A warship is only as capable as the systems that drive her — so who builds, maintains, and modernizes the machinery that keeps the fleet at sea? On this episode of WETSU, Battleship New Jersey CEO Marshall Spevak sits down with CAPT Joseph Darcy, Commanding Officer of Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division, for a wide-ranging conversation about the engineering backbone of the United States Navy.

A Long Island native, Naval Academy graduate, and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School, Captain Darcy has spent his career at the intersection of naval innovation and fleet readiness — from his early days as a junior officer and first lieutenant aboard USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) during Operation Enduring Freedom, to overseeing the construction of the DDG-1000 and DDG-1001 in Bath, Maine, to leading one of the Navy's most essential shore commands right here in Philadelphia. He also found time to serve a year in Afghanistan, ensuring the safety of forward operating base electrical systems for U.S. forces in-theater.

CAPT Darcy pulls back the curtain on what Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia actually does — from the land-based engineering sites that replicate a destroyer's engine room, to the distance support teams that help forward-deployed ships troubleshoot machinery problems in real time, to the cutting edge of electric propulsion and naval cybersecurity. He also shares what it was like to see New Jersey in drydock up close — from an engineer's perspective.

From family tradition to fleet readiness — meet the engineer helping build the Navy of tomorrow. Join us for another compelling WETSU conversation, tracing a career defined by technical mastery, quiet leadership, and a deep belief that it's always about the people — only on WETSU: a Battleship New Jersey Podcast.

WETSU: a Battleship New Jersey Podcast is proudly sponsored by Engineers Labor Employer Cooperative (ELEC) 825.

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