Norman Whyte served a five year indentured apprenticeship at Messrs. Cammell Laird, Shipbuilders and Ship Repairs located in Birkenhead, Cheshire, England from 1959 to 1964. During this period gained a college certificate in mechanical engineering and, before leaving Cammell Laird in 1969, Norman completed six years in the engineering design office involved in the building of various vessels such as Navy Frigates, submarines and commercial product tankers.

In 1969, Norman emigrated to Canada and worked at Davie Shipbuilding in Lauzon Quebec as a design engineer and estimator for six years during which time he was involved in the design and building of product tankers, bulk carriers and ferries.

From 1975 to 1989 Norman was invited to join Burrard Dry Dock in Vancouver as Manager of Engineering, heading up the mechanical engineering office during the building of Canadian Coast Guard ice breakers, passenger/vehicle ferries, offshore supply vessels and many other types of vessels. Responsibilities included mechanical system design and arrangements, selection and purchasing of machinery, supervision of the engineers and design schedule control. Also during this period Norman served five years as an advisory board member for the Engineering Faculty of the British Columbia Institute of Technology.

Norman joined Cullen Detroit Diesel as Engineering Manager in their Co-generation and generator packaging division from 1989 to 1992. His responsibilities included managing all design for structural, electrical/electronic and mechanical components of each package; the selection and purchase of machinery and raw materials and coordination of subcontracted assemblies; and the development and introduction of just-in-time materials scheduling and ISO 9002 certification.

In 1992, Norman formed his own technical services company which provided commissioning engineering during the building of the BC Ferries "Spirit of British Columbia and Vancouver Island" and the refit of the P & O vessel "Pacific Princess."

Norman was invited to join Todd Pacific Shipyards in Seattle, Washington USA in 1994 as Chief Engineer to assist in the bid preparation for three Washington State Ferries. On being awarded the contract to build the three 2000 passenger/216 vehicle ferries, Norman was tasked to create a functional engineering office with capabilities to produce the detail design for structure, mechanical and electrical disciplines. The project size and time phase required the hiring of 65 designers and the installation of a CAD network system, development of office standards and infrastructure.

In February 2001, Norman returned to Vancouver from the USA and is presently offering technical services to companies linked to the marine industry.

Principal
Norman D Whyte Technical Services Inc.
8 - 1550, Larkhall Crescent,
North Vancouver.
B.C. V7H 2Z2
Canada

Phone: +1 604 924 0604

Email: experts@marinetalk.com


Member  Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers


Member  Canadian Institute of Marine Engineering