Peter Carle Oral History

Peter Carle served aboard Intrepid as a radarman second class from December 1969 to November 1971. Carle began his interview by discussing his decision to join the Navy. Carle then described the training he had received from electronics school and radar school. He also recalled his assignment to Glynco Naval Air Station in Georgia, where he spent his time at C.I.C. school. Carle also noted that the training and experiences he received in the Navy had prepared him for his future job working with linear accelerators in hospitals, a job that ultimately led to Carle meeting his wife. The interview then shifted to Carle explaining C.I.C. (Combat Information Center), why C.I.C. was important, how radar worked, and Intrepid’s anti-submarine warfare mission. Carle also explained a typical day in C.I.C., his job as a supervisor, the various jobs that were performed in C.I.C., and the environment within C.I.C. He also explained C.I.C.’s involvement in navigation. The next topic to be discussed was liberty ports in Europe, and after describing his favorite port, Naples, Carle recalled the time when Intrepid departed Rosyth, Scotland, under radar and radio silence, which allowed the ship to avoid detection by the Soviets for 3 days. Carle also noted a hurricane that the ship had encountered in 1971, describing the seas that they had sailed through and the forces that the ship had endured. The interview then shifted back to C.I.C. when Carle discussed the immediate actions and sense of urgency that filled C.I.C. when a pilot went down in the water. Carle then described life aboard ship through topics such as his relationship with other radarmen, his berthing compartment, food, and his general quarters station in secondary conn. The interview ended with Carle stating what he hopes visitors will learn when they visit the museum and how he would explain the importance of C.I.C. to a visitor.