Engineering Duty Officer
Encyclopedia
An Engineering Duty Officer is a Restricted Line Officer
in the United States Navy
, involved with the design, acquisition
, construction, repair, maintenance, conversion, overhaul
, or disposal
of ships
, submarines, aircraft carriers, and the systems on those platforms (weapons, command and control, communications, computers, etc.). As of April 2010, there are approximately 770 Engineering Duty Officers on Active duty
in the United States Navy, representing approximately 1.5 percent of its Active duty Commissioned officers.
operate and fight with the most capable platforms possible. We are involved with the design, acquisition, construction, repair, maintenance, conversion, overhaul, and disposal of ships, submarines, aircraft carriers and the systems on those platforms (weapons, command and control, communications, computers, etc.). Engineering Duty Officers are unique to the Navy because we all start our career as URL officers
. First, we learn how to operate ships or submarines. Next, all EDs obtain technical/engineering Master's degree
s. Then, we combine that operational experience and technical knowledge to become the technical business leaders for the Navy."http://www.npc.navy.mil/Officer/Pers44/EngineeringDuty/
s of the Navy, Engineering Duty Officers wear an inverted gold star above their rank stripes
on both their dress blue uniforms
and on their shoulder boards. In virtually all respects, their uniforms are indistinguishable from their URL counterparts. The two predominant sources of new Engineering Duty Officers are by Lateral Transfer from another designator or by choosing to exercise an Engineering Duty Option granted upon commissioning.http://www.npc.navy.mil/Officer/Pers44/EngineeringDuty/EDAccessions/ A requirement for Lateral Transfer, or for exercising an Engineering Duty Option, is the completion of either Submarine Warfare
or Surface Warfare qualification. Therefore, the vast majority of Engineering Duty Officers wear either the same Submarine Warfare or Surface Warfare insignia as their URL counterparts.
A small number of Engineering Duty Officers not previously qualified as Submarine Warfare Officers volunteer for the Engineering Duty Dolphin Program, and by successfully completing it, earn their Submarine Engineering Duty insignia
. The Submarine Engineering Duty insignia is the only United States Navy insignia which is unique to Engineering Duty Officers.
bas-relief by American sculptor Antonio Tobias "Toby" Mendez
http://www.tobymendezstudios.com/Artist.asp?ArtistID=10003&AKey=E4WXEJ7W, on the sculpture wall at the United States Navy Memorial
in Washington, D.C.
, entitled "Engineering Duty Officers - 'Sharpening the Point of the Spear.'"http://www.navymemorial.org/About/WhatCanYouSeeHere/TheMemorialPlaza/BronzeReliefSculptures/EngineeringDutyOfficers/tabid/216/Default.aspx This is one of 26 such reliefs along southern hemisphere of the Granite Sea at the Navy Memorial, which commemorate events, personnel, and communities of the various sea services.
Restricted Line Officer
Restricted Line Officers in the United States Navy and Navy Reserve are line officers who are not eligible for Command at Sea. There are many different types and communities, including Engineering Duty Officers, Aerospace Engineering Duty Officers, Aerospace Maintenance Duty Officers, Naval...
in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, involved with the design, acquisition
Military acquisition
Military acquisition is the bureaucratic management and procurement process dealing with a nation's investments in the technologies, programs, and product support necessary to achieve its national security strategy and support its armed forces...
, construction, repair, maintenance, conversion, overhaul
Refueling and Overhaul
In the United States Navy, Refueling and Overhaul refers to a lengthy process or procedure performed on nuclear-powered Naval ships, which involves replacement of expended nuclear fuel with new fuel and a general maintenance fix-up, renovation, and often modernization of the entire ship...
, or disposal
Ship disposal
A number of different methods exist for disposing of a ship after it has reached the end of its effective or economic service life with an organisation.-Options:...
of ships
United States Navy ships
The names of commissioned ships of the United States Navy all start with USS, meaning 'United States Ship'. Non-commissioned, civilian-manned vessels of the U.S. Navy have names that begin with USNS, standing for 'United States Naval Ship'. A letter-based hull classification symbol is used to...
, submarines, aircraft carriers, and the systems on those platforms (weapons, command and control, communications, computers, etc.). As of April 2010, there are approximately 770 Engineering Duty Officers on Active duty
Active duty
Active duty refers to a full-time occupation as part of a military force, as opposed to reserve duty.-Pakistan:The Pakistan Armed Forces are one of the largest active service forces in the world with almost 610,000 full time personnel due to the complex and volatile nature of Pakistan's...
in the United States Navy, representing approximately 1.5 percent of its Active duty Commissioned officers.
Mission
The Engineering Duty Officer Community Leadership http://www.npc.navy.mil/Officer/Pers44/EngineeringDuty/EDLeadership/ has stated that the Purpose of the Engineering Duty Officer Community is "to provide experienced Naval Engineers known for bringing effective technical and business solutions in support of Naval Power 21 http://www.navy.mil/navydata/people/secnav/england/navpow21.pdf; respected for integrity, adaptability, and agility. Engineering Duty Officers ensure that our Naval and Joint ForcesJoint warfare
Joint warfare is a military doctrine which places priority on the integration of the various service branches of a state's armed forces into one unified command...
operate and fight with the most capable platforms possible. We are involved with the design, acquisition, construction, repair, maintenance, conversion, overhaul, and disposal of ships, submarines, aircraft carriers and the systems on those platforms (weapons, command and control, communications, computers, etc.). Engineering Duty Officers are unique to the Navy because we all start our career as URL officers
Unrestricted Line Officer
Unrestricted Line Officers are commissioned Officers of the Line in the United States Navy who are qualified to command at sea the Navy's warfighting combatant units such as warships, submarines, aviation squadrons and SEAL Teams...
. First, we learn how to operate ships or submarines. Next, all EDs obtain technical/engineering Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
s. Then, we combine that operational experience and technical knowledge to become the technical business leaders for the Navy."http://www.npc.navy.mil/Officer/Pers44/EngineeringDuty/
Insignia
As line officerLine officer
In the United States armed forces, the term line officer or officer of the line refers to an officer who is trained for command — that is, to be the commanding officer of a warship, ground combat unit, combat aviation unit, or combat support unit....
s of the Navy, Engineering Duty Officers wear an inverted gold star above their rank stripes
United States Navy officer rank insignia
In the United States Navy, officers have various ranks. Equivalency between services is by pay grade.-Rank categories:In the U.S. Navy, pay grades for officers are:...
on both their dress blue uniforms
Uniforms of the United States Navy
This article examines dress uniforms, daily service uniforms, working uniforms, special situations, and the history of uniforms of the United States Navy...
and on their shoulder boards. In virtually all respects, their uniforms are indistinguishable from their URL counterparts. The two predominant sources of new Engineering Duty Officers are by Lateral Transfer from another designator or by choosing to exercise an Engineering Duty Option granted upon commissioning.http://www.npc.navy.mil/Officer/Pers44/EngineeringDuty/EDAccessions/ A requirement for Lateral Transfer, or for exercising an Engineering Duty Option, is the completion of either Submarine Warfare
Submarine Warfare insignia
The Submarine Warfare Insignia is a uniform breast pin worn by enlisted men and officers of the United States Navy to indicate that they are qualified in submarines. The Submarine Warfare Insignia is considered one of the Navy's three major warfare pins along with the Surface Warfare Badge and...
or Surface Warfare qualification. Therefore, the vast majority of Engineering Duty Officers wear either the same Submarine Warfare or Surface Warfare insignia as their URL counterparts.
A small number of Engineering Duty Officers not previously qualified as Submarine Warfare Officers volunteer for the Engineering Duty Dolphin Program, and by successfully completing it, earn their Submarine Engineering Duty insignia
Submarine Engineering Duty insignia
The Submarine Engineering Duty Insignia is a badge of the United States Navy which is issued to Engineering Duty Officers who have been designated as qualified in submarines through a program administered by the Naval Sea Systems Command...
. The Submarine Engineering Duty insignia is the only United States Navy insignia which is unique to Engineering Duty Officers.
Areas of Specialization
Current Engineering Duty Officers serve in one of several career fields, including:- Program management of surface ship, submarine, weapons, ballistic missileUGM-133 Trident IIUGM-133 Trident II, or Trident D5 is a submarine-launched ballistic missile, built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Sunnyvale, California, and deployed with the US Navy and Royal Navy. It was first deployed in 1990, and is still in service....
, missile defenseMissile defenseMissile defense is a system, weapon, or technology involved in the detection, tracking, interception and destruction of attacking missiles. Originally conceived as a defence against nuclear-armed Intercontinental ballistic missiles , its application has broadened to include shorter-ranged...
, or C5IC5IC5I is a military acronym describing the core capabilities involved in:*Detecting pertinent military or civil activity*Analyzing the intent or impact of the activity upon friendly forces*Disseminating the activity and analysis to friendly forces...
systems acquisitionMilitary acquisitionMilitary acquisition is the bureaucratic management and procurement process dealing with a nation's investments in the technologies, programs, and product support necessary to achieve its national security strategy and support its armed forces...
programsProgram Executive OfficerA Program Executive Officer, or PEO, is one of a few key individuals in the United States military acquisition process. As can be seen from the examples below, a Program Executive Officer may be responsible for a specific program , or for an entire portfolio of similar programs A Program Executive...
. - Maintenance of surface ships and submarines at naval shipyardsNorfolk Naval ShipyardThe Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling, and repairing the Navy's ships. It's the oldest and largest industrial facility that belongs to the U.S. Navy as well as the most...
and smaller-scale maintenance facilities. - Naval systems engineeringNaval Surface Warfare CenterThe Naval Sea Systems Command Warfare Centers are composed of the Naval Surface Warfare Centers and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center . They operate in a seamless, integrated manner, and they collaborate with customers using a common work assignment process to get the right work to the right...
. - Underwater ship husbandry, diving, and salvageUnited States Navy DiverA Navy Diver refers to a member of the community of Unrestricted Line Officer Officers, Medical Corps Officers and enlisted personnel in the United States Navy who are qualified in underwater open/closed circuit breathing apparatus, deep sea type diving apparatus and saturation diving. Personnel...
. - The Naval Nuclear Propulsion ProgramNaval ReactorsNaval Reactors is an umbrella term for the U.S. government office that has comprehensive responsibility for the continued safe and reliable operation of the United States Navy's nuclear propulsion program and thus for United States Naval reactors...
.
History
The importance of Engineering Duty Officers in United States Navy history is memorialized in a bronzeBronze sculpture
Bronze is the most popular metal for cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply a "bronze".Common bronze alloys have the unusual and desirable property of expanding slightly just before they set, thus filling the finest details of a mold. Then, as the bronze cools, it...
bas-relief by American sculptor Antonio Tobias "Toby" Mendez
Antonio Tobias Mendez
Antonio Tobias Mendez is an American sculptor.-Works:Mendez has produced over twenty public monuments: his sculptures include Thurgood Marshall, Don Shula, Mohandas Gandhi, Major Taylor, and part of the United States Navy Memorial.as well as being nominated as one of the three finalists to...
http://www.tobymendezstudios.com/Artist.asp?ArtistID=10003&AKey=E4WXEJ7W, on the sculpture wall at the United States Navy Memorial
United States Navy Memorial
The United States Navy Memorial on Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 7th Street Northwest and 9th Street Northwest in Washington, D.C., honors those who have served or are currently serving in the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and the Merchant Marine....
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, entitled "Engineering Duty Officers - 'Sharpening the Point of the Spear.'"http://www.navymemorial.org/About/WhatCanYouSeeHere/TheMemorialPlaza/BronzeReliefSculptures/EngineeringDutyOfficers/tabid/216/Default.aspx This is one of 26 such reliefs along southern hemisphere of the Granite Sea at the Navy Memorial, which commemorate events, personnel, and communities of the various sea services.
Notable Engineering Duty Officers
- Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, USNHyman G. RickoverHyman George Rickover was a four-star admiral of the United States Navy who directed the original development of naval nuclear propulsion and controlled its operations for three decades as director of Naval Reactors...
, "Father of the Nuclear Navy." - Admiral Samuel M. Robinson, USNSamuel Murray RobinsonAdmiral Samuel Murray Robinson was a United States Navy four-star admiral who directed Navy procurement during World War II.-Early career:...
, Director of Material and ProcurementOffice of Naval MaterialIn January 1942 the Director of Material and Procurement was appointed to coordinate all material procurement activities of the US Navy. In 1948 the office title was changed to Chief of Division of Material, and in 1984 to Chief of the Office of Naval Material. In 1983 title was changed to Naval...
during World War II and first Chief of the Bureau of ShipsBureau of ShipsThe United States Navy's Bureau of Ships was established by Congress on June 20, 1940, by a law which consolidated the functions of the Bureau of Construction and Repair and the Bureau of Engineering. The new Bureau was to be headed by a Chief and Deputy-Chief, one selected from the engineering...
. - Vice Admiral George P. Nanos, USNGeorge Peter NanosGeorge Peter Nanos is a former director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory and Vice Admiral in the US Navy. Having served from January 2003 to May 2005, he was one of the shortest serving directors of the laboratory.-Early life:...
, former Commander of the Naval Sea Systems CommandNaval Sea Systems CommandThe Naval Sea Systems Command is the largest of the U.S. Navy's five "systems commands," or materiel organizations...
and Director of Los Alamos National LaboratoryLos Alamos National LaboratoryLos Alamos National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security , located in Los Alamos, New Mexico...
. - Vice Admiral Kevin M. McCoy, current Senior Engineering Duty Officer, and forty-second Commander of the Naval Sea Systems Command.http://www.navy.mil/navydata/bios/navybio.asp?bioID=209
- Commodore George R. Salisbury, USNGeorge SalisburyGeorge Robert Salisbury was a United States Navy Commodore who served as the 15th Naval Governor of Guam. Though he originally served as an Engineering Duty Officer, he eventually stopped being a Restricted Line Officer, and retired from the Navy as a Commodore. As governor, he rolled back a number...
, 15th Naval Governor of Guam. - Rear Admiral Wayne E. Meyer, USNWayne E. MeyerRear Admiral Wayne E. Meyer is regarded as the "Father of Aegis" for his 13 years of service as the Aegis Weapon System Manager and later the founding project manager of the Aegis Shipbuilding Project Office...
, "Father of AegisAegis combat systemThe Aegis Combat System is an integrated naval weapons system developed by the Missile and Surface Radar Division of RCA, and now produced by Lockheed Martin...
." - Rear Admiral William S. "Deak" Parsons, USNWilliam Sterling ParsonsRear Admiral William Sterling "Deak" Parsons was a naval officer who worked as an ordnance expert on the Manhattan Project during World War II...
, Assistant Chief of the Bureau of OrdnanceBureau of OrdnanceThe Bureau of Ordnance was the U.S. Navy's organization responsible for the procurement, storage, and deployment of all naval ordnance, between the years 1862 and 1959.-History:...
, known for assembling (in flight) the triggering mechanism of the atomic bomb "Little BoyLittle Boy"Little Boy" was the codename of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 by the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, piloted by Colonel Paul Tibbets of the 393rd Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, of the United States Army Air Forces. It was the first atomic bomb to be used as a weapon...
" aboard the Enola GayEnola GayEnola Gay is a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, named after Enola Gay Tibbets, mother of the pilot, then-Colonel Paul Tibbets. On August 6, 1945, during the final stages of World War II, it became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb as a weapon of war...
. - Rear Admiral Benjamin F. Isherwood, USNBenjamin F. IsherwoodBenjamin Franklin Isherwood was an engineering officer in the United States Navy during the early days of steam-powered warships. He served as a ship's engineer during the Mexican–American War, and after the war did experimental work with steam propulsion...
, Civil War era Engineer-in-Chief of the Navy and founder of the Bureau of Steam EngineeringBureau of Steam EngineeringBureau of Steam Engineering was set up by act of 5 July 1862, receiving some of the duties of the former Bureau of Construction, Equipment and Repair. It became, by the Naval Appropriation Act of 4 June 1920, the Bureau of Engineering...
. - Rear Admiral George W. Melville, USNGeorge W. MelvilleGeorge Wallace Melville was an engineer of the United States Navy who became a rear admiral.-Civil War:Melville was born in New York City on 10 January 1841. After graduating from Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute, he entered the U.S...
, pioneering advocate of warship steam propulsion and Engineer-in-Chief of the Navy. - Rear Admiral David W. Taylor, USNDavid W. TaylorRear Admiral David Watson Taylor, USN was a naval architect and engineer of the United States Navy. He served during World War I as Chief Constructor of the Navy, and Chief of the Bureau of Construction and Repair...
, Chief Constructor of the Navy during World War I, and builder of the United States' first experimental warship towing tankShip model basinA ship model basin may be defined as one of two separate yet related entities, namely:* a physical basin or tank used to carry out hydrodynamic tests with ship models, for the purpose of designing a new ship, or refining the design of a ship to improve the ship's performance at sea;* the...
. - Rear Admiral Henry A. Schade, USNHenry A. SchadeHenry Adrian "Packy" Schade was a United States Navy officer, naval architect, and professor.During World War II, Schade was Head of the Carrier Desk for the United States Navy's Bureau of Ships...
, designer of the Midway-classMidway class aircraft carrierThe Midway class aircraft carrier was one of the longest lived carrier designs in history. First commissioned in late 1945, the lead ship of the class, was not decommissioned until 1992, shortly after service in Operation Desert Storm in 1991.-History:...
aircraft carrier, and later a Director of the Naval Research LaboratoryUnited States Naval Research LaboratoryThe United States Naval Research Laboratory is the corporate research laboratory for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps and conducts a program of scientific research and development. NRL opened in 1923 at the instigation of Thomas Edison...
. - Rear Admiral Kathleen K. Paige, USNKathleen PaigeRear Admiral Kathleen K. Paige was the Program Director, Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense , the sea-based element of the Ballistic Missile Defense System under development by the Missile Defense Agency...
, first Ballistic Missile Defense SystemNational Missile DefenseNational missile defense is a generic term for a type of missile defense intended to shield an entire country against incoming missiles, such as intercontinental ballistic missile or other ballistic missiles. Interception might be by anti-ballistic missiles or directed-energy weapons such as lasers...
Technical Director at the United States Missile Defense AgencyMissile Defense AgencyThe Missile Defense Agency is the section of the United States government's Department of Defense responsible for developing a layered defense against ballistic missiles. The agency has its origins in the Strategic Defense Initiative, which was established in 1983 and was headed by Lt...
. - Captain Willard F. "Bill" Searle Jr., USNWillard Franklyn SearleCapt. Willard Franklyn "Bill" Searle Jr. USN was an American ocean engineer who was principally responsible for developing equipment and many of the current techniques utilized in United States Navy diving and salvage operations.-Background:Searle was born 17 January 1924 in Columbus, Ohio...
, former Navy Supervisor of Salvage, and coordinator of the USS Scorpion (SSN-589)USS Scorpion (SSN-589)USS Scorpion was a Skipjack-class nuclear submarine of the United States Navy, and the sixth ship of the U.S. Navy to carry that name. Scorpion was declared lost on 5 June 1968 with 99 crew members dying in the incident. The USS Scorpion is one of two nuclear submarines the U.S...
search effort and of the search for a lost nuclear warhead (B28 nuclear bombB28 nuclear bombThe B28, originally Mark 28, was a thermonuclear bomb carried by U.S. tactical fighter bombers and bomber aircraft. From 1962 to 1972 under the NATO nuclear weapons sharing program, American B28s also equipped six Europe-based Canadian CF-104 squadrons known as the RCAF Nuclear Strike Force...
) near Palomares, Spain in 1966. - Captain Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper, USN, Space Shuttle Astronaut Mission Specialist and Navy diver.