Member of the Month - October 2018
Meet October's ASNE Member of the Month - CAPT Cameron Ingram, USN (Ret.)! Read on to learn a bit more about CAPT Ingram in his interview with Membership Manager Michelle.
Michelle: What got you into Naval Engineering? (What specific event or moment).
CAPT Ingram: First Navy Assignment was as Damage Control Assistant onboard a conventional 1200lb steam powered Frigate. With only a CHENG, MPA and DCA (for Officers) in Engineering Department, we all had multiple jobs on this badly broken Ship. The new CHENG wanted to include Officers standing Engineering Officer of the Watch (EOOW). System by system, this American Studies Major slowly learned the Ship’s Systems and stood EOOW during our entire WestPac deployment. Though never matriculated as an Engineer, I became one, and loved it! Really learned and appreciated how & why the Ship operated! (Actually learned the purpose of & necessity for the Auxiliary Gland Exhaust Condenser as well as the DFT!)
Michelle: What is a fun fact most people don't know about you?
CAPT Ingram: Love to cook – Always have. For my 6th birthday, I got a kitchen mixer. I bake the best Christmas cookies you’ll ever taste and, if it comes from the ocean, I can cook it on the grill!
Michelle: What is one engineer/scientist/ or mathematician dead or alive would you like to meet?
CAPT Ingram: VADM James H. Doyle, Jr., who passed away in FEB ’18. Over five years, during the foundation of the AEGIS Fleet, he was the longest serving Navy OP-03 / Director, Surface Warfare in history. While RADM Wayne E. Meyer is known as the “Father of AEGIS”, VADM James H. Doyle was the “Funder” of AEGIS, keeping money flowing to develop and enable the AEGIS Combat System on over 100 Surface Combatants today! I had the great honor to Command USS DOYLE (FFG 39) named after VADM James H. Doyle, Sr. Wish I could have spent more time with Admiral Doyle!
Michelle: If you could engineer your perfect concession stand/food truck, what would it be?
CAPT Ingram: "Tidewater Coast & Cocktails", serving delicacies from across Hampton Roads with precisely crafted and concocted Virginia specialty spirits!
Michelle: Why are you a member of ASNE?
CAPT Ingram: ASNE is the one place where Engineers regardless of education source or extent of experience can come together and share a common bond supporting American Naval Engineers. Besides, the best Sea Stories always come from below decks! ASNE does more to promote students towards our chosen profession than any similar professional organization.
Michelle: What does "Naval Engineering" mean to you?
CAPT Ingram: Naval Engineering encompasses every capability in every Naval platform – Air, Surface and Undersea; manned or unmanned. From propulsion to combat systems, from mechanical to electrical or electronic, from weapons to winches, Naval Engineering makes Naval Operations possible.