HMS Queen Elizabeth I 147
MARINE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
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he Marine Engineering (ME) Department is responsible for the operation and maintenance of all the systems and equipment on board that enable the ship to float, move and fight. The MEs look after the high-tech, modern engine room, with marinised Rolls-Royce Trent engines (similar to those on a Boeing 777 airliner) and Wärtsilä diesel engines that produce power for the electric propulsion system and all domestic services. They also look after the new integrated waste management system (which meets environmental legislation and allows the ship to remain on task for longer), heating and air-con, fire detection network (with smoke and heat detectors, visual surveillance systems and remotely operated firefighting systems), and an Integrated Platform Management system that allows remote operation and monitoring of equipment and systems.
Royal Navy photos
ME Department personnel profile: Warrant Officer 1 Ian Hazel, Marine Engineering Departmental Coordinator I’m the ME warrant officer and my job is to look at how the ME Department is going to manage and maintain all the different systems on board. I joined the Royal Navy in May 1988 as an artificer apprentice and shortly thereafter was selected to undertake training as a marine engineer. I joined HMS Invincible and saw operations in the former Yugoslavia and Sierra Leone. I then joined HMS Ark Royal as the power and propulsion lead before moving to the Carrier Strike and Aviation team in Navy Command with a focus on QEC manning, which led on to other carrier related roles. I was on board HMS Ark Royal when her White Ensign was lowered for the final time in 2011, so it is with a sense of pride and purpose that I am witnessing the rebirth of Royal Navy carrier operations with the naming WO1 Ian Hazel of HMS Queen Elizabeth.
LOGISTICS DEPARTMENT
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he Logistics Department are responsible for sustaining the whole ship and the embarked aircraft at sea and alongside. This involves providing stores, catering and hotel services, human resources and personnel services, cash and accountancy services, secretarial and NAAFI facilities, as well as legal advice to the command. When HMS Queen Elizabeth goes into action, the Logistics Department act as the battle damage-control and first-aid teams. On board they are developing the new and innovative working practices required to sustain such a large ship with up to six months’ worth of supplies. They are also starting the significant process of ordering and sorting through the stocks of equipment that are needed to allow the ship’s company to move on board and make HMS Queen Elizabeth ready for sea. Logistics Department personnel profile: Commander Craig Mearns, Commander Logistics My job is to lead and manage all aspects of the ship’s Logistics Department. My current main task is to determine how we ‘store ship’ – how we do it and what stores we need. My previous job was as commander logistics in HMS Illustrious, and it involved bringing her out of refit, preparing her for operations and spending considerable time at sea operating aircraft. This was ideal preparation for coming to HMS Queen Elizabeth. Prior to that I’ve had various jobs as logistics officer on board carriers and destroyers, worked in MOD Whitehall, a tour to Afghanistan and two years in Gibraltar. I’ve been heavily involved with the planning of the naming ceremony – and this has been the highlight of my time with the ship so far.
Cdr Craig Mearns