Profile

I am a semi-retired Chartered Marine and Mechanical Engineer, presently living in Surrey where my wife and I are fairly near to our children and grand-children.

I enjoy sailing; I learned to sail a dinghy when at Junior School but now sail in other people’s yachts. I am very interested in ropes and knot-work, both practical and decorative.

I enjoy self-study and research. In 2020 I am working on a problem associated with ship stability.

I originally trained as a marine engineer officer in the Royal Navy. I served at sea in a variety of Frigates, Aircraft Carriers and a Hydrofoil in and around the UK waters, North Atlantic, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean, Arabian Gulf, East and South China Seas, and Sea of Japan. Other appointments were associated with ship refitting in dockyards at Rosyth and Devonport. I also ran the final phase of training for graduate marine engineer officers, using an operational frigate as my classroom for practical machinery operation training.

After 24 years in the Royal Navy, I worked in Engineering Consultancy for 12 years, engaged in energy production and energy efficiency projects. For part of this, period I worked in Saudi Arabia, commissioning a production mill making large steel pipes.

My final 10 years of full-time employment were spent working for Thames Water as Combined Heat and Power specialist engaged in generating Power from Poo. This uses anaerobic digestion to convert sewage sludge into a Methane rich Biogas that is then used to run reciprocating engine-alternator sets.

One of the joys of engineering is that typical days don’t exist. Each day is a mix of new and old problems to solve.

When was I serving in ships in the Royal Navy a day at sea could include a complete mix of activities:

• Watchkeeping on the main machinery
• Supporting the ship’s operational programme
• Planning and supervising maintenance activities
• Taking part in whole ship exercises, e.g. Action Stations
• Responding to any machinery break-down and returning the plant to full capability as quickly as possible
• Being part of the Ship’s Fire Brigade
• On the upper deck for re-fuelling the ship at sea, Replenishment at Sea, in all weathers
• Supporting the people in my Division with their; development and promotion, general welfare, and occasional Discipline

With Thames Water my days were a mixture of:

• Monitoring performance of the 24 Power from Poo sites
• Responding to immediate problems at individual sites
• Providing continuing training, support and guidance to site operators
• Planning for machinery plant changes in the next 5-10 years