04.12.2023 –
Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division (NSWCPD) hosted 12 crew members from USS Gonzalez (DDG 66) during a Steering and Propulsion Control System Physical Throttle Training Summit held at the DDG 51 Land Based Engineering Site (LBES) on March 28, 2023.
USS Gonzalez is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, named for Sergeant Alfredo Cantu Gonzalez, a Medal of Honor recipient in the Vietnam War.
Led by Lt. Shea Redwine, the Sailors from DDG 66 who attended the event were Lt. j.g. Tyler Hernandez, Lt. j.g. Luke Teague, Lt. j.g. Jake Ellis, Ensign Johnathan Eagle, Ensign Benjamin Posner, Electronics Technician (ET1) Dylan Wilkins, Interior Communications Electrician (IC1) Estevan Gonzalez, Quartermaster (QM2) Christopher Sack, Electronics Technician (ET2) Jacob Hill, Electronics Technician (ET3) Tyler Pauletto, and Seaman Michael Young.
During the summit, the crew members were in-briefed on the Steering and Propulsion Control System (SPCS) software upgrades that they will be receiving, participated in hands-on training in the lab, and provided their input during the feedback session.
“The training that Sailors receive and the feedback that they provide will be crucial to the success of upcoming training summits and the future Ship Control System software releases,” NSWCPD Ship Controls: DDG 51 Class Special Projects Director Stan Derevyanko said.
According to Derevyanko, this training typically begins with software-based instruction with the Sailors learning about shipboard equipment then simulating the starting and stopping of engines. LBES simulates common scenarios that Sailors may encounter on their ship. At the end of their training, Sailors transition to operating live on a hot plant to troubleshoot equipment faults and perform preventative maintenance.
Some of the fault insertions are some of the most common faults they’re going to see. There’s nowhere else where they will be able to operate the plant live,” Derevyanko said.
During this training, NSWCPD ensured the utmost safety for the Sailors and training instructors. The Sailors experienced hands-on training by walking through Engineering Operation Sequencing System (EOSS) and Maintenance Requirement Card (MRC) procedures to gain familiarity with the Physical Throttle hardware and SPCS software.
“The safety of the Sailors is the number one priority. Training summits like these offer great opportunities to expand on the pier-side and shipboard training that Sailors currently receive, which will greatly benefit the fleet moving forward,” NSWCPD Ship Controls: DDG 51 Class DDG Physical Throttle Project Lead Tiffany Mosher said.
After the training summit, training instructors encouraged the Sailors to reach out to them if they had any concerns while at sea.
NSWCPD’s DDG 51 LBES also serves as a testbed for all new software rolling out to the fleet, as well as provides evaluation of new hardware and shipboard components. The site holds the DDG 51 propulsion system and provides a platform for immediate investigation, replication, analysis, and resolution of both fleet and new construction vessel operational and maintenance problems with no impact on ship schedules. The site is currently undergoing a significant upgrade to add DDG Flight III major components to support testing and validation of hardware and the Machinery Controls System (MCS) in support of this acquisition program.
Supporting the fleet for more than 30 years, NSWCPD’s DDG 51 LBES will continue to be useful as long as the DDG 51 ship class is in service.
Alfredo Cantu "Freddy" Gonzalez (May 23, 1946 – Feb. 4, 1968) was a United States Marine Corps sergeant who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for service in the Battle of Huế during the Vietnam War.
NSWCPD employs approximately 2,800 civilian engineers, scientists, technicians, and support personnel. The NSWCPD team does the research and development, test and evaluation, acquisition support, and in-service and logistics engineering for the non-nuclear machinery, ship machinery systems, and related equipment and material for Navy surface ships and submarines. NSWCPD is also the lead organization providing cybersecurity for all ship systems.