 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| Gulf Coast shipbuilding/maritime |
MAY 2012
LPD 23 completes builder's trial
PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Amphibious transport dock Anchorage successfully completed its
builder's trials last week, Ingalls Shipbuilding said Monday. LPD 23, under construction at
the company's Avondale, La., shipyard, is the seventh in the LPD 17-class to be built by
Ingalls. The 684-foot-long vessel's primary mission is to transport up to 800 Marines, their
fighting vehicles and aircraft. Builder's trials are meant to measure performance and identify
any possible construction discrepancies. (Source: Mississippi Press, Globe Newswire,
05/21/12)
Boat yard shutting down
MOBILE, Ala. – Harrison Brothers Dry Dock and Repair Yard is closing after 117 years. The
inventory is being sold in one chunk, and owner Bill Harrison III wants to clear and lease the
land. The yard has operated on the east bank of the Mobile River since 1895, but a
combination of factors, including a slack economy, led to the decision to close. (Source:
Mobile Press-Register, 05/17/12)
San Diego to be commissioned
SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The Navy on Saturday will commission the newest San Antonio-class
amphibious transport dock ship, San Diego. The ship is named for the principal homeport of
the Pacific fleet. Adm. Mark Ferguson, vice chief of naval operations, will deliver the principal
address. Built by Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., the ship is 684 feet long and
capable of embarking a landing force of about 800 Marines. Four turbo-charged diesel
engines power the ship to sustained speeds in excess of 22 knots. (Source: DoD, 05/17/12)
Contract: Ingalls, $133.8M
Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc., Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a $133,751,000 cost-
plus-fixed-fee not-to-exceed modification to previously awarded contract for advance
procurement of long-lead-time materials and pre-construction activities in support of
Landing Platform Dock 27. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Miss., and is expected to
complete by June 2017. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting
activity. (Source: DoD, 05/15/12)
Austal confident
Austal is confident its contract with the U.S. Navy will not be affected by a move to
investigate purchase of the ships. A committee wants the Government Accountability Office
to look into how the U.S. Navy has dealt with problems associated with its 55-vessel Littoral
Combat Ship program, including rust issues. Austal USA is building the Independence class
version of the LCS in Mobile, Ala. Company CEO Andrew Bellamy told PerthNow he has
never felt more confident about the LCS program. (Source: PerthNow, 05/10/12)
Contract: Enterprise Ventures, $12.5M
Enterprise Ventures Corp., Johnstown, Pa., is being awarded a $12,529,511 firm-fixed-price
contract for the production of 12 carriage, stream, tow, and recovery system kits in support
of the Naval Air Systems Command, MH-60S Airborne Mine Countermeasures Program. The
objectives of the program are to design, fabricate, test, and integrate a system for the
carriage, stream, tow and recovery of all five airborne mine countermeasures sensors to
support the mission of the MH-60S helicopter. The contract includes an option that would
bring the cumulative value to $31,969,022. Work will be performed in Johnstown, Pa., and is
expected to complete by November 2014. Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City
Division, Fla., is the Contracting Activity. (Source: DoD, 05/11/12)
New cutter leaking
The Associated Press reports that a Coast Guard cutter built by Ingalls Shipbuilding in
Pascagoula, Miss., will have to be put in dry dock for repairs. Temporary repairs were made
to the four leaks found in April on the USCG Stratton. The 418-foot long ship, the third ship
of its class, is homeported in California and was delivered to the Coast Guard in September
2011. No similar problems have been found in the other two ships of the class. (Source:
Associated Press via the Sun Herald, Mississippi Press, others, 05/08/12) The $551 million
Stratton (WMSL 752) can reach a top speed of 28 knots and carries a crew of 110. The first
two ships of the Legend class are the Bertholf (WMSL 750) and Waesche (WMSL 751).
Hangar heads to Maine
GULFPORT, Miss. – A composite helicopter hangar built by Ingalls Shipbuilding in Gulfport
is heading for Bath Iron Works in Maine. The 60 foot wide structure took nearly two years to
construct. Another, even larger composite structure, the deckhouse is still being built and is
expected to be shipped to Maine this summer. (Source: WLOX-TV, 05/07/12)
Contract: Lockheed Martin, $7.7M
Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors, Moorestown, N.J., is being awarded a
$7,708,000 modification to previously awarded contract for DDG 51-class and CG 47-class
Aegis combat system installation, integration, testing, and fleet life-cycle engineering
support of the Program Executive Officer for Integrated Warfare Systems. The required
engineering for DDG 51-class and CG 47-class ships includes program management and
operation support, quality assurance, configuration management, ship design integration,
fleet lifecycle engineering support, installation support, firmware maintenance, combat
system test and evaluation, Navy-furnished material support, special studies, and future-
ship integration studies. Work will be performed in Moorestown, N.J. (55 percent); Norfolk,
Va. (18 percent); Baltimore, Md. (15 percent); San Diego, Calif. (5 percent); Bath, Maine (2
percent); Washington, D.C. (2 percent); Pascagoula, Miss. (1 percent); Port Hueneme, Calif.
(1 percent); and Syracuse, N.Y. (1 percent). Work is expected to completed by September
2012. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
(Source: DoD, 05/07/12)
LHA 7 to be named Tripoli
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced Friday the selection of USS Tripoli as the
name for the Navy's next large-deck amphibious assault ship, LHA 7. It will be the third ship
to be named Tripoli, a name that commemorates the capture of Derna in 1805 by a small
force of U.S. Marines and about 370 soldiers from 11 other nations during the First Barbary
War. LHA 7 has an increased aviation capacity to include an enlarged hangar deck and
more that will support helicopters, tilt rotors and Joint Strike Fighters F-35B aircraft. (Source:
DoD, 05/04/12) Gulf Coast note: LHA 7 is being built by Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula,
Miss.
JHSV keel-laying held
MOBILE, Ala. – Austal USA hosted its own version of the traditional keel-laying ceremony
Thursday for the third Joint High Speed Vessel. About 100 people gathered for the
ceremony. JHSVs are designed to transport troops, equipment and supplies quickly
throughout theaters. They are equipped with helicopter landing pads and can quickly
maneuver and operate in shallow waters. The full program consists of 10 vessels and is
potentially worth over $1.6 billion. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 05/03/12)
Sub delivered ahead of schedule
GROTON, Conn. -- General Dynamics Electric Boat today delivered the nuclear-powered
attack submarine Mississippi, SSN-782, to the U.S. Navy 363 days ahead of contract
schedule and more than $60 million below target cost. John Holmander, vice president and
Virginia program manager for General Dynamics Electric Boat, noted that the ship is at the
most combat-ready state of any Virginia-class submarine at delivery. Mississippi, the ninth
ship of the class, will join the fleet in a commissioning ceremony June 2 in Pascagoula, Miss.
(Source: General Dynamics, 05/02/12)
USS Independence arrives in S.D.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The littoral combat ship USS Independence, LCS 2, arrived at Naval
Base San Diego May 2, completing the ship's maiden voyage to her homeport.
Independence, commissioned in 2010, is the first Independence-class ship to transit the
Panama Canal, conduct a foreign port visit and arrive in San Diego. After two years of
training off the coast of Florida, the ship's transit from Mayport to San Diego marks the
successful completion of testing the ability of the ship's Mine Countermeasures mission
package to detect, localize, and destroy mines in a tactical environment. (Source: NNS,
05/02/12) Gulf Coast note: The ship was built by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala.
Contract: Ingalls, $11.5M
Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc., Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a $11,497,083
modification to previously awarded contract to exercise an option for fiscal 2012 class
services in support of class product fabrication, delivery, engineering, engineering support
and integrated logistics support of the Zumwalt Class (DDG 1000) destroyer. Work will be
performed in Pascagoula, Miss. (95 percent), and Gulfport, Miss. (5 percent), and is
expected to be completed by October 2012. The Naval Sea Systems Command,
Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 04/30/12)
APRIL 2012
Group critical of Lockheed LCS
A report from a watchdog group was highly critical of the Lockheed Martin version of the
Littoral Combat Ship, and recommending dropping it in favor of the Austal USA variant built
in Mobile, Ala. The Project on Government Oversight said it reviewed internal Navy
documents, and in a letter delivered to House and Senate leaders said the Lockheed vessel
has a history of hull cracks, equipment failure and other design problems making it unsafe
for service. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 04/25/12)
Exploration command center opens
STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- Mississippi State University's new Science and
Technology Center here is now home of the country's seventh National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration Exploration Command Center. The center, using "telepresence
technology," enables research scientists at sea and colleagues on shore to simultaneously
view live video streams from underseas. The MSU-led Northern Gulf Institute and NOAA's
Office of Ocean Exploration and Research are coordinating the first use at Stennis of this
technology. A key part of the effort is the Okeanos Explorer, the NOAA exploration flagship
currently probing the floor of the Gulf of Mexico. Telepresence technology enables scientists
aboard vessels to be in constant contact with others ashore through a combination of high-
definition cameras and remotely operated underwater vehicles. The network includes an
Internet-enabled intercom system for voice communication as the ship's remotely operated
vehicles send a continuous stream of live video and data. (Source: MSU, 04/24/12)
Nelson: Name ship after P.C.
PANAMA CITY, Fla. – Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., has written to Secretary of the Navy Ray
Mabus to request a Navy ship be named after Panama City. According to a letter dated
Thursday, “Panama City has a long history in Mine Warfare beginning in 1945 when the
Navy moved the U.S. Navy Mine Countermeasures Station to Florida.” The mission, size and
responsibilities for the activity has expanded to meet the military’s needs. The Navy
operation in Panama City more recently has played a key role in development of the Littoral
Combat Ship Mine Hunting and Mine Neutralization missions, the letter said. (Source:
Panama City News Herald, 04/20/12)
DDG 1002 named Johnson
WASHINGTON -- Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said Monday that the next Zumwalt-class
destroyer will be named the USS Lyndon B. Johnson, after the nation's 36th president. The
ship, DDG-1002, is the third ship of the Zumwalt class being built by General Dynamics' Bath
Iron Works in Maine. The ships, designed for sustained operations in the littorals and land
attack, are 600 feet long with a speed of 30 knots. (Source: NNS, 04/16/12) Gulf Coast note:
Ingalls Shipbuilding's Gulfport operation supplies the composite deckhouse and other
composite sections for the Zumwalt ships.
Alcoa sends Amah tips to Austal
Alcoa said it's delivered a set of two "ready for installation" aluminum Amah tips to Austal
USA for use on the future Littoral Combat Ship USS Jackson (LCS 6). An Amah tip is the
leading edge of the all-aluminum, trimaran-type vessel's outrigger, or amah, and is more
than seven feet across and weighs 850 pounds. The LCS 6 is currently being built for the U.
S. Navy at Austal's Mobile, Ala., shipyard. A second set of Amah tips for the USS
Montgomery (LCS 8) will be delivered to Austal next month. (Source: Business Wire,
04/16/12)
Maritime robots grab spotlight
Two new maritime robots, both with Gulf Coast ties, have been unveiled recently. Today at
the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space Exposition in Maryland, General Dynamics unveiled a
quarter-scale model of the Surface Mine Countermeasure Unmanned Undersea Vehicle,
"Knifefish." It's a heavyweight-class minehunting, unmanned undersea vehicle designed for
the Littoral Combat Ship mine countermeasure mission package. Development and
manufacturing work on this program is done in Greensboro, N.C., Fairfax, Va., Quincy,
Mass., Braintree, Mass., and Panama City, Fla. A version of the LCS is built in Mobile, Ala.,
by Austal USA. (Source: General Dynamics, 04/16/12) Last week in New Orleans, Textron
showed off the Common Unmanned Surface Vessel at its Textron Marine and Land Systems
shipyard. The 39-foot long unmanned system can navigate and patrols the high seas on its
own and reach 28 knots. It can be controlled remotely from 10 to 12 miles away, or further
away it can be switched to a satellite control system. (Source: multiple, including New
Orleans Times Picayune, 04/12/12)
River tug delivered
BAYOU LA BATRE, Ala. -- Horizon Shipbuilding of Bayou La Batre has delivered an inland
river tugboat to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The 58-foot M/V General Irwin was
christened March 30 in Eufaula. The vessel will be used in operations and maintenance
work. Horizon, with about 240 employees, spent 13 months on the tug, built under a contract
valued at $3.8 million. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 04/11/12)
SSC getting new research center
STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- NASA's Stennis Space Center will be the home of the
National Oceans and Applications Research Center, Gov. Phil Bryant said Wednesday at
the ribbon-cutting for the Infinity Science Center. NOARC will combine the capabilities of
NASA, NOAA and the Navy to analyze and understand the Gulf of Mexico watershed and
other oceans NOAA monitors. Bryant said the center will be the "Woods Hole of the South,"
a reference to the world-renown center in Massachusetts. NOARC data could be used to
develop environmental management best practices, identify optimal sites to build
infrastructure and help guide coastal restoration efforts. NOARC will leverage a partnership
with the Mississippi Enterprise for Technology to help encourage the development of small
businesses that benefit from NOARC data. NOARC will be funded with remaining monies that
BP granted to Mississippi during the response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion.
The center will receive initial funding of $500,000 to provide for basic startup needs.
(Sources: Sun Herald, WLOX-TV, press release, 04/11/12) Stennis Space Center is home to
30 agencies, including NASA and NOAA. It's also the center for the Navy's oceanographic
work.
Avondale still on track to close
Huntington Ingalls Industries is sticking to plans to close its Avondale shipyard near New
Orleans, the company's Chief Executive Officer, Michael Petters, said in an interview in
Bloomberg's Washington office. Shipbuilding will end at Avondale by mid- to late-2013, after
it delivers its last amphibious ship. The company continues to seek a partner, such as a
heavy manufacturer that will develop an alternative use, Petters said. The closure plans
were first announced in 2010 when HII was still part of Northrop Grumman. The company is
consolidating its Gulf Coast work at the company's shipyards in Pascagoula and Gulfport,
Miss. (Source: Bloomberg, 04/10/12)
Sub completes sea trial
GROTON, Conn. -- The nation's newest nuclear-powered attack submarine, Mississippi
(SSN-782), returned to the Electric Boat shipyard following the successful completion of its
first voyage in open seas. During the alpha sea trials, Mississippi submerged for the first
time and conducted high-speed runs on and under the surface to demonstrate that the
submarine's propulsion plant is fully mission-capable. Mississippi is the ninth ship of the
Virginia Class. The submarine will be commissioned June 2 in Pascagoula, Miss. Electric
Boat is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics. (Source: General Dynamics,
04/09/12)
Contract: Northrop Grumman, $27M
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Aerospace Systems, Melbourne, Fla., is being awarded
a $27,058,492 modification to previously awarded contract for the procurement of the
AN/AES-1 Airborne Laser Mine Detection System (ALMDS) low rate initial production. Work
will be performed in Melbourne, Fla. (36.2 percent); Tucson, Ariz. (34 percent); St. Charles,
Mo. (12.5 percent); Irvine, Calif. (8 percent); San Clarita, Calif. (5 percent); and Edgewood,
N.Y. (4.3 percent). Work is expected to be completed by April 2014. The Naval Surface
Warfare Center Panama City Division, Panama City, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source:
DoD, 04/05/12)
Contract: Ingalls, $50.3M
Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc., Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a $50,300,000
modification to previously awarded contract for procurement of additional long lead time
material in support of the LHA replacement, Flight 0, amphibious assault ship, LHA 7. Work
will be performed in Pascagoula, Miss., and is expected to complete by May 2013. Naval Sea
Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 04/04/12)
Titanium hulls in the future?
ARLINGTON, Va. -- An Office of Naval Research-funded project is producing a full-size ship
hull section made with marine grade titanium using a welding innovation that could help
bring titanium into future ship construction. Researchers at the University of New Orleans
School of Naval Architecture and Textron Marine and Land Systems are demonstrating the
project, and expect to have a complete hull this summer. Friction-stir welds more than 17
feet long joined the titanium alloy plates for the section's deck. Friction-stir welding works
well for most aluminum alloys, but titanium is hard to join by the same process because of
the high temperatures required. The researchers overcame that problem by using new
titanium friction-stir welding methods developed by Florida-based Keystone Synergistic
Enterprises Inc., with funding from both ONR and the Air Force. The processes were scaled
up and transferred to the National Center for Advanced Manufacturing in New Orleans,
which is a partnership between UNO, NASA and Louisiana. (Source: Office of Naval
Research, 04/03/12)
MARCH 2012
Ingalls gets NSC contract
PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Huntington Ingalls Industries said its Ingalls Shipbuilding division has
received a $76 million fixed-price contract from the U.S. Coast Guard to purchase long-lead
materials for a sixth National Security Cutter. Construction and delivery of the yet-to-be-
named WMSL 755 will be performed at the company's Pascagoula facility. A second phase
of the contract, when awarded, would bring the overall value to $88 million. The cutters are
418 feet long and displace 4,500 tons with a full load. They have a top speed of 28 knots, a
range of 12,000 miles, an endurance of 60 days and a crew of 110. (Source: Globe
Newswire, 03/30/12)
Sequestration threatens LCS
The Pentagon would expect hundreds of thousands of layoffs across the defense industry if
lawmakers don’t act to avert an additional $500 billion in defense budget cuts that could
take effect in January 2013. Frank Kendall, the Defense Department's acting
undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, said the cuts would force the
Pentagon to break many contracts, including the Navy's contracts with Lockheed Martin and
Austal USA for littoral combat ships. (Source: Reuters, 03/29/12)
HII marks first year
Huntington Ingalls Industries marked its first year of operations after its spinoff from Northrop
Grumman when CEO Mike Petters rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on
Thursday. Huntington Ingalls has two sectors: a Newport News facility in Virginia and Ingalls
Shipbuilding on the Gulf Coast, which oversees the Pascagoula, Miss., yard, a composite
yard in Gulfport, Miss., and an Avondale, La., yard that will close next year. The Ingalls yard
in Pascagoula builds warships for the Navy and Coast Guard and is one of the state’s
largest private employers. HII finished four ships, started construction on two, received new
construction contracts on three and is at the halfway point on structural work for the aircraft
carrier Gerald R. Ford. (Sources: Sun Herald, 03/29/12, Mississippi Press, 03/30/12)
Contract: General Dynamics, $27M
General Dynamics Information Technology, Herndon, Va., is being awarded a $27,091,748
indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for information technology engineering and
mission sustainment services in support of the commander, Naval Meteorology and
Oceanography Command, Stennis Space Center, Miss. Sixty percent of the work will be
done at SSC. Other sites are Monterey, Calif. (20 percent); Washington, D.C. (10 percent);
San Diego, Calif. (8 percent); and Bahrain, Saudi Arabia (2 percent). Work is expected to be
completed by April 1, 2013. The NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support, Mechanicsburg, Pa., is
the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/29/12)
DDG-1000 completes key test
The future USS Zumwalt completed a major developmental test Tuesday, demonstrating the
integration of the engineering control system software and the ship’s integrated power
system, the Naval Sea Systems Command announced Thursday. The test, which marks the
successful completion of the second of two developmental tests, verified the software and
hardware compatibility and interoperability between the ECS hardware and the IPS. The
Ingalls composite center of excellence in Gulfport, Miss., builds composite deckhouse and
hangars for the Zumwalt and the Pascagoula yard builds steel units that support the
composite deliveries and the aft peripheral vertical launch system ship sections. Bath Iron
Works in Maine ultimately assembles the vessels. (Source: Mississippi Press, 03/23/12)
Austal wins safety award
MOBILE, Ala. -- Shipbuilder Austal USA has earned the Award for Excellence in Safety from
the Shipbuilders Council of America, a national trade association of the shipbuilding
industry. Notice of the award, the fourth in a row for Austal, was announced by the company
in a news release on Thursday. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 03/22/12) Austal builds
littoral combat ships and joint high-speed vessels for the U.S. military.
Robot to robot refueling tested
WASHINGTON -- The Naval Research Laboratory successfully demonstrated the robotic
fluids transfer from a stationary platform to an unmanned surface vehicle in wave heights
greater than three feet. The Rapid Autonomous Fuel Transfer project was able to track the
motion of a Sea Fox naval vessel, emplace a magnetic refueling fitting to an on-board
receptacle and complete fluids transfer. The testing was done at the Army Aberdeen Test
Center wave simulator facility. Further robotic transfer tests may include land-based
autonomous vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicle. (Source: NRL via Business Wire,
03/20/12) Gulf Coast note: This region is heavily involved in unmanned systems, including
aerial and maritime, and is a major shipbuilding region; the NRL has an operation at Stennis
Space Center, Miss.
Engineers design UxV controllers
PANAMA CITY, Fla. – Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division scientists and
engineers have designed unmanned system controllers for a younger generation of sailor
raised on video-game controllers. The latest proof-of-concept uses an Xbox Kinect to deliver
gesture-based robotic controls. It’s been demonstrated as a viable interface for human-
machine interaction with omni-directional vehicles. Gesture-based robot control and similar
approaches that utilize "human-centric" interaction with unmanned-systems opens a door to
the future of effective human-robot teams in which communication is natural. Speech,
gestures, and facial expressions, are intuitive and can reduce training requirements.
(Source: NNS, 03/16/12)
Navy orders four LCSs
Contracts for four more Littoral Combat Ships were awarded March 16 by the Navy, bringing
the total number of LCS vessels under order or in service to 12. Lockheed Martin received
$715 million for two ships and Austal USA received $691.6 million for two ships. In Mobile,
Ala., where Austal builds its LCS, the award will fund the shipyard's fifth and sixth LCSs. The
vessels, meant for minesweeping, submarine-hunting, anti-piracy efforts and special forces
operations, represent the third funding increment to be awarded under a 10-ship, $3.8
billion deal that Austal secured in December 2010. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, Navy
Times, 03/16/12)
Contract: Lockheed Martin, $20M
Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors, Moorestown, N.J., is being awarded a
$20,000,000 modification to previously awarded contract exercising an option for
integration, installation, and testing of the Aegis combat system on DDG 51-class ships. The
tasks to be accomplished include planning, technical data package development, test
procedure development, test engineering, installation engineering, and combat system test
engineering. Work will be performed in Moorestown, N.J. (37 percent); Bath, Maine (25
percent); Pascagoula, Miss. (22 percent); San Diego (6 percent); Washington, D.C. (5
percent); Norfolk, Va. (3 percent); Port Hueneme, Calif. (1 percent); and Syracuse, N.Y. (1
percent), and is expected to be completed by September 2012. Naval Sea Systems
Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/16/12)
Contract: Austal, $19.7M
Austal USA, Mobile, Ala., is being awarded a $19,692,295 modification to previously
awarded contract to exercise options for special studies, analyses, review and class service
efforts for the Littoral Combat Ship program. This effort will assess engineering and
production challenges and evaluate the cost and schedule risks from affordability efforts to
reduce LCS acquisition and lifecycle costs. Work will be performed in Mobile, Ala. (72
percent) and Pittsfield, Mass. (28 percent). Work is expected to be complete by March 2013.
The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source:
DoD, 03/14/12)
Mine-sweep system overhauled
PANAMA CITY, Fla. -- ITT Exelis has completed its first overhaul of a mine-sweeping system
for the U.S. Navy. The Naval Surface Warfare Center in Panama City, Fla., awarded this
sole-source indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract in 2009, which has a potential
value of $49 million. The refurbishment extends the life of this MK-105 Mod 4 Airborne Mine
Countermeasure Influence Sweep unit for another 10 years. (Source: ITT Excelis via
Business Wire, 03/12/12)
Shipyards finish repairs
MOBILE, Ala. -- BAE Systems Southeast Shipyards and Austal USA finished a four-month
repair and maintenance job on a Navy research vessel. The companies in November
announced they were teaming up to work on the Sea Fighter, an experimental vessel based
out of Panama City, Fla., an aluminum catamaran that the Office of Naval Research uses to
test technologies it will use on its littoral combat ships and joint high-speed vessels. (Source:
Mobile Press-Register, 03/08/12)
Signet tugs perform tow
PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- The Noble Max Smith rig that’s been under repair at Signal
International's west shipyard was moved Monday by the newest of Signet Maritime's tug
fleet. The Signet Constellation and the Signet Stars & Stripes were used along with the tugs
Daniel Colle, Natalie Colle and John Colle for the rig tow to Signal's east yard on Bayou
Casotte. In addition, a 5,000 horsepower, $13 million tug built by Signet at the Pascagoula
yard, the Signet Weatherly, left this week for a 520-mile trip to Ingleside, Texas. (Source:
Mississippi Press, 03/06/12)
Fire-fighting robot planned
A robot designed to fight shipboard fires will be tested aboard the ex-USS Shadwell in
Mobile, Ala., in late September 2013. Scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory formed a
team to develop a humanoid robot that could fight fires on the next generation of combat
ships. The robot, the Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot or SAFFiR, is designed to
interact with people and perform tasks normally performed by humans. It will be equipped
with a variety of sensors to let it see through smoke, and will also have fire suppressors and
extinguishing agents on its upper torso. It will be able to walk in all directions, balance in sea
conditions and traverse obstacles. It will also be capable of making its own decisions and
respond to gestures as part of the fire-fighting team. The former Shadwell is a unique fire
test ship, where full-scale fire and damage control tests are conducted in a realistic ship
environment. (Source: Business Wire, 03/07/12)
Details of commissioning coming
PASCAGOULA, Miss. – Gov. Phil Bryant will be in town Monday for a news conference to
formally announce details of the commissioning of the USS Mississippi in Pascagoula in
June. Mayor Robbie Maxwell said the sub will carry the state’s name all over the world. Jerry
St. Pe, former Ingalls Shipbuilding president, said about 5,000 people are expected to
attend the commissioning. The Navy pays for the ceremony itself, while donations pay for
receptions, gifts and special celebrations. The fundraising effort by the USS Mississippi
Commissioning Committee will be discussed during Monday's press conference, according
to the city of Pascagoula. (Source: Mississippi Press, 03/01/12)
FEBRUARY 2012
FST finishes Colombia survey
STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - The Naval Oceanographic Office Fleet Survey Team
from Stennis Space Center completed survey operations in the coastal waters of Cartagena,
Colombia Feb. 23. The surveys of Cartagena Bay provided an opportunity to assist
Colombia in surveying the area including the Magdalena River in Barranquilla. The FST
used a 10 meter SeaArk survey boat equipped with multiple types of depth sounding
equipment. The data is processed at SSC, then sent to the National Geospatial Intelligence
Agency to update the nautical charts. The host nations receive a copy of the final dataset,
allowing them to include the updated information in their charts. The FST conducts about 14
surveys a year worldwide. The Naval Oceanographic Office, part of the Naval Meteorology
and Oceanography Command, collects and analyzes global ocean and littoral data. (Source:
NNS, 02/24/12)
Cutters not in budget
The Coast Guard is asking for $683 million to build one Bertholf-class national security
cutter, the sixth of a planned eight-ship class built by Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula,
Miss. But there is no request this year for long-lead funding for the seventh or eighth NSCs,
and the service’s five-year capital investment plan shows no money for new Bertholfs
beyond the sixth ship. (Source: Navy Times, 02/24/12)
Contract: Austal USA, $321.7M
Austal USA, Mobile, Ala., is being awarded a $321,725,461 modification to previously
awarded contract for the exercise of construction options for Joint High Speed Vessels 8 and
9. The JHSV will provide high speed, shallow draft transportation capability to support the
intra-theater maneuver of personnel, supplies, and equipment for the Navy, Marine Corps,
and Army. Work will be performed in Mobile, Ala. (48 percent); Pittsfield, Mass. (9 percent);
Franklin, Mass. (3 percent); Philadelphia, Pa. (3 percent); Atlanta, Ga. (2 percent); Chicago,
Ill. (2 percent); Gulfport, Miss. (2 percent); Slidell, La. (1 percent); Iron Mountain, Mich. (1
percent); Houston, Texas (1 percent); Dallas, Texas (1 percent); Chesapeake, Va. (1
percent); Milwaukee, Wis. (1 percent); Brookfield, Wis. (1 percent); various sites throughout
the United States (5 percent); and various sites outside of the United States (19 percent).
Work is expected to be completed by April 2016. The Naval Sea Systems Command,
Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 02/24/12)
Contract: Huntington Ingalls, $70M
Huntington Ingalls Inc., Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a not-to-exceed $70,000,000
cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract for advance procurement of
long-lead-time materials in support of LPD 27, the 11th ship in the San Antonio (LPD 17)
class. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Miss., and is expected to be completed by April
2012. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
(Source: DoD, 02/23/12)
Eastern shipbuilding expands
PORT ST. JOE, Fla. -- Eastern Shipbuilding Group of Panama City will lease 20 acres at a
Port of St. Joe paper mill site to expand its shipbuilding and repair business. The
announcement comes less than a month after the signing of a Memorandum of
Understanding between the St. Joe Co. and the Port of Port St. Joe Port Authority to develop
and market the port. St. Joe’s former paper mill site is some 180 acres. The mill site is also
adjacent to a turning basin and navigational channel. St. Joe also owns about 4,700 acres
of undeveloped land adjacent to the site. ESG is currently in the process of filling 500 new
positions needed to meet its current and future contracts for vessel manufacturing. (Source:
The Star, Panana City News Herald, 02/21/12)
Contract: Northrop Grumman, $18.7M
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Bethpage, N.Y., is being awarded an $18,704,042
modification to previously awarded contract to provide engineering and production planning
services for mission packages that will deploy from and integrate with the Littoral Combat
Ship. Mission package capabilities are currently focused on primary mission areas of mine
warfare emphasizing mine countermeasures, littoral anti-submarine warfare, and littoral
surface warfare operations, including prosecution of small boats. The LCS mission
packages are developed and acquired separately from the LCS sea frame. Work will be
performed in Bethpage, N.Y. (45 percent); Washington, D.C. (20 percent); Panama City,
Fla. (20 percent); Ventura County, Calif. (10 percent); and Dahlgren, Va. (5 percent). Work
is expected to be completed by December 2012. The Naval Sea Systems Command,
Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 02/15/12)
Navy names five new ships
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced Wednesday the names of the next five Navy
ships. Three Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyers will be named the USS John
Finn, the USS Ralph Johnson, and the USS Rafael Peralta, named after heroes in three
different conflicts. The two littoral combat ships will be named after two American
communities, the USS Sioux City and the USS Omaha. (Source: DoD, 02/15/12)
Contract: Signal, $14.5M
Signal Ship Repair, LLC, Mobile, Ala., was awarded a $14,484,630 firm-fixed-price contract.
The award will provide for the services in support of engine replacements, engine auxiliary
systems modification and repair of dredge wheeler. Work will be performed in Mobile, Ala.,
with an estimated completion date of Jan. 15, 2013. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 02/13/12)
LCS to be named Giffords
The next Independence variant of the littoral combat ship will be named the USS Gabrielle
Giffords, the former Congresswoman and long-time supporter of the military and veterans.
The announcement was made Friday by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. Giffords
survived a shooting during while at an outside event in Arizona in which several other people
died. Mabus said the ship’s sponsor will be Roxanne Green, mother of Christina-Taylor
Green, a 9-year-old who died in the shooting. The 419-foot long ship, LCS 10, will be built
by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. It’s the 13th ship to be named for a living person since 1850.
(Source: Navy, 02/10/12)
Commissioning site changed
The Navy has decided to move the commissioning of the $2 billion USS Mississippi from
Gulfport to Pascagoula, Rep. Steven Palazzo, R-Miss., said Tuesday. The commissioning of
the submarine was moved after the Navy raised concerns about the channel depth in
Gulfport. The commissioning will be June 2, but it’s not yet been determined at which
terminal in the Pascagoula harbor the ceremonies will take place. The Navy's newest attack
submarine was christened in Connecticut in December. (Source: Sun Herald, Mississippi
Press, 02/07/12)
Contract: Ingalls, $9M
Huntington Ingalls Inc., Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a $9,000,000 modification to
previously awarded contract for additional long lead time material in support of the LHA
Replacement Flight 0 amphibious assault ship, LHA 7. Work will be done in Pascagoula and
is expected to be completed by May 2013. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington,
D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 02/06/12)
JANUARY 2012
The budget and shipbuilders
Shipbuilders in Pascagoula, Miss., and Mobile, Ala., will feel an impact from the Pentagon's
budget plan outlined Thursday. Littoral Combat Ships built by Austal USA in Mobile and
Marinette Marine in Wisconsin will get expanded roles. The Navy intends to base some in
Singapore and Bahrain. The 15 LCSs that were to be purchased from 2013 to 2017 was
trimmed to 13, but the largest shipbuilding reduction would cut eight of nine planned Austal
Joint High Speed Vessels. The budget proposal also delays by a year the start of
construction for the Huntington Ingalls LHA-8 large-deck amphibious vessel, but doesn't slow
Navy plans to buy additional Arleigh Burke-class DDG-51 destroyers from General
Dynamics and Huntington Ingalls. (Source: Bloomberg, 01/26/12)
Navy seeks more HII cost-cutting
WASHINGTON -- The Navy is working with Huntington Ingalls to drive down costs on the CVN
78 aircraft carrier and LPD amphibious ships under construction. Navy acquisition chief
Sean Stackley said HII hit the cost ceiling established in a fixed price contract for LPD-22,
the second ship delivered at the Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. He told reporters at
the Surface Navy Association's annual conference that subsequent ships in the class were
also over target, but showing improvement. HII Chief Executive Mike Petters said the
company had already taken charges for the cost overruns on the LPD ships 22 through 25,
but said the company was doing better with LPD 26, which is in the early stages of
production. (Source: Reuters, 01/12/12)
Two agencies push STEM training
For NASA and the Navy, ensuring there's a pool of talent versed in science, technology,
engineering and math is crucial, and both agencies have programs in place to pique the
interest of the next generation of workers. The National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, with a center at Stennis Space Center, Miss., and the Navy, a tenant at SSC,
are reaching Mississippi students through several programs. Between January and
November 2011, nearly 1,000 educators and 10,000 students have been served through
SSC programs. And this year the Navy will launch "Mission Ocean," a year-long submarine-
related program. (Source: Alliance Insight, "NASA, Navy push STEM training," January 2012)
Contract: SAIC, $10.6M
Science Applications International Corp., Mclean, Va., is being awarded a $10,647,009
modification to a previously awarded, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the Deep Sea
Operations Program to introduce surveillance that operates at extreme ocean depths to
detect quiet submarines. The exercising of this 15-month option brings the cumulative value
of this contract to an estimated $12,199,237. Work will be conducted at contractor facilities
in Arlington, Va. (27 percent); Long Beach, Miss. (27 percent); San Diego, Calif. (22
percent); Austin, Texas (17 percent); Germantown, Md. (six percent); and Melbourne, Fla.
(one percent). Work is expected to be completed April 11, 2013. The Space and Naval
Warfare Systems Center Pacific, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD,
01/12/12)
Navy to christen LCS Coronado
MOBILE, Ala. -- The Navy will christen the Littoral Combat Ship Coronado, Saturday, Jan.
14, during a 10 a.m. CST ceremony in Mobile, Ala. The Assistant Secretary of the Navy for
Research, Development & Acquisition, Sean Stackley, will deliver the principal address. The
ship’s name recognizes the city of Coronado, Calif., and honors the city’s deep ties to the U.
S. Navy. Coronado has been home to Naval Air Station North Island and Naval Amphibious
Base, since 1917. Two previous ships have been named after this city. Designated LCS 4,
Coronado is designed to operate in littoral seas and shallow water to counter mines,
submarines and fast surface craft threats in coastal regions. Constructed by Austal USA,
Coronado is the second of the Independence-variant in the LCS class. (Source: DoD,
01/12/12)
SSC experts to chair event
STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- Two oceanographers from NASA's Stennis Space
Center will chair a conference on ocean sensing and monitoring. The International Society
of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) Defense Security and Sensing's fourth
Ocean Sensing and Monitoring conference is scheduled for April 23-27 in Baltimore, Md. It
will be chaired by Weilin "Will" Hou and Bob Arnone, both oceanographers in the
Oceanography Division at Naval Research Laboratory at Stennis Space Center. Hou
developed the conference for SPIE and has chaired the event with Arnone since 2008. The
conference will focus on research and development efforts in the open and coastal ocean
with respect to defense and security interests. An emphasis will be placed on in situ and
remote monitoring, deep-sea operations, forecasting, new technology and techniques,
monitoring of unique events, and environmental limitations and impacts of note to those in
the homeland security and defense sectors. (Source: Naval Research Laboratory, 01/11/12)
Contract: Lockheed Martin, $20.6M
Lockheed Martin Corp., Baltimore, Md., is being awarded a $20,616,676 modification to
previously awarded contract for MK 41 Vertical Launching System production support
material, interim support parts, and equipment in support of DDG 51 class construction. The
MK 41 VLS provides a missile launching system for CG 47 and DDG 51 class surface
combatants of the U.S. Navy, surface combatants of allied navies, and Aegis Ashore
requirements for Missile Defense Agency's Ground Ballistic Missile Defense Program. It is
the primary missile launching system aboard Navy combatants used to store, safe, inventory
and launch missiles of various types. Work will be performed in Baltimore, Md. (41.1
percent); Lewisburg, Tenn. (19.1 percent); Fort Walton Beach, Fla. (18.8 percent);
Johnstown, Pa. (9.2 percent); Simpsonville, S.C. (5.5 percent); Clearwater, Fla. (3.2
percent); and Sterling Heights, Mich. (3.1 percent). Work is expected to be completed by
June 2015. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
(Source: DoD, 01/10/12)
LPD 23 completes builder's trial
PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Amphibious transport dock Anchorage successfully completed its
builder's trials last week, Ingalls Shipbuilding said Monday. LPD 23, under construction at
the company's Avondale, La., shipyard, is the seventh in the LPD 17-class to be built by
Ingalls. The 684-foot-long vessel's primary mission is to transport up to 800 Marines, their
fighting vehicles and aircraft. Builder's trials are meant to measure performance and identify
any possible construction discrepancies. (Source: Mississippi Press, Globe Newswire,
05/21/12)
Boat yard shutting down
MOBILE, Ala. – Harrison Brothers Dry Dock and Repair Yard is closing after 117 years. The
inventory is being sold in one chunk, and owner Bill Harrison III wants to clear and lease the
land. The yard has operated on the east bank of the Mobile River since 1895, but a
combination of factors, including a slack economy, led to the decision to close. (Source:
Mobile Press-Register, 05/17/12)
San Diego to be commissioned
SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The Navy on Saturday will commission the newest San Antonio-class
amphibious transport dock ship, San Diego. The ship is named for the principal homeport of
the Pacific fleet. Adm. Mark Ferguson, vice chief of naval operations, will deliver the principal
address. Built by Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., the ship is 684 feet long and
capable of embarking a landing force of about 800 Marines. Four turbo-charged diesel
engines power the ship to sustained speeds in excess of 22 knots. (Source: DoD, 05/17/12)
Contract: Ingalls, $133.8M
Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc., Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a $133,751,000 cost-
plus-fixed-fee not-to-exceed modification to previously awarded contract for advance
procurement of long-lead-time materials and pre-construction activities in support of
Landing Platform Dock 27. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Miss., and is expected to
complete by June 2017. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting
activity. (Source: DoD, 05/15/12)
Austal confident
Austal is confident its contract with the U.S. Navy will not be affected by a move to
investigate purchase of the ships. A committee wants the Government Accountability Office
to look into how the U.S. Navy has dealt with problems associated with its 55-vessel Littoral
Combat Ship program, including rust issues. Austal USA is building the Independence class
version of the LCS in Mobile, Ala. Company CEO Andrew Bellamy told PerthNow he has
never felt more confident about the LCS program. (Source: PerthNow, 05/10/12)
Contract: Enterprise Ventures, $12.5M
Enterprise Ventures Corp., Johnstown, Pa., is being awarded a $12,529,511 firm-fixed-price
contract for the production of 12 carriage, stream, tow, and recovery system kits in support
of the Naval Air Systems Command, MH-60S Airborne Mine Countermeasures Program. The
objectives of the program are to design, fabricate, test, and integrate a system for the
carriage, stream, tow and recovery of all five airborne mine countermeasures sensors to
support the mission of the MH-60S helicopter. The contract includes an option that would
bring the cumulative value to $31,969,022. Work will be performed in Johnstown, Pa., and is
expected to complete by November 2014. Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City
Division, Fla., is the Contracting Activity. (Source: DoD, 05/11/12)
New cutter leaking
The Associated Press reports that a Coast Guard cutter built by Ingalls Shipbuilding in
Pascagoula, Miss., will have to be put in dry dock for repairs. Temporary repairs were made
to the four leaks found in April on the USCG Stratton. The 418-foot long ship, the third ship
of its class, is homeported in California and was delivered to the Coast Guard in September
2011. No similar problems have been found in the other two ships of the class. (Source:
Associated Press via the Sun Herald, Mississippi Press, others, 05/08/12) The $551 million
Stratton (WMSL 752) can reach a top speed of 28 knots and carries a crew of 110. The first
two ships of the Legend class are the Bertholf (WMSL 750) and Waesche (WMSL 751).
Hangar heads to Maine
GULFPORT, Miss. – A composite helicopter hangar built by Ingalls Shipbuilding in Gulfport
is heading for Bath Iron Works in Maine. The 60 foot wide structure took nearly two years to
construct. Another, even larger composite structure, the deckhouse is still being built and is
expected to be shipped to Maine this summer. (Source: WLOX-TV, 05/07/12)
Contract: Lockheed Martin, $7.7M
Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors, Moorestown, N.J., is being awarded a
$7,708,000 modification to previously awarded contract for DDG 51-class and CG 47-class
Aegis combat system installation, integration, testing, and fleet life-cycle engineering
support of the Program Executive Officer for Integrated Warfare Systems. The required
engineering for DDG 51-class and CG 47-class ships includes program management and
operation support, quality assurance, configuration management, ship design integration,
fleet lifecycle engineering support, installation support, firmware maintenance, combat
system test and evaluation, Navy-furnished material support, special studies, and future-
ship integration studies. Work will be performed in Moorestown, N.J. (55 percent); Norfolk,
Va. (18 percent); Baltimore, Md. (15 percent); San Diego, Calif. (5 percent); Bath, Maine (2
percent); Washington, D.C. (2 percent); Pascagoula, Miss. (1 percent); Port Hueneme, Calif.
(1 percent); and Syracuse, N.Y. (1 percent). Work is expected to completed by September
2012. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
(Source: DoD, 05/07/12)
LHA 7 to be named Tripoli
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced Friday the selection of USS Tripoli as the
name for the Navy's next large-deck amphibious assault ship, LHA 7. It will be the third ship
to be named Tripoli, a name that commemorates the capture of Derna in 1805 by a small
force of U.S. Marines and about 370 soldiers from 11 other nations during the First Barbary
War. LHA 7 has an increased aviation capacity to include an enlarged hangar deck and
more that will support helicopters, tilt rotors and Joint Strike Fighters F-35B aircraft. (Source:
DoD, 05/04/12) Gulf Coast note: LHA 7 is being built by Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula,
Miss.
JHSV keel-laying held
MOBILE, Ala. – Austal USA hosted its own version of the traditional keel-laying ceremony
Thursday for the third Joint High Speed Vessel. About 100 people gathered for the
ceremony. JHSVs are designed to transport troops, equipment and supplies quickly
throughout theaters. They are equipped with helicopter landing pads and can quickly
maneuver and operate in shallow waters. The full program consists of 10 vessels and is
potentially worth over $1.6 billion. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 05/03/12)
Sub delivered ahead of schedule
GROTON, Conn. -- General Dynamics Electric Boat today delivered the nuclear-powered
attack submarine Mississippi, SSN-782, to the U.S. Navy 363 days ahead of contract
schedule and more than $60 million below target cost. John Holmander, vice president and
Virginia program manager for General Dynamics Electric Boat, noted that the ship is at the
most combat-ready state of any Virginia-class submarine at delivery. Mississippi, the ninth
ship of the class, will join the fleet in a commissioning ceremony June 2 in Pascagoula, Miss.
(Source: General Dynamics, 05/02/12)
USS Independence arrives in S.D.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The littoral combat ship USS Independence, LCS 2, arrived at Naval
Base San Diego May 2, completing the ship's maiden voyage to her homeport.
Independence, commissioned in 2010, is the first Independence-class ship to transit the
Panama Canal, conduct a foreign port visit and arrive in San Diego. After two years of
training off the coast of Florida, the ship's transit from Mayport to San Diego marks the
successful completion of testing the ability of the ship's Mine Countermeasures mission
package to detect, localize, and destroy mines in a tactical environment. (Source: NNS,
05/02/12) Gulf Coast note: The ship was built by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala.
Contract: Ingalls, $11.5M
Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc., Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a $11,497,083
modification to previously awarded contract to exercise an option for fiscal 2012 class
services in support of class product fabrication, delivery, engineering, engineering support
and integrated logistics support of the Zumwalt Class (DDG 1000) destroyer. Work will be
performed in Pascagoula, Miss. (95 percent), and Gulfport, Miss. (5 percent), and is
expected to be completed by October 2012. The Naval Sea Systems Command,
Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 04/30/12)
APRIL 2012
Group critical of Lockheed LCS
A report from a watchdog group was highly critical of the Lockheed Martin version of the
Littoral Combat Ship, and recommending dropping it in favor of the Austal USA variant built
in Mobile, Ala. The Project on Government Oversight said it reviewed internal Navy
documents, and in a letter delivered to House and Senate leaders said the Lockheed vessel
has a history of hull cracks, equipment failure and other design problems making it unsafe
for service. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 04/25/12)
Exploration command center opens
STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- Mississippi State University's new Science and
Technology Center here is now home of the country's seventh National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration Exploration Command Center. The center, using "telepresence
technology," enables research scientists at sea and colleagues on shore to simultaneously
view live video streams from underseas. The MSU-led Northern Gulf Institute and NOAA's
Office of Ocean Exploration and Research are coordinating the first use at Stennis of this
technology. A key part of the effort is the Okeanos Explorer, the NOAA exploration flagship
currently probing the floor of the Gulf of Mexico. Telepresence technology enables scientists
aboard vessels to be in constant contact with others ashore through a combination of high-
definition cameras and remotely operated underwater vehicles. The network includes an
Internet-enabled intercom system for voice communication as the ship's remotely operated
vehicles send a continuous stream of live video and data. (Source: MSU, 04/24/12)
Nelson: Name ship after P.C.
PANAMA CITY, Fla. – Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., has written to Secretary of the Navy Ray
Mabus to request a Navy ship be named after Panama City. According to a letter dated
Thursday, “Panama City has a long history in Mine Warfare beginning in 1945 when the
Navy moved the U.S. Navy Mine Countermeasures Station to Florida.” The mission, size and
responsibilities for the activity has expanded to meet the military’s needs. The Navy
operation in Panama City more recently has played a key role in development of the Littoral
Combat Ship Mine Hunting and Mine Neutralization missions, the letter said. (Source:
Panama City News Herald, 04/20/12)
DDG 1002 named Johnson
WASHINGTON -- Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said Monday that the next Zumwalt-class
destroyer will be named the USS Lyndon B. Johnson, after the nation's 36th president. The
ship, DDG-1002, is the third ship of the Zumwalt class being built by General Dynamics' Bath
Iron Works in Maine. The ships, designed for sustained operations in the littorals and land
attack, are 600 feet long with a speed of 30 knots. (Source: NNS, 04/16/12) Gulf Coast note:
Ingalls Shipbuilding's Gulfport operation supplies the composite deckhouse and other
composite sections for the Zumwalt ships.
Alcoa sends Amah tips to Austal
Alcoa said it's delivered a set of two "ready for installation" aluminum Amah tips to Austal
USA for use on the future Littoral Combat Ship USS Jackson (LCS 6). An Amah tip is the
leading edge of the all-aluminum, trimaran-type vessel's outrigger, or amah, and is more
than seven feet across and weighs 850 pounds. The LCS 6 is currently being built for the U.
S. Navy at Austal's Mobile, Ala., shipyard. A second set of Amah tips for the USS
Montgomery (LCS 8) will be delivered to Austal next month. (Source: Business Wire,
04/16/12)
Maritime robots grab spotlight
Two new maritime robots, both with Gulf Coast ties, have been unveiled recently. Today at
the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space Exposition in Maryland, General Dynamics unveiled a
quarter-scale model of the Surface Mine Countermeasure Unmanned Undersea Vehicle,
"Knifefish." It's a heavyweight-class minehunting, unmanned undersea vehicle designed for
the Littoral Combat Ship mine countermeasure mission package. Development and
manufacturing work on this program is done in Greensboro, N.C., Fairfax, Va., Quincy,
Mass., Braintree, Mass., and Panama City, Fla. A version of the LCS is built in Mobile, Ala.,
by Austal USA. (Source: General Dynamics, 04/16/12) Last week in New Orleans, Textron
showed off the Common Unmanned Surface Vessel at its Textron Marine and Land Systems
shipyard. The 39-foot long unmanned system can navigate and patrols the high seas on its
own and reach 28 knots. It can be controlled remotely from 10 to 12 miles away, or further
away it can be switched to a satellite control system. (Source: multiple, including New
Orleans Times Picayune, 04/12/12)
River tug delivered
BAYOU LA BATRE, Ala. -- Horizon Shipbuilding of Bayou La Batre has delivered an inland
river tugboat to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The 58-foot M/V General Irwin was
christened March 30 in Eufaula. The vessel will be used in operations and maintenance
work. Horizon, with about 240 employees, spent 13 months on the tug, built under a contract
valued at $3.8 million. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 04/11/12)
SSC getting new research center
STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- NASA's Stennis Space Center will be the home of the
National Oceans and Applications Research Center, Gov. Phil Bryant said Wednesday at
the ribbon-cutting for the Infinity Science Center. NOARC will combine the capabilities of
NASA, NOAA and the Navy to analyze and understand the Gulf of Mexico watershed and
other oceans NOAA monitors. Bryant said the center will be the "Woods Hole of the South,"
a reference to the world-renown center in Massachusetts. NOARC data could be used to
develop environmental management best practices, identify optimal sites to build
infrastructure and help guide coastal restoration efforts. NOARC will leverage a partnership
with the Mississippi Enterprise for Technology to help encourage the development of small
businesses that benefit from NOARC data. NOARC will be funded with remaining monies that
BP granted to Mississippi during the response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion.
The center will receive initial funding of $500,000 to provide for basic startup needs.
(Sources: Sun Herald, WLOX-TV, press release, 04/11/12) Stennis Space Center is home to
30 agencies, including NASA and NOAA. It's also the center for the Navy's oceanographic
work.
Avondale still on track to close
Huntington Ingalls Industries is sticking to plans to close its Avondale shipyard near New
Orleans, the company's Chief Executive Officer, Michael Petters, said in an interview in
Bloomberg's Washington office. Shipbuilding will end at Avondale by mid- to late-2013, after
it delivers its last amphibious ship. The company continues to seek a partner, such as a
heavy manufacturer that will develop an alternative use, Petters said. The closure plans
were first announced in 2010 when HII was still part of Northrop Grumman. The company is
consolidating its Gulf Coast work at the company's shipyards in Pascagoula and Gulfport,
Miss. (Source: Bloomberg, 04/10/12)
Sub completes sea trial
GROTON, Conn. -- The nation's newest nuclear-powered attack submarine, Mississippi
(SSN-782), returned to the Electric Boat shipyard following the successful completion of its
first voyage in open seas. During the alpha sea trials, Mississippi submerged for the first
time and conducted high-speed runs on and under the surface to demonstrate that the
submarine's propulsion plant is fully mission-capable. Mississippi is the ninth ship of the
Virginia Class. The submarine will be commissioned June 2 in Pascagoula, Miss. Electric
Boat is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics. (Source: General Dynamics,
04/09/12)
Contract: Northrop Grumman, $27M
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Aerospace Systems, Melbourne, Fla., is being awarded
a $27,058,492 modification to previously awarded contract for the procurement of the
AN/AES-1 Airborne Laser Mine Detection System (ALMDS) low rate initial production. Work
will be performed in Melbourne, Fla. (36.2 percent); Tucson, Ariz. (34 percent); St. Charles,
Mo. (12.5 percent); Irvine, Calif. (8 percent); San Clarita, Calif. (5 percent); and Edgewood,
N.Y. (4.3 percent). Work is expected to be completed by April 2014. The Naval Surface
Warfare Center Panama City Division, Panama City, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source:
DoD, 04/05/12)
Contract: Ingalls, $50.3M
Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc., Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a $50,300,000
modification to previously awarded contract for procurement of additional long lead time
material in support of the LHA replacement, Flight 0, amphibious assault ship, LHA 7. Work
will be performed in Pascagoula, Miss., and is expected to complete by May 2013. Naval Sea
Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 04/04/12)
Titanium hulls in the future?
ARLINGTON, Va. -- An Office of Naval Research-funded project is producing a full-size ship
hull section made with marine grade titanium using a welding innovation that could help
bring titanium into future ship construction. Researchers at the University of New Orleans
School of Naval Architecture and Textron Marine and Land Systems are demonstrating the
project, and expect to have a complete hull this summer. Friction-stir welds more than 17
feet long joined the titanium alloy plates for the section's deck. Friction-stir welding works
well for most aluminum alloys, but titanium is hard to join by the same process because of
the high temperatures required. The researchers overcame that problem by using new
titanium friction-stir welding methods developed by Florida-based Keystone Synergistic
Enterprises Inc., with funding from both ONR and the Air Force. The processes were scaled
up and transferred to the National Center for Advanced Manufacturing in New Orleans,
which is a partnership between UNO, NASA and Louisiana. (Source: Office of Naval
Research, 04/03/12)
MARCH 2012
Ingalls gets NSC contract
PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Huntington Ingalls Industries said its Ingalls Shipbuilding division has
received a $76 million fixed-price contract from the U.S. Coast Guard to purchase long-lead
materials for a sixth National Security Cutter. Construction and delivery of the yet-to-be-
named WMSL 755 will be performed at the company's Pascagoula facility. A second phase
of the contract, when awarded, would bring the overall value to $88 million. The cutters are
418 feet long and displace 4,500 tons with a full load. They have a top speed of 28 knots, a
range of 12,000 miles, an endurance of 60 days and a crew of 110. (Source: Globe
Newswire, 03/30/12)
Sequestration threatens LCS
The Pentagon would expect hundreds of thousands of layoffs across the defense industry if
lawmakers don’t act to avert an additional $500 billion in defense budget cuts that could
take effect in January 2013. Frank Kendall, the Defense Department's acting
undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, said the cuts would force the
Pentagon to break many contracts, including the Navy's contracts with Lockheed Martin and
Austal USA for littoral combat ships. (Source: Reuters, 03/29/12)
HII marks first year
Huntington Ingalls Industries marked its first year of operations after its spinoff from Northrop
Grumman when CEO Mike Petters rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on
Thursday. Huntington Ingalls has two sectors: a Newport News facility in Virginia and Ingalls
Shipbuilding on the Gulf Coast, which oversees the Pascagoula, Miss., yard, a composite
yard in Gulfport, Miss., and an Avondale, La., yard that will close next year. The Ingalls yard
in Pascagoula builds warships for the Navy and Coast Guard and is one of the state’s
largest private employers. HII finished four ships, started construction on two, received new
construction contracts on three and is at the halfway point on structural work for the aircraft
carrier Gerald R. Ford. (Sources: Sun Herald, 03/29/12, Mississippi Press, 03/30/12)
Contract: General Dynamics, $27M
General Dynamics Information Technology, Herndon, Va., is being awarded a $27,091,748
indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for information technology engineering and
mission sustainment services in support of the commander, Naval Meteorology and
Oceanography Command, Stennis Space Center, Miss. Sixty percent of the work will be
done at SSC. Other sites are Monterey, Calif. (20 percent); Washington, D.C. (10 percent);
San Diego, Calif. (8 percent); and Bahrain, Saudi Arabia (2 percent). Work is expected to be
completed by April 1, 2013. The NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support, Mechanicsburg, Pa., is
the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/29/12)
DDG-1000 completes key test
The future USS Zumwalt completed a major developmental test Tuesday, demonstrating the
integration of the engineering control system software and the ship’s integrated power
system, the Naval Sea Systems Command announced Thursday. The test, which marks the
successful completion of the second of two developmental tests, verified the software and
hardware compatibility and interoperability between the ECS hardware and the IPS. The
Ingalls composite center of excellence in Gulfport, Miss., builds composite deckhouse and
hangars for the Zumwalt and the Pascagoula yard builds steel units that support the
composite deliveries and the aft peripheral vertical launch system ship sections. Bath Iron
Works in Maine ultimately assembles the vessels. (Source: Mississippi Press, 03/23/12)
Austal wins safety award
MOBILE, Ala. -- Shipbuilder Austal USA has earned the Award for Excellence in Safety from
the Shipbuilders Council of America, a national trade association of the shipbuilding
industry. Notice of the award, the fourth in a row for Austal, was announced by the company
in a news release on Thursday. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 03/22/12) Austal builds
littoral combat ships and joint high-speed vessels for the U.S. military.
Robot to robot refueling tested
WASHINGTON -- The Naval Research Laboratory successfully demonstrated the robotic
fluids transfer from a stationary platform to an unmanned surface vehicle in wave heights
greater than three feet. The Rapid Autonomous Fuel Transfer project was able to track the
motion of a Sea Fox naval vessel, emplace a magnetic refueling fitting to an on-board
receptacle and complete fluids transfer. The testing was done at the Army Aberdeen Test
Center wave simulator facility. Further robotic transfer tests may include land-based
autonomous vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicle. (Source: NRL via Business Wire,
03/20/12) Gulf Coast note: This region is heavily involved in unmanned systems, including
aerial and maritime, and is a major shipbuilding region; the NRL has an operation at Stennis
Space Center, Miss.
Engineers design UxV controllers
PANAMA CITY, Fla. – Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division scientists and
engineers have designed unmanned system controllers for a younger generation of sailor
raised on video-game controllers. The latest proof-of-concept uses an Xbox Kinect to deliver
gesture-based robotic controls. It’s been demonstrated as a viable interface for human-
machine interaction with omni-directional vehicles. Gesture-based robot control and similar
approaches that utilize "human-centric" interaction with unmanned-systems opens a door to
the future of effective human-robot teams in which communication is natural. Speech,
gestures, and facial expressions, are intuitive and can reduce training requirements.
(Source: NNS, 03/16/12)
Navy orders four LCSs
Contracts for four more Littoral Combat Ships were awarded March 16 by the Navy, bringing
the total number of LCS vessels under order or in service to 12. Lockheed Martin received
$715 million for two ships and Austal USA received $691.6 million for two ships. In Mobile,
Ala., where Austal builds its LCS, the award will fund the shipyard's fifth and sixth LCSs. The
vessels, meant for minesweeping, submarine-hunting, anti-piracy efforts and special forces
operations, represent the third funding increment to be awarded under a 10-ship, $3.8
billion deal that Austal secured in December 2010. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, Navy
Times, 03/16/12)
Contract: Lockheed Martin, $20M
Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors, Moorestown, N.J., is being awarded a
$20,000,000 modification to previously awarded contract exercising an option for
integration, installation, and testing of the Aegis combat system on DDG 51-class ships. The
tasks to be accomplished include planning, technical data package development, test
procedure development, test engineering, installation engineering, and combat system test
engineering. Work will be performed in Moorestown, N.J. (37 percent); Bath, Maine (25
percent); Pascagoula, Miss. (22 percent); San Diego (6 percent); Washington, D.C. (5
percent); Norfolk, Va. (3 percent); Port Hueneme, Calif. (1 percent); and Syracuse, N.Y. (1
percent), and is expected to be completed by September 2012. Naval Sea Systems
Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/16/12)
Contract: Austal, $19.7M
Austal USA, Mobile, Ala., is being awarded a $19,692,295 modification to previously
awarded contract to exercise options for special studies, analyses, review and class service
efforts for the Littoral Combat Ship program. This effort will assess engineering and
production challenges and evaluate the cost and schedule risks from affordability efforts to
reduce LCS acquisition and lifecycle costs. Work will be performed in Mobile, Ala. (72
percent) and Pittsfield, Mass. (28 percent). Work is expected to be complete by March 2013.
The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source:
DoD, 03/14/12)
Mine-sweep system overhauled
PANAMA CITY, Fla. -- ITT Exelis has completed its first overhaul of a mine-sweeping system
for the U.S. Navy. The Naval Surface Warfare Center in Panama City, Fla., awarded this
sole-source indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract in 2009, which has a potential
value of $49 million. The refurbishment extends the life of this MK-105 Mod 4 Airborne Mine
Countermeasure Influence Sweep unit for another 10 years. (Source: ITT Excelis via
Business Wire, 03/12/12)
Shipyards finish repairs
MOBILE, Ala. -- BAE Systems Southeast Shipyards and Austal USA finished a four-month
repair and maintenance job on a Navy research vessel. The companies in November
announced they were teaming up to work on the Sea Fighter, an experimental vessel based
out of Panama City, Fla., an aluminum catamaran that the Office of Naval Research uses to
test technologies it will use on its littoral combat ships and joint high-speed vessels. (Source:
Mobile Press-Register, 03/08/12)
Signet tugs perform tow
PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- The Noble Max Smith rig that’s been under repair at Signal
International's west shipyard was moved Monday by the newest of Signet Maritime's tug
fleet. The Signet Constellation and the Signet Stars & Stripes were used along with the tugs
Daniel Colle, Natalie Colle and John Colle for the rig tow to Signal's east yard on Bayou
Casotte. In addition, a 5,000 horsepower, $13 million tug built by Signet at the Pascagoula
yard, the Signet Weatherly, left this week for a 520-mile trip to Ingleside, Texas. (Source:
Mississippi Press, 03/06/12)
Fire-fighting robot planned
A robot designed to fight shipboard fires will be tested aboard the ex-USS Shadwell in
Mobile, Ala., in late September 2013. Scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory formed a
team to develop a humanoid robot that could fight fires on the next generation of combat
ships. The robot, the Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot or SAFFiR, is designed to
interact with people and perform tasks normally performed by humans. It will be equipped
with a variety of sensors to let it see through smoke, and will also have fire suppressors and
extinguishing agents on its upper torso. It will be able to walk in all directions, balance in sea
conditions and traverse obstacles. It will also be capable of making its own decisions and
respond to gestures as part of the fire-fighting team. The former Shadwell is a unique fire
test ship, where full-scale fire and damage control tests are conducted in a realistic ship
environment. (Source: Business Wire, 03/07/12)
Details of commissioning coming
PASCAGOULA, Miss. – Gov. Phil Bryant will be in town Monday for a news conference to
formally announce details of the commissioning of the USS Mississippi in Pascagoula in
June. Mayor Robbie Maxwell said the sub will carry the state’s name all over the world. Jerry
St. Pe, former Ingalls Shipbuilding president, said about 5,000 people are expected to
attend the commissioning. The Navy pays for the ceremony itself, while donations pay for
receptions, gifts and special celebrations. The fundraising effort by the USS Mississippi
Commissioning Committee will be discussed during Monday's press conference, according
to the city of Pascagoula. (Source: Mississippi Press, 03/01/12)
FEBRUARY 2012
FST finishes Colombia survey
STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - The Naval Oceanographic Office Fleet Survey Team
from Stennis Space Center completed survey operations in the coastal waters of Cartagena,
Colombia Feb. 23. The surveys of Cartagena Bay provided an opportunity to assist
Colombia in surveying the area including the Magdalena River in Barranquilla. The FST
used a 10 meter SeaArk survey boat equipped with multiple types of depth sounding
equipment. The data is processed at SSC, then sent to the National Geospatial Intelligence
Agency to update the nautical charts. The host nations receive a copy of the final dataset,
allowing them to include the updated information in their charts. The FST conducts about 14
surveys a year worldwide. The Naval Oceanographic Office, part of the Naval Meteorology
and Oceanography Command, collects and analyzes global ocean and littoral data. (Source:
NNS, 02/24/12)
Cutters not in budget
The Coast Guard is asking for $683 million to build one Bertholf-class national security
cutter, the sixth of a planned eight-ship class built by Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula,
Miss. But there is no request this year for long-lead funding for the seventh or eighth NSCs,
and the service’s five-year capital investment plan shows no money for new Bertholfs
beyond the sixth ship. (Source: Navy Times, 02/24/12)
Contract: Austal USA, $321.7M
Austal USA, Mobile, Ala., is being awarded a $321,725,461 modification to previously
awarded contract for the exercise of construction options for Joint High Speed Vessels 8 and
9. The JHSV will provide high speed, shallow draft transportation capability to support the
intra-theater maneuver of personnel, supplies, and equipment for the Navy, Marine Corps,
and Army. Work will be performed in Mobile, Ala. (48 percent); Pittsfield, Mass. (9 percent);
Franklin, Mass. (3 percent); Philadelphia, Pa. (3 percent); Atlanta, Ga. (2 percent); Chicago,
Ill. (2 percent); Gulfport, Miss. (2 percent); Slidell, La. (1 percent); Iron Mountain, Mich. (1
percent); Houston, Texas (1 percent); Dallas, Texas (1 percent); Chesapeake, Va. (1
percent); Milwaukee, Wis. (1 percent); Brookfield, Wis. (1 percent); various sites throughout
the United States (5 percent); and various sites outside of the United States (19 percent).
Work is expected to be completed by April 2016. The Naval Sea Systems Command,
Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 02/24/12)
Contract: Huntington Ingalls, $70M
Huntington Ingalls Inc., Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a not-to-exceed $70,000,000
cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract for advance procurement of
long-lead-time materials in support of LPD 27, the 11th ship in the San Antonio (LPD 17)
class. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Miss., and is expected to be completed by April
2012. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
(Source: DoD, 02/23/12)
Eastern shipbuilding expands
PORT ST. JOE, Fla. -- Eastern Shipbuilding Group of Panama City will lease 20 acres at a
Port of St. Joe paper mill site to expand its shipbuilding and repair business. The
announcement comes less than a month after the signing of a Memorandum of
Understanding between the St. Joe Co. and the Port of Port St. Joe Port Authority to develop
and market the port. St. Joe’s former paper mill site is some 180 acres. The mill site is also
adjacent to a turning basin and navigational channel. St. Joe also owns about 4,700 acres
of undeveloped land adjacent to the site. ESG is currently in the process of filling 500 new
positions needed to meet its current and future contracts for vessel manufacturing. (Source:
The Star, Panana City News Herald, 02/21/12)
Contract: Northrop Grumman, $18.7M
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Bethpage, N.Y., is being awarded an $18,704,042
modification to previously awarded contract to provide engineering and production planning
services for mission packages that will deploy from and integrate with the Littoral Combat
Ship. Mission package capabilities are currently focused on primary mission areas of mine
warfare emphasizing mine countermeasures, littoral anti-submarine warfare, and littoral
surface warfare operations, including prosecution of small boats. The LCS mission
packages are developed and acquired separately from the LCS sea frame. Work will be
performed in Bethpage, N.Y. (45 percent); Washington, D.C. (20 percent); Panama City,
Fla. (20 percent); Ventura County, Calif. (10 percent); and Dahlgren, Va. (5 percent). Work
is expected to be completed by December 2012. The Naval Sea Systems Command,
Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 02/15/12)
Navy names five new ships
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced Wednesday the names of the next five Navy
ships. Three Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyers will be named the USS John
Finn, the USS Ralph Johnson, and the USS Rafael Peralta, named after heroes in three
different conflicts. The two littoral combat ships will be named after two American
communities, the USS Sioux City and the USS Omaha. (Source: DoD, 02/15/12)
Contract: Signal, $14.5M
Signal Ship Repair, LLC, Mobile, Ala., was awarded a $14,484,630 firm-fixed-price contract.
The award will provide for the services in support of engine replacements, engine auxiliary
systems modification and repair of dredge wheeler. Work will be performed in Mobile, Ala.,
with an estimated completion date of Jan. 15, 2013. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 02/13/12)
LCS to be named Giffords
The next Independence variant of the littoral combat ship will be named the USS Gabrielle
Giffords, the former Congresswoman and long-time supporter of the military and veterans.
The announcement was made Friday by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. Giffords
survived a shooting during while at an outside event in Arizona in which several other people
died. Mabus said the ship’s sponsor will be Roxanne Green, mother of Christina-Taylor
Green, a 9-year-old who died in the shooting. The 419-foot long ship, LCS 10, will be built
by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. It’s the 13th ship to be named for a living person since 1850.
(Source: Navy, 02/10/12)
Commissioning site changed
The Navy has decided to move the commissioning of the $2 billion USS Mississippi from
Gulfport to Pascagoula, Rep. Steven Palazzo, R-Miss., said Tuesday. The commissioning of
the submarine was moved after the Navy raised concerns about the channel depth in
Gulfport. The commissioning will be June 2, but it’s not yet been determined at which
terminal in the Pascagoula harbor the ceremonies will take place. The Navy's newest attack
submarine was christened in Connecticut in December. (Source: Sun Herald, Mississippi
Press, 02/07/12)
Contract: Ingalls, $9M
Huntington Ingalls Inc., Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a $9,000,000 modification to
previously awarded contract for additional long lead time material in support of the LHA
Replacement Flight 0 amphibious assault ship, LHA 7. Work will be done in Pascagoula and
is expected to be completed by May 2013. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington,
D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 02/06/12)
JANUARY 2012
The budget and shipbuilders
Shipbuilders in Pascagoula, Miss., and Mobile, Ala., will feel an impact from the Pentagon's
budget plan outlined Thursday. Littoral Combat Ships built by Austal USA in Mobile and
Marinette Marine in Wisconsin will get expanded roles. The Navy intends to base some in
Singapore and Bahrain. The 15 LCSs that were to be purchased from 2013 to 2017 was
trimmed to 13, but the largest shipbuilding reduction would cut eight of nine planned Austal
Joint High Speed Vessels. The budget proposal also delays by a year the start of
construction for the Huntington Ingalls LHA-8 large-deck amphibious vessel, but doesn't slow
Navy plans to buy additional Arleigh Burke-class DDG-51 destroyers from General
Dynamics and Huntington Ingalls. (Source: Bloomberg, 01/26/12)
Navy seeks more HII cost-cutting
WASHINGTON -- The Navy is working with Huntington Ingalls to drive down costs on the CVN
78 aircraft carrier and LPD amphibious ships under construction. Navy acquisition chief
Sean Stackley said HII hit the cost ceiling established in a fixed price contract for LPD-22,
the second ship delivered at the Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. He told reporters at
the Surface Navy Association's annual conference that subsequent ships in the class were
also over target, but showing improvement. HII Chief Executive Mike Petters said the
company had already taken charges for the cost overruns on the LPD ships 22 through 25,
but said the company was doing better with LPD 26, which is in the early stages of
production. (Source: Reuters, 01/12/12)
Two agencies push STEM training
For NASA and the Navy, ensuring there's a pool of talent versed in science, technology,
engineering and math is crucial, and both agencies have programs in place to pique the
interest of the next generation of workers. The National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, with a center at Stennis Space Center, Miss., and the Navy, a tenant at SSC,
are reaching Mississippi students through several programs. Between January and
November 2011, nearly 1,000 educators and 10,000 students have been served through
SSC programs. And this year the Navy will launch "Mission Ocean," a year-long submarine-
related program. (Source: Alliance Insight, "NASA, Navy push STEM training," January 2012)
Contract: SAIC, $10.6M
Science Applications International Corp., Mclean, Va., is being awarded a $10,647,009
modification to a previously awarded, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the Deep Sea
Operations Program to introduce surveillance that operates at extreme ocean depths to
detect quiet submarines. The exercising of this 15-month option brings the cumulative value
of this contract to an estimated $12,199,237. Work will be conducted at contractor facilities
in Arlington, Va. (27 percent); Long Beach, Miss. (27 percent); San Diego, Calif. (22
percent); Austin, Texas (17 percent); Germantown, Md. (six percent); and Melbourne, Fla.
(one percent). Work is expected to be completed April 11, 2013. The Space and Naval
Warfare Systems Center Pacific, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD,
01/12/12)
Navy to christen LCS Coronado
MOBILE, Ala. -- The Navy will christen the Littoral Combat Ship Coronado, Saturday, Jan.
14, during a 10 a.m. CST ceremony in Mobile, Ala. The Assistant Secretary of the Navy for
Research, Development & Acquisition, Sean Stackley, will deliver the principal address. The
ship’s name recognizes the city of Coronado, Calif., and honors the city’s deep ties to the U.
S. Navy. Coronado has been home to Naval Air Station North Island and Naval Amphibious
Base, since 1917. Two previous ships have been named after this city. Designated LCS 4,
Coronado is designed to operate in littoral seas and shallow water to counter mines,
submarines and fast surface craft threats in coastal regions. Constructed by Austal USA,
Coronado is the second of the Independence-variant in the LCS class. (Source: DoD,
01/12/12)
SSC experts to chair event
STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- Two oceanographers from NASA's Stennis Space
Center will chair a conference on ocean sensing and monitoring. The International Society
of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) Defense Security and Sensing's fourth
Ocean Sensing and Monitoring conference is scheduled for April 23-27 in Baltimore, Md. It
will be chaired by Weilin "Will" Hou and Bob Arnone, both oceanographers in the
Oceanography Division at Naval Research Laboratory at Stennis Space Center. Hou
developed the conference for SPIE and has chaired the event with Arnone since 2008. The
conference will focus on research and development efforts in the open and coastal ocean
with respect to defense and security interests. An emphasis will be placed on in situ and
remote monitoring, deep-sea operations, forecasting, new technology and techniques,
monitoring of unique events, and environmental limitations and impacts of note to those in
the homeland security and defense sectors. (Source: Naval Research Laboratory, 01/11/12)
Contract: Lockheed Martin, $20.6M
Lockheed Martin Corp., Baltimore, Md., is being awarded a $20,616,676 modification to
previously awarded contract for MK 41 Vertical Launching System production support
material, interim support parts, and equipment in support of DDG 51 class construction. The
MK 41 VLS provides a missile launching system for CG 47 and DDG 51 class surface
combatants of the U.S. Navy, surface combatants of allied navies, and Aegis Ashore
requirements for Missile Defense Agency's Ground Ballistic Missile Defense Program. It is
the primary missile launching system aboard Navy combatants used to store, safe, inventory
and launch missiles of various types. Work will be performed in Baltimore, Md. (41.1
percent); Lewisburg, Tenn. (19.1 percent); Fort Walton Beach, Fla. (18.8 percent);
Johnstown, Pa. (9.2 percent); Simpsonville, S.C. (5.5 percent); Clearwater, Fla. (3.2
percent); and Sterling Heights, Mich. (3.1 percent). Work is expected to be completed by
June 2015. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
(Source: DoD, 01/10/12)