By Palmer Pinckney II, NAVFAC Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center Public Affairs
PORT HUENEME, Calif (NNS) -- Naval Facilities (NAVFAC) Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center (EXWC) Mobile Utilities Support Equipment (MUSE) Division and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Prime Power School are partnering for a 3-week rehabilitation of vital MEP-208 generators used in pipeline training for upcoming troops.
The untouched legacy stock of the MEP-208 generators has been housed at MUSE for approximately 10 years.
"The restoration of the MEP-208 generators is vastly important as students in the U.S. Army's Prime Power School funnel through the training pipeline," said U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Colby Wightman. "Not only is the MEP-208 generator restoration fiscally beneficial for both the Army and Navy, but the upkeep of these generators ensures that the Prime Power School's curriculum won't be modified for years."
U.S. Army's Prime Power School was informed of the unserviceable generators and enabled five Army personnel to MUSE, one of which is an instructor-writer at the Prime Power School, to recommission the generators to working condition.
"Joint missions are always a valuable learning opportunity for every involved branch," said Staff Sergeant Russell Gaskin of the U.S. Army Prime Power School. "Comparing and trading notes is only one of the many reasons we continue to deploy missions like the current MEP-208 generator restoration. The work the Army and Navy has completed over the last few weeks is the first step in enabling the tools needed for the warfighter to perfect their skills for during their tenure at the Prime Power School. The educational benefit well exceeds the labor invested in the restoration of these generators."
In contrast to today's generators, the MEP-208's outdated technology is not consistent with the current marketplace. The importance of the MEP-208's lies in their mechanical makeup, whose analog functions allow technicians in-training to gain a better understanding of the generators functionality, rather than purely relying on newer, automated generators.
For more information on MUSE and its operations, email MUSErecruiters@navy.mil, or call (805) 982-5323.