Paul Jones

Navy diesel mechanic, trained on Packard V12 in Charleston SC and served aboard USS Excel MSO-439 from 1973 to 1976 in San Francisco Bay, Treasure Island. During that time it was a reserve training ship, but had been in Viet Nam prior. I was part of the regular Navy crew that lived on board. Main engine room had 4 of the V12 1700 cu. in. Packards that ran a constant RPM, reduction gears and variable pitch props. If the pilot house called for too much pitch, the manifold pressure would often go too high and blow at least one head gasket, evidenced after the engine shut down and you opened the vent plugs and rotated the engine....coolant would shoot out of the vent. That meant you were staying to change the gasket...a lengthy process when you'd rather be on liberty with the rest of the crew. Forward engine room had an inline 6 Packard that generated 185KW, and at least one (memory faint) V12 that fed minesweeping equipment which didn't run often. The Packards had a reputation of poor reliability, so we were ordered to stay within sight of land. What impressed me about the engines was the build quality...stainless crankshaft and individual cylinder heads, aluminum block to minimize the amount of ferrous material on board. Huge turbo mounted on top rear, air starter below the turbo in the Vee. Starter removal required long extension with universal joint socket.