Marine engineering

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(The term marine engineer can also refer to a designer who specializes in the design and building of marine machinery.)

Marine Engineers are the officers of a ship that operate and maintain the propulsion and electrical generation systems onboard the vessel. Sometimes, they are involved in the design and construction of these complicated systems. New design is mostly included within the naval architecture or ship design. The merchant and military fleets of the world would not function without Marine Engineers. The field is closely related to mechanical engineering, although the modern engineer requires knowledge (and hands on experience) with electrical, electronic, pneumatic, hydraulic, chemistry, control engineering, naval architecture, process engineering, gas turbines and even nuclear technology on certain military vessels.

Marine Engineering staff also deal with the "Hotel" facilities onboard, notably the sewage, lighting, air conditioning and water systems. They deal with bulk fuel transfers, and require training in firefighting and first aid, as well as in dealing with the ship's boats and other nautical tasks- especially with cargo loading/discharging gear and safety systems, though the specific cargo discharge function remains the responsibility of deck officers and deck workers.

A ship's crew is divided into two distinct sections. Those who navigate the ship and those who maintain it. The navigators are deck officers and report to the Master (also functionally referred to as 'Captain'), and engineers whose charge is the running and maintenance of all machinery report to the Chief engineer. Also on board are 'ratings' who are experienced hands who, though not officers, but play a key role in assisting the officers in daily operations. These include 'AB's' (able seamen) who, amongst other things, moor the ship to the quay, lower and raise anchor, chip and paint the deck and keep the place generally tidy; the catering department (cook, stewards etc), and the motormen (or fitters, depending on nomanclature), who play a large role in the daily upkeep of the engine room.

The original term engineer on a ship meant the people who dealt with the engines ("The black hand gang"), as opposed to the Consulting Engineer concept. Marine Engineers are generally much more hands on, and often get dirty, sweaty and work in arduous conditions with temperatures in engine roon spaces exceeding 50 degrees Celsius. Care and a clear head need to be maintained at all times, however, especially with heavy machinery in a seaway, and in managing the rest of the engine-room crew.

There are 4 classifications of Marine Engineering licences throughout the Merchant Marine, those being Chief Engineer, 1st Engineer, 2nd Engineer, and 3rd Engineer.

A common Engineering crew for a ship is:

(1) Chief Engineer

(1) Second Engineer (1st Assistant Engineer)

(1) Third Engineer (2nd Assistant Engineer)

(1) Fourth Engineer/s (3rd Assistant Engineer)

(1-2) Fifth/Junior Engineer/s

(1) Oiler (non-licenced (un)skilled hands)

(1-3) Greaser/s (non-licensed (un)skilled hands)

(1-3) Junior Ratings (non licenced unskilled hands)

Engineer Officers bear the same number of stripes on epaulettes as Deck Officers with complementary rank. For instance, a Chief Engineer bears 4 stripes, as a Captain does, but they are distinguished by the epaulettes bearing the Engineer's Blue. There is a popular legend that Engineers wear the color in honor of the RMS Titanic's Engineers who never abandoned their stations and went down with the ship. But that colorful story is not quite the source of the honour. In the 1830s, Joseph Whitworth invented the method of making truly accurate flat surfaces by using Engineer's blue. The method is also used for testing bearing and journal surfaces. It is this color that Engineers wear.

External links

Maritime Resources

Wikipedia Resources

Maritime Associations

Maritime Academies & Schools

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