Chief Electrician's Mate Eric Pederson (center) holds up a gift of truck cleaning supplies he received during his retirement ceremony on the Biscayne Bay. Chief Petty Officer Pederson served the Coast Guard for 23 years until his retirement, which will begin November 1. Pictured with him (from left) are Machinery Technician First Class John Elder, Engineering Officer Eric Zinnkosko, and Commanding Officer Matthew Walter. As Eric Pederson, chief electrician's mate aboard the Biscayne Bay in St. Ignace, closed out his 23-year career with the U.S. Coast Guard, friends, shipmates, and well-wishers gathered to present him with congratulations, a retirement pin, and certificates of appreciation. But it was a baby blue pail full of truck cleaning supplies to use during his retirement that he appeared to enjoy the most. Biscayne Bay Commanding Officer Matthew Walter presented him with the gift and his good wishes Tuesday, September 8, at a ceremony in St. Ignace.

Chief Petty Officer Pederson's well cared for Dodge Ram truck will receive the benefits of the gift of the bucket of towels, soap, and sponges, in lieu of gifts traditionally given to the spouse of a retiring Coast Guard member, CO Walter explained to the crowd.

Retiring engineer Pederson transferred to the Biscayne Bay in May 2008, where he performed engineering work on the ship. Chief among his accomplishments was the discovery of the Biscayne Bay's fuel inefficiency. The ship's engine was consuming 60 gallons of oil when it should have only been using 20 gallons. After installing different pistons and rings in the engine, modifying its vents, and changing the oil along with the other engineers, Chief Petty Officer Pederson discovered a non-standard oil was being used. His find saved nearly 600 man-hours of work, CO Walter said during the ceremony, and hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Chief Petty Officer Pederson ascended to the podium to briefly recount his career in the Coast Guard to those gathered at the ceremony.

"There's a lot of personal pride in being on a ship. It's your lifeline," he said. "You're not the guy driving, but you're supplying the power. I like knowing the fact that my work is making these cutters go."

As a youth who liked to work with cars, Mr. Pederson joined the Coast Guard as an engineer at the suggestion of his father, Robert, who had served in the Navy.

"I knew I had to have wrenches and tools in my hand," he said.

Chief Petty Officer Pederson traveled throughout the United States maintaining ships by repairing their engines and addressing other mechanical problems. He also aided in the commission of new cutters, bringing new equipment on board, learning about the ship, and meticulously testing the equipment and machinery.

Carefully observing the ship and delicately addressing every problem that arose was important, Chief Petty Officer Pederson said, as flipping a single switch could result in the entire ship losing all electrical power. It was an engineer's duty to prevent a total blackout, and on some ships, any who failed to do so were presented with a trophy called "The Prince of Darkness."

Many young engineers earned the reviled trophy and title, he said, himself included. The title was amusing at first but quickly grew old, he said.

Serving on eight Coast Guard cutters, Chief Petty Officer Pederson has traveled to Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Florida, Virginia, Rhode Island, Alaska, Arizona, Seattle on three tours, and Michigan.

"That's the thing about the Coast Guard -- you get to go all over," he said.

Serving in Louisiana on the Coast Guard Cutter Healy was one of Chief Petty Officer Pederson's most memorable assignments. The 420-foot ship was the largest of its kind in 1998, he said, and was manned by 63 people.

Serving in Louisiana was enjoyable, Chief Petty Officer Pederson said, because he was able to see Mardi Gras twice and enjoyed the millennium year festivities there.

A native of Seattle, Chief Petty Officer Pederson will return there upon his retirement November 1. Working for the government as a civilian would be his first choice, he said, but he is keeping his employment options open when he returns home.

Chief Electrician's Mate Chad Rouse of California will replace Chief Petty Officer Pederson on the Biscayne Bay.