SNAME Los Angeles Section Honors Past Chairmen —Discusses Paper On Slow-Speed Marine Diesels

Traditionally, at the last scheduled meeting of the year, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Section of The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers reserves the occasion for honoring its past chairmen. Robert E.

Apple, outgoing chairman for the year, continued this tradition with graciousness and consideration. The invitations to the honored guests were personalized and the attendance gratifying. The membership, too, got a feel for it and turned out well in response to Mr.

Apple's previous announcements of the celebration.

Next year, he will be joining this same select group to receive in turn with them the accolades so rightly earned.

There was also a special presentation to Mr. Apple by Frank Kuntz, vice chairman, of a certificate of appreciation for his years of dedicated service to the group.

The paper session at this May 1977 SNAME meeting of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Section was introduced by Mr. Kuntz.

John Hollett, papers chairman, had previously arranged for this meeting and invited the speakers. More pressing obligations prevented his attending, and dictated the substitution.

Mr. Kuntz encouraged a lively discussion from the floor, following the formal presentation of the paper.

It was accomplished by a team of speakers, Paul J. Rutan, James R. MacMorran, and Harry Comerford, all of the Marine Division, Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Sunnyvale, Calif. The principal aspects of their discussion covered the propulsion means for ships in the future, and their firm's participation through a licensing agreement with Sulzer Brothers, Ltd. of Winterthur, Switzerland, to produce a slow-speed diesel engine domestically.

The paper itself was titled "A Slow-Speed Marine Diesel Engine in Review," and was written by Mr. Comerford in cooperation with Mr. MacMorran. It delineated the comparative cost factors of engine size, weight, fuel consumption ratios, etc., and illustrated comparative cost analyses of operating ratios.

It also described some of the requirements for ancillary systems. As specifically stated, it was not their purpose to discuss the engine in detail, but rather to illustrate the operational and support systems the marine engineer must arrange for in the machinery space.

The presentation itself was conducted by Mr. MacMorran, following a brief opening statement by Mr. Rutan. The latter's emphasis was on domestic owner's and operator's needs to consider slow-speed diesel engines in the future to reduce fuel costs and to become more competitive with foreign operators.

MarAd, he said, has agreed to grant limited waivers on initial foreign components to help encourage a domestic manufacturing capability. Many potential U.S. suppliers have expressed interest in participating in such programs and will be welcome.

Mr. MacMorran's efforts covered the detailed portions of the paper, along with an elaboration of those illustrated in the accompanying slides. He treated well the technical aspects of the engine installation in the machinery space, its own performance requirements, as well as those of the ancillary systems needed. There was much more available in the literature made available to the members attending than could be adequately treated in the time allowed.

Subsequently, his presentation was supported by a question-and-answer period enthusiastically participated in by most of those attending. Another guest, and a fourth member of the team, Ernst P. Jung, marine manager for Sulzer Bros. USA in New York, assisted in answering the more technical aspects of the inquiries. The members' interests were further incited by the openness of the discussion, and it was apparent that many more of their questions were being answered in close groups with the individual speakers following the adjournment of the meeting.

Other stories from July 1977 issue

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