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Tough but rewarding - insight into unsung engineers who keep the Fleet at sea
11 February 2025
Life at sea isn’t all about guns, missiles, fast-paced action, manoeuvres at close quarters.
Sometimes it’s grimy, oily, dirty, backbreaking – and just as rewarding.
It also largely unsung. Captains. Aviators. Commandos. Gunners. They get the glory. Chefs get the thanks of their shipmates for another fine meal.
But marine engineers. People expect lights to work. Engines to run. Heads to flush.
Leading Engineering Technician (Marine Engineering) – killick stoker for the older generation – Rhys Owen is one 14 sailors, all of them ratings, assigned to the marine engineering department on HMS Cattistock, accounting for one third of the ship’s company.
Although the ships themselves are 40 years old, that’s thanks to the hull made of glass-reinforced plastic; the systems, machinery and kit on board is maintained/repaired/overhauled regularly; most recently a two-year for Cattistock in her home base of Portsmouth between 2021 and 2023.
The ship is undergoing Operational Sea Training in Scotland presently – but Rhys has somehow found time to give us an insight into life keeping a Hunt-class minehunter running.
“Stepping into my role as a Leading Engineering Technician (Marine Engineering) – LET(ME) - on a small ship has been a demanding but highly rewarding challenge.
Having previously served on a Type 45 Destroyer, transitioning to a Hunt-class minehunter has meant taking on significantly more responsibility.
With a smaller team, I have been solely responsible alongside an ET(ME), for the maintenance of the ship’s diesel generators, ensuring they remain operational during a busy period of national tasking. The experience has required rapid adaptation, technical expertise, and problem-solving under pressure.
One of my first major tasks was a 12,000-hour maintenance – the most extensive overhaul an engine undergoes. This was my introduction to major maintenance as a leading hand, setting the standard for what was to come.
The job required stripping and replacing critical components, including the fuel pump, injectors, cylinder heads, turbocharger, aftercooler, crankcase breather, oil cooler, and thermostat.
Every part had to be torqued to spec and reassembled with precision to ensure peak performance. It was a complex and critical task that reinforced the importance of meticulous attention to detail.”Engineering at sea is more than just maintenance - it is about adaptability, collaboration, and ensuring that when the ship is needed, it is fully operational
The biggest challenge Rhys has faced – and risen to – was fixing a long-standing fault on one of Cattistock’s diesel generators which overheated due to coolant leaking, causing the engine to ‘trip’, rendering it unusable.
Rhys methodically set about fixing it.
“To pinpoint the root cause, I recorded key parameters in a detailed spreadsheet, identifying a pattern that pointed to trapped air within the coolant system. This trapped air was creating localised pressure spikes when the thermostat closed during startup.
“To resolve the issue, I developed a ‘force bleeding’ method, removing the aftercooler vent line and briefly running the generator to create turbulent flow, shifting and expelling the trapped air. The results were immediate - since implementing this solution, the generator has remained fully operational. Restoring it to service prevented unnecessary part replacements and ensured the ship regained its full power generation capability.”
Coming from a destroyer where there’s a 50-strong marine engineering department has been both a step up in challenges and an insight into extended team work.
“The tight-knit nature of small-ship engineering means that when a major issue arises, the entire section is involved.
“Other engineers have stepped in when needed, reinforcing the importance of teamwork in keeping the ship operational. The Marine Engineering Officer – a Warrant Officer 2 with 23 years’ experience – has provided essential guidance, direction, and support in key decisions, ensuring that solutions align with broader operational requirements.
Having an experienced mentor to discuss ideas with has been instrumental in developing confidence in my engineering judgment.”
And when there’s not a major fault to diagnose and fix, there’s work to be carried out daily on machinery which is running 24/7/365:
- Diagnosing and repairing fuel leaks to maintain reliability.
- Electrical testing of generator control panels to resolve communication issues.
- Resetting valve tappets to optimize performance.
- Liaising with external contractors to ensure effective fault resolution.
- Identifying safety concerns in material design and recommending corrective action.
- Teaching junior engineers, ensuring they understand both the “how” and the “why” behind our work.
What Rhys has particularly enjoyed is the responsibility working in a small team of engineers means – both to him and Cattistock.
“This transition from Engineering Technician to Leading Engineering Technician has been a defining period in my development.
“The combination of technical problem-solving and leadership development has been a highlight of this role. In contrast to bigger ships, where tasks are distributed among a broader team, small-ship engineering requires full ownership of faults. There is no backup - you either fix the problem, or it becomes a critical failure.
“It’s reinforced my ability to lead, make informed engineering decisions, and show initiative. At times, the demands have been relentless, but the experience has been invaluable. Being responsible for such a critical system during a high-tempo operational period has sharpened my troubleshooting skills and problem-solving abilities, making me a more capable and confident engineer.
“Keeping the ship at sea during this period has been both challenging and rewarding. Engineering at sea is more than just maintenance - it is about adaptability, collaboration, and ensuring that when the ship is needed, it is fully operational. The ability to systematically diagnose faults, implement effective solutions, and maintain critical systems under pressure is what ensures Cattistock remains sea-going.”