Maritime Engineering Journal 64 Since 1982 CANADA’S NAVAL TECHNICAL FORUM Spring 2009 The Nine Minute Writing Challenge (Part II) The Challenge Moves East CNTHA News Inside! Also in this Issue: • First Frigate Rollout of the MASIS “Deployed Solution” • Forum: The Requirement for Requirements • A Measure of Seaworthiness West Coast “whale” watching — Photo: Brian McCullough HMCS Orca (PCT-55) may look like a killer backyard building project in this October 2008 photo, but the patrol training vessel was simply in for repairs at the Point Hope Maritime Limited shipyard in Victoria’s Upper Harbour. Maritime Engineering (Established 1982) Edition No. 64 Journal SPRING 2009 DEPARTMENTS Commodore’s Corner Engineering Knowledge — Understanding the requirement is fundamental in the search for solutions by Commodore Richard Greenwood .............................................................. 2 Letters An Engineer’s Tale — Diving in the Engine Room by Commodore (Ret.) Ed Murray .................................................................. 3 Forum The Requirement for Requirements (or how to get what you want) Director General by LCdr (ret.) Gordon Forbes ........................................................................ 4 Maritime Equipment Program Management Commodore Richard W. Greenwood, OMM, CD FEATURES The East Coast’s “Short Answer” to the Nine Minute Writing Challenge Senior Editor We asked participants at the 2008 MARLANT Naval Technical Capt(N) Mike Wood DGMEPM Chief of Staff Seminar to write about their biggest technical challenge in the navy. You should read what they wrote. Project Director by 71 Worthy Contributors ............................................................................. 7 Maritime Engineering Journal Lt(N) Patrick Fortin Materiel Acquisition and Support Information System — First Frigate Rollout of the MASIS “Deployed Solution” Production Editor / Enquiries Brian McCullough by LCdr Simon Paré, CP02 Chris Tucker and Janelle Mansfield ............... 21 [email protected] Scrimshaw or scroll saw — Tel. (613) 831-4932 Is this YOUR ship? Associate Production Editor by CPO2 (ret.) Grant Heddon ...................................................................... 24 Bridget Madill A Measure of Seaworthiness Production Editing Services by by Michael Dervin ........................................................................................ 26 Brightstar Communications, Kanata, Ontario (613) 831-4932 BOOK REVIEW [email protected] Betrayed Print Management Services by reviewed by Capt(N) Hugues Létourneau ................................................... 28 Assistant Deputy Minister (Public Affairs) DPAPS / Creative Services CNTHA NEWS Newsletter of the Canadian Naval Technical Translation Services by History Association ............................................................................... Insert Public Works and Government Services Translation Bureau ADM(Mat) Translation Co-ordinator The Maritime Engineering Journal (ISSN 0713-0058) is an unofficial publication of the Mari- M. Clément Lachance time Engineers of the Canadian Forces, produced three times a year by the Director General Mari- time Equipment Program Management. Views expressed are those of the writers and do not nec- essarily reflect official opinion or policy. Mail can be sent to: The Editor, Maritime Engin- The Journal is available on the DGMEPM eering Journal, DMSS (6 LSTL), NDHQ, 101 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario website located on the DND DIN intranet Canada K1A 0K2. The editor reserves the right to reject or edit any editorial material. While at http://admmat.dwan.dnd.ca/dgmepm/ every effort is made to return artwork and photos in good condition, the Journal assumes no re- dgmepm/publications sponsibility for this. Unless otherwise stated, Journal articles may be reprinted with proper credit. A courtesy copy of the reprinted article would be appreciated. MARITIME ENGINEERING JOURNAL NO. 64 SPRING 2009 1 Commodore’s Corner Engineering Knowledge — Understanding the requirement is fundamental in the search for solutions By Commodore R.W. Greenwood, OMM, CD Director General Maritime Equipment Program Management ne of the benefits of my po- I believe we have always known As we embark on what promises Osition as DGMEPM is that I this. Engineering knowledge is dif- to be the busiest, most sustained pe- get to enjoy the Journal articles ferent from the sciences, princi- riod of fleet renewal activity since the ahead of the general readership. And pally in that it is objective-specific. steamers were built in the 1950s and “enjoy” is the operative word. I am As Walter Vincenti notes, “engi- 60s, it is important that we under- continually impressed with the scope neering knowledge reflects the stand the special nature of our engi- and quality of the articles, ranging as fact that design does not take place neering and technical knowledge, they do from the deck-plates engi- for its own sake and in isolation... and how best to apply it. The genera- neering immediacy of the “Is this (but) is a social activity directed at a tion and sustainment of naval capa- YOUR ship?” feature, to a more practical set of goals intended to bility at sea is our primary objective, philosophical perspective such as serve human beings in some way. As and it is also the performance meas- you’ll find in this issue’s Forum of- such, it is intimately bound up with ure by which all of our work today fering from Gordon Forbes on “The economic, military, social, personal, and in the months and years ahead Requirement for Requirements.” and environmental needs and con- will be judged. The onus therefore straints.” rests with each one of us to evalu- This ongoing juxtaposition of the ate, every single day, the effective- practical and the philosophical serves Where have we seen this before? ness of our activities and efforts in to highlight the reality of life in the A number of readers may recall me contributing to the technical capabil- naval engineering and technical sup- saying in a naval architectural con- ity and readiness of Canada’s current port community. Naval engineering text that the hardest thing about and future naval fleets. (or engineering in general) is not so ship design is designing the require- much about the steady accumulation ment. If the requirement is feasi- of a growing body of increasingly ble, coherent, internally consistent sophisticated and arcane factual in- and affordable, then the rest is formation, as it is about developing “just” engineering; but if the re- knowledge and applying it to our quirement is not all of these things, work. In his interesting book, “What then no amount of engineering bril- [*“What Engineers Know and Engineers Know and How They liance can solve the problem. In our How They Know It: Analytical Know It,”* Walter G. Vincenti uses search for solutions, which is after all Studies from Aeronautical History examples from aeronautical design the essence of engineering in the (Johns Hopkins Studies in the history to make the point that engi- design sense, a comprehensive un- History of Technology),” by neering is not a mere subset of ap- derstanding of the mission require- Walter G. Vincenti, The Johns plied science. Much as it may employ ment is fundamental to the develop- the same products, Vincenti maintains ment of new capabilities. Gordon Hopkins University Press, 1990.] that engineering is a distinct and Forbes’ excellent Forum article takes unique intellectual endeavour in its this idea a step farther by illustrating own right, developing knowledge of how our understanding of the mission a fundamentally different nature requirement is best translated into a from the raw facts of physical sci- suitable specification of the material ence. requirement. 2 MARITIME ENGINEERING JOURNAL NO. 64 SPRING 2009 Letters Dear (Editor): I’d like to thank you for recently received copies of the Maritime Engi- neering Journal. We at BC Ferries read each edition with considerable interest and a more than occasional application to our fleet here on the west coast. Yours aye, Jeff Smith Director Fleet Planning & Projects — B.C. Ferry Services Inc. 12800 Rice Mill Road, Richmond BC V6W 1A1 Subject: An Engineer’s Tale I found the Nine Minute Writing Challenge tales (MEJ: Issue 63) very [Thank you, sir. Great idea. We’d wel- entertaining, and thought you might find the following of interest. In fact, why come the opportunity to hear from any- not start collecting amusing tales from the naval engineering world? one with a naval story, amusing or oth- erwise. — Editor] — Commodore (Ret.) Ed Murray Diving in the Engine Room* By Commodore (Ret.) Ed Murray ne day in 1962 while HMCS I went back to the engine room to OSaguenay was at anchor in report, I found the console sur- the Queen Charlotte Islands, I was rounded by an impressive group of shaken at 0530 by the chief petty very unhappy people — the captain, officer in charge of the flashup. He the XO, the engineer, the chief ERA told me the chief ERA needed to see and assorted others. As I had re- me as there was uncontrolled flood- cently completed my engine room ing in the engine room. When I ar- ticket, I decided to crawl into the rived in the engine room, water was bilge area in my wetsuit and face- pumping from the bilge back into spraying from somewhere in the star- mask so that I might more clearly the bilge. board bilge area so heavily it was appraise the situation. In less than a I must admit feeling very impossible