Ship Engineers
Operating propulsion diesels, maintaining reduction gears and propulsion controls, and analyzing machinery records transfer directly to ship engineering work.
How to prepare: Request a Coast Guard evaluation of your engine-department sea service using an official service transcript or assignment history plus vessel and duty details, not a DD-214 alone. Officer entry requires the applicable MMC endorsement and Coast Guard acceptance of experience, age, citizenship, character, physical health, approved training, professional competence, and drug-test qualifications.
What the civilian work involves
- Monitor engine, machinery, or equipment indicators when vessels are underway, and report abnormalities to appropriate shipboard staff.
- Monitor and test operations of engines or other equipment so that malfunctions and their causes can be identified.
- Start engines to propel ships, and regulate engines and power transmissions to control speeds of ships, according to directions from captains or bridge computers.