USS Makin consumes half the money and churns double the effort – Part 1

US Navy has long been working on green energy to deploy on its vessels and submarines. The installation of a series of such technologies in USS Makin Island has shown a clear sign that the armed forces are taking global climate problems seriously.

The USS Makin has a green, low fuel emission electric hybrid system that allowed it to consume half of the sanction budget. The carrier vessel spent only $15 million of the $33 million it was given for fuel during the deployment. (The trip was a 7-month journey across the world, carrying about 1,200 Marines and 1,000 Navy sailors, as well as 29 helicopters and 6 Harrier airplanes.)

It was due to the auxiliary propulsion motor (APM), the electric motor system that moves the ship up to 12 knots, or 13.8 miles an hour, through open see with instant action. The only fuel that the ship burns is through the generators that supply electric current to the motors. The cost of generator fuel is minimal, according to Lt. Commander Brian Ponce, the ship’s main propulsion assistant.

Usually Navy amphibious assault ships run on steam engines that take two to three days to get up and running. On the other hand, APMs take a minute or so to get the ship sailing in the seas. That steep skew in the timing is of great advantage to the ships in important missions where instant actions are needed in emergencies.

Moreover, the fuel-based engines assist the power train in getting the ship to twice the speed in emergency situations, Ponce said.

According to Ponce, the Makin Island’s two propulsion systems can both be operated from 32 workstations scattered throughout the ship. That redundant system is meant to give engineers the ability to get the ship going even if one area has been damaged, he said.

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Posted by Usman Khalid on Jul 23 2012. Filed under Sci-Tech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.