Gear Plant News

GE Marine Engines' Lynn, Mass. Gear Plant recently received the U.S. Navy's Theater Surface Combatant Team Award for Excellence for the prompt effort performed on the main reduction gear of the USS Decatur DDG 73 destroyer. The award was presented to GE in July by U.S. Navy Capt. Fred Parker, AEGIS Shipbuilding program manager. According to the U.S. Navy citation, signed by Rear Admiral William W. "Showing extraordinary initiative and responsiveness, team members immediately took action to identify the problem, deploy the necessary resources, and accomplish repairs in a timely and professional manner.

Propeller Boss Cap Fins (PBCF) is a propeller enhancing device, which is designed to cut fuel consumption and exhaust gases by up to five percent while incurring no additional maintenance cost once installed. The unit, according to H. Yumoto Manager of PBCF Div. Mitsui O.S.K. Techno Trade, Ltd., is now operational on 720 ship worldwide. The PBCF rectifies the propeller hub vortex and recovers rotational energy otherwise lost in the propeller slip stream. Increasing propeller thrust by over one percent and reducing propeller torque by over three percent, the PBCF reportedly results in fuel savings of up to five percent or compared to vessels operating at equivalent speeds but without the PBCF, alternatively, a 1.5 percent increase in speed at the same engine output.