USCG Exam PracticeWatch duties, terminology, and instrumentation
An engineering watchstander notices that lube-oil temperature has been creeping upward over the past hour but has not yet reached the alarm setpoint. What is the correct action?
- A. Continue monitoring and record the reading only if the alarm activates
- ✓ Investigate the trend and report it up the chain, because a slowly drifting parameter is an early warning of a developing failureCorrect
- C. Reduce engine speed immediately without notifying the watch engineer
- D. Log the reading as normal since the alarm has not sounded
Why B is correct
NAVEDTRA 14104 §1-2 states that trends matter more than single readings and that a temperature slowly drifting off normal is an early warning of fouling, wear, or a developing failure; a good watchstander catches it before an alarm does. Any reading outside its normal band is investigated and reported, not simply written down.
Cited:NAVEDTRA 14104 §1-2