THE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

Gurke is capable of speeds up to 32 knots and can attain this speed from a standstill in about three minutes. A tremendous amount of power is required to drive a 400 foot vessel at that speed. Gurke accelerates rapidly, but she is capable of stopping equally as well. At thirty knots she can stop within 800 yards; quite an aecompusliment for a vessel weighing over thirty-three hundred tons and covering one thousand yards a minute at the time.

Destroyers are known for thetr maneuverability, and rightly so, for Gurke is capable of reversing her course within seven hundred yards at speeds up to 25 knots. These qualities of speed and maneuverability are the reason a destroyer can be called on for diversified assignments.

For power Gurke is normally dependent upon two of four boilers which generate steam with a temperature of 850 degrees and a pressure of 600 pounds per square inch. The personnel who stand "fireroom top watches", or those who are responsible to see that proper control of boiler fires is maintained to supply steamm demands, are BTl Sullivan and BT2 Cofleld, Curtis, Sanchez, Riggs, and Davis. They supervise the remainder of the fireroom watchstanders to insure the proper mixture of fuel and air are introduced into the boilers for safe and efficient operation. The fuel capacity of Gurke is 204, 000 gallons of Navy Special Fuel Oil, or "black oil". This quantity of fuel will propel Gurke nearly 5500 miles using 20 - 30,000 gallons per day; however, Gurke normally refuels every three days to keep her fuel supply over sixty percent capacity.

BT2 Frames is our "Oil King"; as such he is responsible for monitoring the ship's oil supply, seeing that the fuel is properly distributed to keep the ship on an even keel, and supervising all refueling operations.

Once produced, the steam from the boilers is directed to the enginerooms where it produces 60,000 horsepower through steam turbines, which turn the ship's propellers. The power developed in these turbines is capable of driving the propellers almost three hundred revolutions per minute at top speed. Supervising the engineroom watchstanders are MM1 Moore, and MM2 Koch, Robinson and Turner.

Among the other specialists in the Engineering Department is FN Kanoy, who maintains the ship's evaporators, which daily change ordinary sea water into sixteen thousand gallons of fresh water for the galley, laundry, water fountains, and showers. MM3 Bodette maintains our various air conditioning units, which are greatly appreciated in WESTPAC, where the climate is generally warm. Other experts are IC2 Tucker and Gillock and ICFN Koberstein, who keep our phone circuits in proper operation, maintain the ship's gyrocompass and the ship's entertainment system. In the repair division of the Engineering Department are SF1 Romans and SF3 Bernard, our welders, who effect necessary repairs underway. Three of our top electricians, EM1 Pitzer, EM3 Syrus and EM3 Chumbler handle the ship's twelve hundred kilowatt capacity electrical plant, which is composed of two turbo-generators and two emergency diesel generators. Twelve hundred likowatts is enough power to supply about fifty homes with electricity.

The entire Engineering Department is under the direction of Lt. Smith, our Chief Engineer. His able assistants are LTJG Williams, Main Propulsion Assistant, and ENS Dorman, Damage Control Assistant. Senior Chief Machinist Mate Brewer, Chief Machinist Mate Roszell, Chief Boiler Tender Ekleberry, Electrician Mate Chief Steele, and Machinst Mates First Class Klein and Arnold comprise the leading petty officers of the various engineering divisions.