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Marine engineers from Hobart Class air warfare destroyer HMAS Brisbane toured the South West Regional Maintenance Centre in San Diego, United States, as part of a scheduled maintenance period to upgrade the ship’s systems.
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The visit focused on learning about South West Regional Maintenance Centre’s (SWRMC) advanced technologies, including computer-generated 3D scanning and milling machine capabilities.
These innovations are set to improve Brisbane’s defect rectification process, meaning crew can address equipment or machinery issues more quickly and efficiently.
Marine Technician Leading Seaman Jayden Eglinton emphasised the significance of these upgrades for the marine engineering department.
“We learned about the capability of SWRMC to computer-generate 3D scans of any object, which will fit in their machine,” LS Eglinton said.
“By utilising this technology, we can produce parts that were previously difficult to access on board or would have required lengthy wait times if sourced from external manufacturers.
“This innovation will improve responsiveness to maintenance needs ensuring the ship remains ready and capable.”
Despite differences in equipment, the collaboration between the Royal Australian Navy and US Navy during Brisbane’s five-month deployment has fostered a valuable exchange of knowledge.
“The United States Navy welcomed us to learn and broaden the crew’s constant eagerness for growth,” LS Eglinton said.
“We are expanding our knowledge by learning about different forms of power generation, so we can provide our ship with faster and more efficient ways of doing things.”
During the visit, marine engineers received training on power generation systems, specifically gas turbines, and marine technicians conducted a 1,000-hour service on one of Brisbane’s service diesel generators alongside SWRMC fleet diesel inspectors.
Assistant marine engineer officer Lieutenant Kevin Le said the partnership between the two navies provided a meaningful exchange of expertise.
“This is valuable training for our sailors. Working together with the US continues to build on our strong partnership, strengthening it for the future,” LEUT Le said.
