Tuesday, 09 February 1999
As of 0800, the Empire State was located at 21 degrees and 38.6 minutes North latitude, 069 degrees and 10.0 minutes West longitude, steering a course of 305 degrees true, at a speed of 12 knots. The Dominican Republic is 125 nm to the southwest. The air temperature is 74 degrees F. Water temperature is 78 degrees. The skies are clear with northeast wind at 5 knots, sea state 1 (4 feet). Water depth is 18, 456 feet. Barometric pressure is 1021 millibars and rising.
CAPTAIN'S LOG:
(CDR Brad Lima, Chairman of the Marine Engineering Department and Engineering Training Coordinator at sea, wrote today's log.)
What a difference one working chill water pump makes! The Captain's stateroom is exceptionally cool and comfortable, at last. The replacement motor arrived in St. John and the engineers wasted no time in returning the air conditioning system to full operation. For some, this marks the first comfortable night's sleep in ages. Seawater temperature is also falling and the outside air temperature has dropped by five degrees since leaving the Caribbean, yesterday. Passageway thermometers are generally reading 65 degrees and trousers replaced shorts on cadets standing the night watches. I know that the readers feel our pain.
My point of reference is Engineering Training and approximately 300 of the 450 cadets aboard, will cycle through the curricula. During sea term, we will record over 6000 engineering grades that are derived from written exams, practical demonstrations, or "walk-throughs". It is stressful, but leave it to cadets to keep things in perspective.
We administered written exams to all hands last Friday. One question on the senior's engineer exam read: "What is the first thing that should be done when completing the overhaul of a pump/motor assembly?" The correct answer is: "Insure proper alignment between the pump and motor." One senior, who had obviously earned a stellar grade already, wrote, "Make sure that you hide any left over parts from the Chief Engineer."
Shipboard engineering requires that one employ a systematic approach to problem solving. Everything is interconnected to produce one functioning machine, the ship. To be successful now, and later in life, our cadets must think logically, troubleshoot problems, and be able to determine the root causes of failures. This type of training requires them to use their heads and hands to reach solutions. If a pump is to be taken out of service, the engineer must plan ahead and determine precisely how and when repairs will be accomplished. He must know that adequate spare components are on hand before he starts. What happens if the standby pump fails while the main one is off line? What other equipment may be effected by securing the pump? To answer these questions after the fact or by incurring equipment casualties is unacceptable. The Sea Term and this ship provide cadets with a wonderful platform on which to practice and improve these skills.
Engineering is certainly much more than turning a wrench, even if turning the wrench is ultimately required to fix most things. Not only do cadets think about it; they do it. Each one quickly learns that theory is not true in practice. Many things just don't work as described in the tech manuals but you still have to get them to work--or the air conditioning in the Captain's cabin won't keep him cool. Attention to detail and desire to meet the commitment are central to life out here. We just can't teach that lesson in the classroom. Learn-Do-Learn, as we practice it, teaches remarkable confidence. The ship teaches humility. Cadets need both.