Four Seabee technicians from Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center (NAVFAC EXWC), Mobile Utilities Support Equipment (MUSE) division, deployed to support Naval Station Rota, Spain, Feb. 1.

MUSE has one 2.5 megawatt (MW) power plant and one 5,000 kilovolt-amp substation deployed to NAVSTA Rota to provide prime power capabilities in the event of a scheduled or unscheduled loss of commercial utility power to the base. MUSE supplements the base power plant, which consists of 10 MW of power generation, in order to give the Utilities and Energy Management (UEM) branch the capabilities to carry the full load of the installation. Additionally, it supports all port operations for four homeported guided-missile destroyers -- USS Carney (DDG 64), USS Ross (DDG 71), USS Donald Cook (DDG 75), and USS Porter (DDG 78) -- as well as various transient United States naval ships (USNS) and other forward-deployed naval forces.

During a recent scheduled inspection, the MUSE team identified a failed component and quickly found the root cause. A failed turbocharger prevented the power plant from producing the electricity needed to supply power to ships docked at NAVSTA Rota.

"Replacing the failed engine component, a 2,800 pound turbocharger, on this mission was no easy effort," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Luke Timmerman, a MUSE technician, NAVFAC EXWC, detail officer in charge. "The turbocharger takes in air and compresses it to give our generator's engine the appropriate air pressure needed for proper combustion. This combustion is what keeps an engine turning, and in turn keeps power flowing."

Weeks of planning and partnership efforts between MUSE, NAVSTA personnel and the local national workforce to enable the successful removal and replacement of the power plant's turbocharger. The mission required a 50-ton crane for four days of operations, special tools, and complex coordination.

"It was essential that the MUSE power plant was put back to operational status as we have scheduled outages to repair a damaged utility feeder providing power to our installation's substation," said Utilitiesman 1st Class Chris Watkins, a UEM leading petty officer. "Having the MUSE operational will allow us to provide prime power to the entire base, as well as keep the docked ships from having to rely on their ship's power during the repairs."

MUSE is an all-enlisted division of NAVFAC EXWC which provides interim energy independence for U.S. naval vessels, critical infrastructures, and facilities throughout the Department of Defense through reliable, responsive, and effective MUSE and technical assistance. All MUSE technicians are selected from Seabee rates and attend the Army Prime Power School located at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. The yearlong school is dedicated to teaching power production and transformation.

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