NOAA Teacher at Sea
Kiersten Newtoff
(Was) Aboard NOAA Ship Pisces
January 6 – January 27, 2025
Mission: Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (AMAPPS)
Geographic Area of Cruise: North Atlantic Coast
Date: January 30, 2025
Location: Back on land now in Maryland! We ended a few days early, but there’s still much to share!
The Engineers
If the kitchen is the soul of the ship , and deck is the heart, then that makes the engine the muscle.
Meet the engineering department, who’s number one job is to make the boat move. That is of course way oversimplifying it, especially when we are talking about a 209 foot vessel. While every crew member is important to NOAA’s mission, if we didn’t have the engineers, we would be hanging out at a dock for a long time.
I learned from the Chief Engineer, Hezekiah that the Pisces is a diesel electric boat, kind of like a hybrid car. The combination of diesel engines and electrical motors lowers harmful gas emissions and works towards NOAA’s Net Zero emissions goal by 2050. There are 2 large and 2 small generators on board and depending on what the boat needs to do will dictate how many are running at a time. There is redundancy in the system so that if anything happens to one generator, there are backups. There’s also a bow thruster that gets used when standing still; it is managed by the dynamic positioning system to keep the Pisces at a single spot, instead of moving with the current.
You may be thinking that the engineers are just managing the engines (I mean, it is in the name), and you would be partially correct. But they do so much more! They are responsible for everything that is in the underbelly of the ship. This includes fuel systems, potable water, wastewater, incineration, ballast water, and I’m sure a bunch more. Hezekiah and Drew showed me around and I have pictures but I can’t quite tell you what they are because there were so many things to keep track of. As chief engineer, Hezekiah has the ultimate responsibility of the equipment and safety of his team. He has been with NOAA for about a year, permanently stationed to the Pisces.
Evaluate.
Nothing
Gonna
Implode.
Nice,
Engineers
Evade
Repairs.
The titles in the engineering department are so much more straight forward to a civilian like me than the deck crew. Are you ready? The role below Chief Engineer is 1st Assistant Engineer. Then 2nd Assistant Engineer. Then…you guessed it… 3rd Assistant Engineer. Then Junior Engineer, Oiler, and General Vessel Assistant (similar to that on deck, but going the engineering path).
The 1st Assistant Engineer, David, has been with NOAA for 4 years and serves as the assistant to the chief. In fact, he has all the certifications, trainings, and classes to serve as a chief engineer. He is currently in the augmented pool (I describe this more in the deck crew post), but plans to get assigned to a vessel when there is an opening. His main responsibility is the Shipboard Automated Maintenance Management (SAMM) system. Think of it like an oil change light, but it lets you know everything you should be doing as preventative maintenance on the ship. It’s a great system to address issues with equipment before they even become issues.
How Did You Make Your Way To NOAA?
1. Hezekiah was in the U.S. Navy for 10 years in engineering and then laterally switched to NOAA.
2. Both David and Tom went to SUNY Maritime College and Solomon went to the Mid-Atlantic Maritime Academy
3. Drew started in the galley 1.5 years after high school and worked his way up through the engineer ranks.
The main job of the 2nd assistant engineer is all things fuel. Drew transfers fuel throughout the day between tanks and machinery that removes water, sediment, and other impurities from the fuel. He generates a daily report recording the amount of fuel, ballast, sewage, and potable water for the chief engineer. Like other engineers, he also does 8 hour watches through the belly of the ship to make sure everything is running smoothly. Tom is also a 2nd assistant engineer and added that they will do preemptive maintenance too. As part of the aug pool, Tom jumps around between vessels, though he will be on the Pisces for another month as there is a second leg of the AMAPPS mission. He enjoys being part of the aug pool because of the flexibility he has and he has a clear separation between work and personal life. He enjoys working for NOAA, but plans on working for the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association union more in the future. Drew shared with me that the 60 day on, 30 day off schedule that we’ve talked about previously is actually a new system that started about a year ago. Drew shared it means less overtime pay, but he prefers the new system because it’s a better quality of life. Drew started with NOAA in 2005 and is on a permanent placement with the Pisces, only second to the bosun!
The Junior Engineer onboard the Pisces for this leg is Danny. His job is to monitor and record data from various equipment throughout the day. He also has miscellaneous duties throughout the day such as standing watch and repairing mechanical equipment. Danny is shy and didn’t want to talk more about his journey, but I still wanted to make sure he was included!
Solomon is the just starting out in the merchant marine world, serving as a General Vessel Assistant but recently got his credentials to be an oiler. His main responsibility is to help the other engineers, particularly with cleaning (salt water does horrors on metal equipment!). He is part of the aug pool, and other ships may have him doing different responsibilities depending on the mission. He is interested in going back to school to become a reefer electrician (I had to use ChatGPT to figure this out, I thought I heard it wrong on my recording. But I didn’t – “reefer” is short for refrigeration) and he’s interested in still doing NOAA part time as well as working for a union.
What Should I Know About Pursuing This Path?
As you saw, there are quite a few pathways to becoming an engineer in the NOAA fleet. Here are some other tips shared by the guys on getting into this field:
- Take as many trades-like classes as you can while you’re in school (particularly high school), such as welding, mechanics, electrical, and construction.
- A four-year degree is not required, but that could get you into the door at other companies that have a degree requirement.
- The trainings, classes, and certification exams add up, about $35,000 for all the way to chief engineer. Find employers (like NOAA) that covers these costs as you grow and learn.
- Because NOAA supports people who want to come in brand new to the field, start at the bottom and try it out for a couple years to see if you like it. You will learn lots of soft skills since you are living and working with people 24/7 that will translate to other jobs.
- If you are interested in traveling the world, NOAA may not be a good fit since few ships travel outside of U.S. waters.