The Fuel Bug
It was the day after the Boarding of
the Taiwanese Fishing Vessel, and Mark and the crew were taking some
shore leave. They had a blast in Yokuska, Japan and they enjoyed
themselves. Mark found out what a club overseas was really like. It
was not as lame as the clubs in the United States.
The time came for the ship to get
underway, this was going to be the last actual voyage on the United
States Coast Guard Cutter Morgenthau because it was scheduled to be
revamped at the FRAM in Seattle Washington.
The ship departed the dock and was en
route to Alameda, California. The engineers sat on the mess-deck and
got ready to go to the recreation deck, when all of a sudden the
entire ship went dark. Mark Fluet and the engineers not on watch
scrambled through the dark with only the emergency lighting to help
them. The engineers were at the main control room and the duty crew
discovered that it was the number 1 ship service generator. The
oilman on watch turned on the number 2 ships service generator.
Mark Fluet was assigned the task of
assisting the cleaning of the fuel tank and getting the generator
back on line. It was just in the nick of time too because as soon as
they were done, the ship went dark again. This time the number 2
generator went off line. The same crew had to get the number 2
generator checked now. Mark and the duty section was on it.
The Engineering Officer assigned Petty
Officer Jackson to figure out what was causing this. It took
absolutely no time at all when they centrifuged the test sample of
the fuel. It was discovered that a tiny parasite was in the Japanese
fuel tanks. This parasite was a microbiological parasite feeding on
the fuel particles and leaving the water. We all know that engines do
not run on water well.
The Morgenthau made an emergency port
call cleaned out both the tanks and got both generators back on line
and in 14 days returned home to the Coast Guard Island Alameda, CArecreation deck, when all of a sudden the
entire ship went dark. Mark Fluet and the engineers not on watch
scrambled through the dark with only the emergency lighting to help
them. The engineers were at the main control room and the duty crew
discovered that it was the number 1 ship service generator. The
oilman on watch turned on the number 2 ships service generator.
Mark Fluet was assigned the task of
assisting the cleaning of the fuel tank and getting the generator
back on line. It was just in the nick of time too because as soon as
they were done, the ship went dark again. This time the number 2
generator went off line. The same crew had to get the number 2
generator checked now. Mark and the duty section was on it.
The Engineering Officer assigned Petty
Officer Jackson to figure out what was causing this. It took
absolutely no time at all when they centrifuged the test sample of
the fuel. It was discovered that a tiny parasite was in the Japanese
fuel tanks. This parasite was a microbiological parasite feeding on
the fuel particles and leaving the water. We all know that engines do
not run on water well.
The Morgenthau made an emergency port
call cleaned out both the tanks and got both generators back on line
and in 14 days returned home to the Coast Guard Island Alameda, CA
USCGC Morgenthau Gifts