Photo By Matthew Montgomery | Joseph Blair, USNS Trenton third engineer, replaces cables during an annual dry-dock...... read more read more
Trenton is a unique ship — one of only eight T-EPFs in the Military Sealift Command’s inventory. Compared to other ships, T-EPFs are smaller and more agile. This allows them to carry 600 tons for 1,200 nautical miles at an average speed of 35 knots.
The unique mission and smaller size means the engineering team deals with a wide-range of issues that arise.
“Every day is something different — there’s no monotony,” said Michael Keefe, Trenton chief engineer. “You don’t get bored because there’s always a new mission or something different that needs to be repaired or fixed.”
When it comes to troubleshooting and fixing problems, Keefe said the team on a T-EPF has to be versatile and constantly willing to learn. A limited team of nine means no specialization among the engineers, and the smaller platform means adjusting the way problems are solved.
“My team is one of the best I’ve ever worked with — they’re a group of self-starters and don’t have to be micromanaged,” said Keefe. “They’re not afraid to work on different things and learn new skills. On a ship like this you have to have more initiative because we don’t specialize. If you see something that is wrong – you need to start figuring out how to fix it.”
Trenton rides rougher in the water compared to bigger oilers, which means the team has to plan maintenance accordingly. “Some jobs that might only take one person on a bigger ship, takes two on Trenton for safety reasons,” said Keefe.
Over the past 16 years with MSC, Keefe has worked on seven different platforms and said communication within the class is vital for mitigating issues. This sharing of information allows engineers to make informed decisions and take preventative measures.
“Nothing major has come up that wasn’t expected,” said Keefe. “The engineers across the T-EPF program share information and talk really well. For this reason, we usually know what issues might arise and what preventive measures we can take. We’ve been able to keep issues from arising because of the information engineers on other T-EPFs have shared.”
Assisting in supervising the team is Keefe’s first engineer, Morris Williams, who has more than 13 years with the organization. His job involves training, reviewing data and ensuring daily operations run smoothly.
“A typical day involves checking the daily operations, reviewing logs and ensuring the machines are running the way they’re supposed to be,” said Williams. “We know the temperatures and levels all of our equipment should be running around. I’m able to review the data electronically and identify anomalies or levels that are out of the normal constraints. If we find something, then we look at why the data is off and determine if a fix is necessary.”
For a majority of the issues that arise, the team is capable of fixing the problems. Occasionally the work is extensive, or beyond the scope of what the team is able to do aboard the ship. When this happens, the work is contracted out during a port visit or dry-dock period. That doesn’t mean the engineering team gets a break though.
“If we can’t fix it, we communicate with shore-side to get the parts or expertise necessary to make sure the ship keeps moving,” said Keefe. “Even when something is contracted out, we’re right there watching to make sure the work is being done correctly.”
For the T-EPF program, a yearly dry-dock period is required so the ship can perform a complete overhaul. Trenton recently finished up this process in Marseille, France, and is now back operating in the Mediterranean.
Snapshot: Trenton engineers
- Morris Williams, first engineer
Williams grew up in Danville, Virginia, and has been with MSC for over 13 years. The father of five girls — ages 18, 17, 16, 12 and 10 — worked his way up from an entry-level position with the organization.
“I came in as steward utility and worked for the supply department,” said Williams. “During my free time I would go down to the engine room for on-the-job training. This gave me the opportunity to get familiar with engineering systems and how they operate. It only took me about six months before I was able to transition into the engine room in an entry level position. After schooling with MSC I became a refrigeration engineer.”
Williams is thankful MSC realized his potential and invested in his training and career development. He brings a wealth of knowledge to Trenton’s engineering team, having served on many different platforms over the years.
“I’ve worked on many different platforms — from hospital ships to the USS Mount Whitney. I think the only big platform I haven’t spent time on is an oiler,” said Williams. “The crew is smaller than the bigger ships, but I’ve grown to really enjoy it. This is my first time sailing as a first engineer, so it’s a good way to ease into management. Supervising the smaller crew on a unique platform is not too challenging but interesting.”
Williams enjoys the security he has working for MSC, and takes pride in how closely connected he is to the Navy.
- Sergey Amosov, second engineer
Amosov was born in Russia and grew up in Turkmenistan where he studied mechanical engineering. He graduated at age 25 and came to the U.S. where he found a job with a construction company. After a couple years in New York, Amosov decided to head to Louisiana and work off-shore on a supply boat.
He tried to join the Navy after more than 20 years sailing with the private sector, but was past the age requirements for service. He decided MSC was his next best option to fulfill his desire to serve the country he’d grown to love.
“Working with MSC got me exactly what I was looking for when I tried to join the Navy,” said Amosov. “I feel like I’m contributing to the warfighter and I take pride in that. I still think the Navy would be a better fit for me, but MSC is great.”
Trenton is the first MSC ship for Amosov and he’s part of the original crew.
“Trenton is a learning process because it’s the newest ship in the class and only a couple years old,” said Amosov. “There are problems that arise that I’ve never been dealt with before and I have to work with the team to figure out solutions. You don’t see that very often on your older ships — most of the time when you hear a noise, you already know what the problem is and how to fix it. That’s not the case with Trenton, which makes the job both exciting and frustrating at the same time.”
The new father of a little girl says his family is what keeps him motivated and working hard at sea. “I know I have to provide for her and ensure she has a good future — I know I can do that with MSC,” said Amosov.
- Joseph Blair, third engineer
Blair grew up in Kingsley, Michigan, and attended the Great Lakes Maritime Academy. He’s been with MSC for more than two years and on Trenton for over a year.
His journey to MSC reads like a fate-based scripted story, full of perfectly placed coincidences that defined his career path and future. He considers himself very fortunate considering he had no idea what he wanted to do after high school.
Blair’s story starts with his dad searching for a truck. After months of scouring the ads and looking online, his dad found one that was perfect. He showed up to purchase the truck and the owner was John Burke, head of admissions at Great Lakes Maritime Academy. Burke told Blair’s dad his son needed to come see the program.
“My dad, being a good dad, kept pushing me to go check it out,” said Blair. “After some pestering, I finally decided to go check it out for myself.”
Blair set up an interview with Burke to visit the campus. Blair remembers the beauty of the campus, but he wasn’t impressed with the classroom instruction.
“When we got to the part where he showed me the State of Michigan, which is the training ship, he took me on a quick tour and then stopped in the engine room. He said he was going to leave me there and give me a chance to just check it out,” recalls Blair. “As soon as I walked into the engine room I knew I had found the career I was going to spend the rest of my life doing. There were dials, buttons, screens, and I didn’t know what any of it meant, but I knew I wanted to know how all of it worked. It was the first time in my life I had that ‘ah-ha’ moment.”
He went home and started working on his admission paperwork.
When he first started at the academy, MSC gave a presentation during a job fair for the new students. They also conducted interviews with students getting ready to graduate. Just like with the engine room, Blair was immediately attracted to MSC without even having much exposure to the maritime field.
“I didn’t sail as a cadet with MSC, but I knew they would probably be a good fit for me,” said Blair. “I didn’t choose MSC immediately after graduation because I wanted to work with the unions first.”
That decision also proved to be pivotal in Blair’s life, realizing his first instinct was probably the best. “I was stuck doing night work in Texas and not really enjoying what I was doing,” said Blair. “After about four months, I applied for a job with MSC. Six months later I was starting the onboarding process.”
His first ship was a Fleet Replenishment Oiler, the USNS John Lenthall. While there, he learned about the Joint High Speed Vessel program from one of his friends and did a ship-to-ship transfer.
“The best part about the JHSV program is MSC spends over a month training you on this particular class of vessel,” said Blair. “It really helps because it is so unique from the other ships in our inventory. I was very impressed with the training process and felt it helped tremendously.
“The crew here is great and there is a ton of good quality work,” continued Blair. “There is always something to do, and for someone like me who likes to stay busy, it’s a great fit. Since we don’t specialize, I get the opportunity to work on just about everything.”
- Justin Langan, third engineer
Langan is from upstate New York and attended the State University of New York Maritime College. He’s been with MSC for almost a year. He found out about the organization through one of his friends who is currently a second engineer on the USNS Grapple, an MSC Service Support Rescue and Salvage ship.
“I like the Trenton, and working for MSC in general,” said Langan. “I think going to the maritime academy, and then coming out to a program like the expeditionary fast transport, puts me well ahead of my peers.”
Langan grew up around engines and rebuilt his first dirt-bike motor when he was 14. He enjoys the engineering team and the amount of training he receives with the organization. For the self-described country boy from New York, MSC is a great fit for his interests.
“I would tell anyone currently undecided about what they want to do that they need to expand what they see and look for other opportunities,” said Langan. “If I would have stayed at home, I’d probably be working on a farm right now. Instead I’m out seeing the world and doing something I really enjoy.”
In his short time as a mariner, Langan has already visited France, Spain, Greece, Italy, Iceland, Ireland and more.
| Date Taken: | 05.15.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 05.15.2017 07:01 |
| Story ID: | 233833 |
| Location: | MARSEILLE, FR |
| Web Views: | 571 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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