AIR

Air Department is run by the air boss, whose responsibilities include overseeing the movement of aircraft on board and in the immediate airspace of the ship. Personnel assigned to Air Department launch, recover and fuel the aircraft as well as move them on the Flight Deck and in the Hangar Bay. The most notable features of the department are the colored jerseys worn by its personnel at sea. Yellow shirts are worn by catapult officers and plane directors, purple by refueling crews, red by ordnance handlers and crash and salvage crews, blue by plane movers and white by safety and medical personnel.

DECK

Deck Department oversees the traditional seafaring responsibilities on board and is manned by the “oldest rate in the Navy” -- the boatswain’s mates. On board Kitty Hawk, the department maintains the exterior decks below the flight deck, anchors the ship at sea, moors the ship to the pier in port, and rescues anyone falling overboard by piloting two rigid-hull inflatable boats. The department’s biggest responsibility, however, is underway replenishment of the ship. Along Kitty Hawk’s starboard side are the primary receivers for fuel transferred from supply ships that steam alongside. Mail, weapons, food and people also can be transferred in that fashion. But the most evident of boatswain’s mate duties to visitors is the tradition of “piping” of ship’s announcements and the ringing of the ship’s bell to tell time.

ENGINEERING

Engineering Department serves as Kitty Hawk’s utility company and public works center. The engineers provide fresh water, electricity, heating, air conditioning, interior communications and repair services -- all at no charge.   The engineers also ensure all eight boilers are on-line, powering the ship’s four propellers, four steam catapults and other ship’s systems. Another of Engineering  Department’s many responsibilities is protecting the ship from damage by ensuring the ship’s compartmentalization system is intact, and that fires and floods are prevented.

EXECUTIVE

Executive/Administrative Department is similar to the city hall staff. Office clerks, known as yeoman and personnelmen, maintain the records and files that enable the ship to operate. All official correspondence is routed through and distributed by this department. The Exec/Admin staff also includes lithographers, journalists and career advisors. The ship’s television, radio and newspaper are produced by this department. Executive Department also coordinates educational programs, ranging from Navy advancement tests to college courses.

LEGAL

Providing the ship’s court system and police force is the Legal Department. The Uniform Code of Military Justice details the conduct expected of Navy people.  As legal assistants, the department tends to the special needs of Sailors by helping them draft powers of attorney and wills so their families and property are taken care of.

MAINTENANCE

Ensuring the ship stays in top fighting shape is the Maintenance Department. The ship’s Preventive Maintenance System ensures that every piece of equipment on board is inspected regularly for wear and tear. The department schedules and documents these checks according to Navy standards, and provides guidance for obtaining replacement parts.

MEDICAL

Taking care of the health needs of the 5,500 Sailors on board and the hundreds of Sailors in the task group is Kitty Hawk’s Medical Department. This small "hospital at sea" is equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment and a full staff of health care professionals. The 65 inpatient beds, ICU, pharmacy, X-ray, laboratory and operating and emergency room capabilities enable the Medical Department to effectively manage minor to major illnesses and injuries. When the ship is at general quarters, six battle dressing stations, or triage areas, provide on-the-scene medical care.

NAVIGATION

Navigation Department is charged with safely getting Kitty Hawk to where it needs to be. The ship’s navigator and quartermasters use satellite and celestial navigation as aids to determine the ship’s location.  With the help of an extensive library of charts and maps, they can plot out the best direction of travel for the ship. In close maneuvers with other ships, the quartermasters take over steering the ship. The department is also responsible for signal flags you see on the yardarm. This age-old way mariners communicated is still carried out on board this modern warship today. The department’s signalmen can communicate Kitty Hawk’s intentions to other ships in close proximity by semaphore, mast lights or signal flags.

OPERATIONS

Operations Department is responsible for collecting, analyzing and distributing combat information to the captain, the admiral and the air wing to accomplish offensive and defensive missions. Through its different warfare and intelligence modules, the department monitors world events to give Kitty Hawk and the air wing the most accurate information available. Department personnel plan the ship’s movements, forecast weather conditions, provide photographic intelligence, operate the ship’s defensive weapons systems, maintains radar detection equipment, and controls aircraft operating within 60 miles of the ship.

SAFETY

Safety Department has the huge task of ensuring that the most dangerous place in the world -- the Flight Deck -- is also the safest, as well as every other space on board. Safety enforces the Navy’s occupational safety regulations on board and helps the crew focus on safety ashore.

SECURITY

Security is charged with ship’s physical security and law enforcement. More than 50 Sailors, trained in police techniques, are assigned to guard entrances to the ship, direct traffic in restricted areas, and operate the ship’s brig.

SUPPLY

It takes $9 million in ship support and another $22 million in air wing support each year to enable KITTY HAWK to perform its mission. Overseeing this budget and a $200 million inventory system is the Supply Department. From procuring needed parts to feeding the crew, the Supply Department sustains the crew and equips the ship. Divided into 10 customer service branches, the department runs seven dining facilities, the ship’s post office, maintains the crew's payroll, operates the ship's laundry and retail stores and arranges recreational activities at sea and ashore.

WEAPONS

The offensive and defensive capability of KITTY HAWK is provided by the Weapons Department. Hawk has over 2,000 tons of ordnance on board, ranging from air- and surface-launched missiles to the state-of-the-art precision-guided weapons. Weapons storage is provided in 54 weapons magazines, accessed by 11 weapons elevators.   Ordnance men maintain strict accounting and handling of their  explosive load.