of the near battlespace or area of operations for all dimensions of the battlefield—air, sea and underwater. Let’s dive into some cinematic shots of the CIC’s evolution from WWII to the modern era!
Crew work in the main battery plotting room aboard USS Missouri in Korean waters, 1951. During 8 months of operation in Korean waters, “Mighty Mo” fired more than 3,000 rounds of 16" ammunition and over 8,000 rounds of 5” ammunition upon both coasts of the Korean Peninsula.
Radarman, Richard L. Hasty, USN, plotting ship positions on the summary plotting board in the combat information center, USS Boxer (CVS-21), 1956.
Combat information center inside a ZPG-2 airship, circa 1950.
Plotting boards on board USS Oriskany (CVA-34).
Men at work in the combat information center of USS Spruance (DD-963), where all tactical information of interest to the ship is directed.
Operations specialists at radar consoles on board USS Kinkaid (DD-965). Operations specialists John and James Wilcher, twins from Thomson, Georgia, sit at the radar consoles located in USS Kinkaid's combat information center.
Crew members work in the combat information center on board USS Iowa (BB-61) while underway in the Atlantic Ocean sometime in December 1984.
Men at work in the combat information center on board USS Enterprise (CVAN-65).
Royal Netherlands Navy captain (central), lieutenant 2nd class, and petty officer surrounding a DAISY console in the CIC of a Dutch frigate sometime between 1980 and 1990. DAISY stands for “digital automatic information processing system” (digitaal automatisch informatieverwerkend system), and this system was designed to automate and integrate the data streams of the Tromp-class guided missile frigates. The DAISY combat management system was installed on all RNN frigates in the 1980s and 1990s.
Sailors on board Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG-60) stand watch in the combat information center (April 15, 2015) (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Justin R. DiNiro / Released).
Lt. J.G. Rachel Hill stands watch at a console in the combat information center during a combat systems training scenario on board guided-missile destroyer USS Laboon (DDG 58) (Mar. 26, 2017) (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class J. R. DiNiro / Released).
All photos are courtesy of the U.S. Naval Institute Photo Archive. Looking for more thrilling shots related to naval history? Check the photo archive online here.
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