VT Halter gets new executive

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Shipbuilder VT Halter Marine appointed retired Rear Adm. John J. Prendergast III as executive vice president. He’ll be responsible for a range of activities, including government contracts. Upon his retirement after more than 30 years in the Navy, Prendergast was director of sustainment business operations for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter with Lockheed Martin. VT Halter Marine operates one ship construction facility in Pascagoula and two others in Moss Point. It designs, builds and repairs a variety of ocean vessels. (Source: Mississippi Press, 12/26/12)

Contract: Austal USA, $166.9M

Austal USA, Mobile, Ala., is being awarded a $166,881,824 modification to previously awarded contract to exercise the construction option for Joint High Speed Vessel 10. Work will be performed in Mobile, Ala. (48 percent), Pittsfield, Mass. (9 percent), Franklin, Mass. (3 percent), Philadelphia, Pa. (3 percent), Henderson, Western Australia. (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), and various sites inside and outside the United States each below one percent (21 percent), and is expected to be completed by June 2017. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/20/12)

Contract: Austal USA, $8M

Austal USA, Mobile, Ala., is being awarded an $8,057,541 modification to previously awarded contract to exercise an option for Littoral Combat Ship core class services. This option exercise is for Core LCS Class Services. Austal USA will assess engineering and production challenges as well as evaluate the cost and schedule risks from affordability efforts to reduce LCS acquisition and lifecycle costs. Work will be performed in Mobile, Ala. (51 percent) and Pittsfield, Mass. (49 percent), and is expected to be complete by December 2013. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/20/12)

Zumwalt deckhouse in place

Deckhouse put in place.
General Dynamics photo

BATH, Maine -- Bath Iron Works erected the composite deckhouse for Zumwalt (DDG 1000), the U.S. Navy's next generation destroyer. The 900-ton deckhouse module, built in Gulfport, Miss., by Ingalls Shipbuilding, was shipped by barge to Bath Iron Works for installation on the ship, which is under construction at the company's Bath shipyard. The 155-foot-long, 60-foot-high and 60-foot-wide module was lifted to a height of about 100 feet using four cranes. Bath Iron Works is part of General Dynamics.(Source: General Dynamics, 12/20/12)

Contract: Textron, $23.3M

Textron Inc., New Orleans, La., is being awarded a $23,299,975 modification to previously awarded contract to exercise an option for long lead time materials, advanced planning, engineering, procurement services and technical manuals for the Ship to Shore Connector program. The SSC Program is the functional replacement for the existing fleet of Landing Craft, Air Cushion vehicles. It is an Air Cushion vehicle designed for a 30-year service life. The mission is to land surface assault elements in support of Operational Maneuver from the Sea, at over-the-horizon distances, while operating from amphibious ships and mobile landing platforms. SSC provides increased performance to handle current and future missions, as well as improvements which will increase craft availability and reduce total ownership cost. Work will be performed in Indianapolis, Ind. (37 percent); Camden, N.J. (25 percent); New Orleans, La. (11 percent); Norway (8 percent), Great Britain (7 percent); Farmington, Mich. (6 percent); and Eatontown, N.J. (6 percent), and is expected to be completed by June 2015. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/19/12)

VT Halter, Scana Volda team

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- VT Halter Marine Inc. has partnered with Norwegian company Scana Volda AS for delivery of the propulsion systems and controls for two offshore supply vessels for Hornbeck Offshore Services Inc. The two ships will be delivered in the second half of 2013 and will operate in the Gulf of Mexico and Latin America. (Source: Marine Log, 12/17/12)

X-47B completes at-sea tests

USS HARRY S. TRUMAN, at sea -- The X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator completed its first at-sea test phase aboard the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) Dec. 18. The first aircraft of its kind aboard a Navy vessel, the Northrop Grumman-built X-47B was put through myriad trials to assess the viability of an unmanned system's operation aboard a carrier. Among the tests, the X-47B was towed using carrier-based tractors, taxied on the flight deck via its arm-mounted control display unit and had its digital engine controls tested within environments pervaded by electromagnetic fields. "The system has performed outstandingly," said Don Blottenberger, program manager for the N-UCAS Program Office. "We validated our capabilities on an aircraft carrier," said Mike Mackey, Northrop Grumman's program director. (Source: NNS, 12/18/12) Gulf Coast note: Northrop Grumman builds portions of the Global Hawk and Fire Scout UAVs in Moss Point, Miss.

Austal USA gets new chief

MOBILE, Ala. -- Craig Perciavalle has been promoted to president of Austal USA, effective Dec. 17. Austal USA Interim President and Chief Financial Officer Brian Leathers was promoted to senior vice president and CFO, also effective Monday. Perciavalle, who currently serves as senior vice president of operations, joined Austal in 2007. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 12/12/12)

X-47B taxis on carrier

X-47B taxis on USS Truman
U.S. Navy photo

ATLANTIC OCEAN -- An X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System demonstrator aircraft for the first time taxied aboard a carrier Sunday. During the test aboard the USS Harry S. Truman, deck operators used an arm-mounted control display unit to remotely control the aircraft. Lt. Cmdr. Larry Tarver, Truman's aircraft handling officer, said every test on the aircraft brings the Navy one step closer to unmanned carrier aviation. "Nobody has ever done this before," said Tarver. The Northrop Grumman built X-47B is scheduled to complete taxi testing before Truman returns to its homeport in Naval Station Norfolk. (Source: NNS, 12/10/12) Gulf Coast note: Northrop Grumman builds portions of two other UAVs, Global Hawk and Fire Scout, in Moss Point, Miss. Previous Related

Underwater robot lost

PANAMA CITY, Fla. -- A battery-powered Navy vehicles was lost in the Gulf of Mexico near Panama City and Biltmore Beach Thursday night. A news release from the Naval Oceanography Mine Warfare Center at Stennis Space Center, Miss., said the command lost contact with the Remus 100 Unmanned Underwater Vehicle during a training exercise. The vehicle is black, 6 feet long and 7 inches in diameter. It was heading north when contact was lost. (Source: Panama City News Herald, 12/07/12)

Contract: Huntington Ingalls, $54.5M

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a $54,485,474 modification to previously awarded contract to exercise the third option for Life Cycle Engineering and support services on the LPD 17-class Amphibious Transport Dock Ship program. Contract funds in the amount of $12,904,398 will be obligated at contract award. The total value of this contract is $157,918,243. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Miss., and is expected to be completed by December 2013. Contract funds in the amount of $204,315 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/07/12)

Navy accepts Arlington

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- The Navy accepted delivery of the eighth LPD 17 class amphibious transport dock ship, the future USS Arlington (LPD 24), from Huntington Ingalls Industries on Friday. Accepting delivery of Arlington represents the official transfer of the ship from the shipbuilder to the Navy and is a major milestone in the ship's transition to operational status. San Antonio class ships functionally replace more than 41 ships (LPD 4, LSD 36, LKA 113, and LST 1179 classes of amphibious ships). Their principal mission is to deploy the combat and support elements of Marine Expeditionary Units and Brigades, projecting power ashore through the high speed landing craft, air cushion and the Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. (Source: NNS, 12/07/12) Previous

Crowds drawn to boat show

NEW ORLEANS – The International WorkBoat Show is under way in New Orleans. Thousands have gathered for the three-day event, which started Wednesday. It's touted as the largest maritime trade show in North America. The show and conference is expected to draw more than 14,000 visitors from around the world to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. (Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune, 12/06/12)

Austal delivers JHSV

MOBILE, Ala. -- Austal USA and its partners delivered the joint high-speed vessel USNS Spearhead to the U.S. Navy in a signing ceremony Wednesday. The 338-foot-long aluminum catamaran, which Austal began building in December 2009, completed acceptance trials in August and will leave Mobile toward the end of this month and enter service in 2013. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 12/06/12)

Contract: L-3 Services, $12.9M

L-3 Services Inc., Mount Laurel, N.J., is being awarded a $12,932,304 modification to a previously awarded contract to exercise options for field service representatives to perform maintenance and repair of the U.S. Marine Corps mine roller systems. Support will provide scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, including repair, of USMC mine roller systems to ensure operational levels meet in-theater needs. Work will be performed in Afghanistan, and is expected to be completed by December 2013. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division, Panama City, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/05/12)

Wave Glider crosses ocean

SYDNEY, Australia -- U.S. based Liquid Robotics, an ocean data service provider and developer of the Wave Glider, announced the first pacific crossing Wave Glider, "Papa Mau," completed its 9,000 nautical mile scientific journey across the Pacific Ocean to set a new world record for the longest distance traveled by an autonomous vehicle. Throughout his journey, Papa Mau navigated along a prescribed route under autonomous control collecting and transmitting high-resolution ocean data. (Source: Liquid Robotics, 12/06/12) Gulf Coast note: Liquid Robotics has an office at the Mississippi Enterprise for Technology at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

VT Halter Marine expanding

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Ground was broken on a major expansion of VT Halter Marine. The new ship rapair facility will create 400 jobs at VT Halter Marine, which designs and builds ships for the military, among others. The company has three ship construction facilities, with one in Pascagoula and two in Moss Point. The new facility in Pascagoula is expected to be operational in early 2014. (Sources: Mississippi Press, Clarion Ledger, 12/05/12)