Engineering Onboard CG-70

by MC3 Ismael Martinez

15 February 2024 Maintaining a U.S. vessel requires a crew of sailors with experience, dedication and a passion for what they do. The auxiliary and primary devices that run the ship’s electricity, pumps and exhaust require meticulous care to ensure they run as long as the ship and crew need them too. Gas Turbine Systems Technician (Mechanical) 1^st Class Cornelius Miller, from Manchester, Jamaica, has served for 10 years maintaining the very engines that keep the ship running, and taking care of the Sailors that do so as well.

"Equipment changes are something we train them for,” said Miller. “She (the ship) has been in the water for a little while and is getting up there in age, so we need to account for that as well. Training GSMs for these conditions adds a layer of challenge.” 

Most Sailors who come into the Gas Turbine Systems Technician rate receive on the job training, but even the Navy’s smallest vessels have a plethora of mechanisms that require care. A U.S. Navy cruiser carries with it three generators for electricity, with four main propulsion engines. The average GSM is expected to develop the skills to maintain these systems, as well as any attached auxiliary systems that they rely on. “I’m most proud of seeing these brand new sailors come out of boot camp with no experience, and developing to become actual GSMs,” said Miller. “Actual mechanics.”

As a GSM, the responsibilities may include: maintaining, operating and repairing gas turbine engines, generators and auxiliary equipment, working with blueprints, schematics and charts, testing lubricants and fuels for contamination and quality, performing preventive maintenance on ship’s fuel and air systems, performing test on engines and equipment for proper performance, operating main propulsion equipment and engineering control systems, maintaining sea water, maintaining and controlling pitch propeller systems, and more.
 
Sailors coming into the ship with the expectation to maintain a multimillion dollar war ship can be frightening, especially when these ships need to make mission, and engine failure will cause delays in schedule. “It’s something we thought was going to be an issue,” said Miller. “But the sailors acclimate quite well, and have a lot of motivation. When it comes to daily tasking, manning will always be an issue, but we manage with the Sailors we have and what they bring to the table.”

Despite the anxieties, Miller states he has confidence in his motivated, young sailors. Expressing how he is relived that the crew he mentors stand ready to embark on future endeavors despite the sometimes isolating situation they devote themselves to. “Sometimes mentally, you feel as if you’re not ready because you’re never ready to leave your family,” stated Miller. “But we’re always ready to do the mission. We’re always ready to go out there and fight to maintain peace.”