Propulsion Controls Engineering was established in San Diego, California on August 27, 1974 by John P. (Jack) Reilly, Morley J. (Joe) Clapp, and Jim Humphreys, three former civilian employees of NAVSEACENPAC, who realized an increasing demand within the Navy for their technical expertise.

While their initial focus was on service & repair of main propulsion boiler combustion & feed water control systems and instrumentation, it soon expanded to include overhaul and maintenance of the “controlled” equipment. Main feed pumps, forced draft blowers, fuel oil service pumps, and ship’s service turbine generators were an early addition to PCE’s expanding list of service capabilities.

Over time PCE continued to grow both in size and capability, while adhering to the basic objectives of the founders – providing the highest quality of service in a timely manner.

In December 1979 a branch office was established in Honolulu, Hawaii, followed by the opening of an additional branch in Seattle, Washington in August of 1980. This placed PCE in an ideal situation to provide its services a larger segment of the fleet. PCE maintains this “footprint” today, with the Seattle shop now relocated to Everett, WA.

In 1989 PCE purchased a diesel fuel injection shop and hydraulics division from National Pump & Injector, further adding to its list of services & areas of expertise. The initial diesel fuel injection shop capabilities were further enhanced with the acquisition of a diesel engine repair company (formerly C & J Marine) in 2002. Their initial customer base was largely private pleasure & commercial & sport fishing craft, but has since been expanded to include the Navy’s small boats, RHIB’s, and more recently overhauls of main propulsion and ships service diesel engines on the LSD, LPD, LHA and other ship classes.

The hydraulic division transitioned easily from what was mostly a commercial repair environment and quickly adapted and learned to service and repair a wide variety of Navy and MSC equipment, including steering systems, deck & UNREP equipment, cranes, elevators, stern gates, bow thrusters, and boat davits, as well as a wide variety of hydraulic pumps, motors, rams, and control valves. Raytheon has been a more recent addition to the hydraulic customer base through its SECREPs program ultimately supporting the US Marine Corps’ combat systems and equipment.

From 1989 through 1991 PCE was the Supervisor of Shipbuilding (San Diego) CIS contractor for steam valve repairs. In performance of that contract PCE developed and expanded its welding skills, procedures, and certifications to include high pressure/high temperature steam systems, alloy steels, and hard facing metals. The weld division, once considered an “in-house” support trade, now regularly takes on & completes large scale projects such as installation & replacement of a variety of shipboard piping systems, fabrication & repair of evaporators, distilling plants, and heat exchangers, as well as structural fabrication and repair.

In 1994, following a stringent tooling, facility, & financial audit, PCE became an Authorized Dealer (AD) for Woodward Governor Company. Today PCE is recognized as an AISF (Authorized Independent Service Facility) for Woodward Governor and is the primary local provider of service for both the US Navy and Military Sealift Command vessels, as well as an extensive list of commercial customers.

From 1997 to present PCE has been the holder of an Agreement for Boat Repair (ABR) with NAVSEA. After signing, PCE subsequently won and completed several large repair contracts as a prime contractor including the machinery plant package for the FY96 SRA on USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) in San Diego and the FY97 topside package on USS Nimitz (CVN-68) in Bremerton. As an ABR, PCE is held to NAVSEA’s standards and subject to periodic audits and reviews for quality control & management, and also has access to the latest changes in repair standards, information, & procedures.

In 2009 PCE acquired the former Pacific Defense Systems (PDS) electric motor rewind shop and facilities. With six in house rewinders and over a 100 years of combined experience have made PCE Motor Division an expert in handling the complexities of any AC/DC electric motor repair.

In March of 2010, PCE Washington opened our newest branch in Bremerton, WA. The establishment of our presence within this area will serve to increase our ability and responsiveness to our customers within this part of the Puget Sound Region.

PCE operates today primarily as a subcontractor for the local MSR’s (BAE Systems, NASSCO, CMSD), with its principal end customer being the United States Navy. Other customers include Military Sealift Command, Northrop-Grumman Ship Systems, the U.S. Coast Guard, local municipalities, school districts and many other commercial Industries.