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George Washington News

02 Oct 2023

Orlowski Named VP Engineering at Austal USA

Austal USA introduced Chris Orlowski as the company’s vice president of engineering. Photo courtesy Austal USA

Austal USA introduced Chris Orlowski as the company’s vice president of engineering, leading a team of more than 350 engineers, naval architects, designers, and other engineering support staff. Orlowski has more than 30 years of program and systems engineering leadership experience within the defense industry. He came to Austal USA from Northrup Grumman’s CIO Office – Mission Systems - where he was the director of engineering and manufacturing systems and infrastructure. He led a team of 250 employees focused on designing…

24 Jul 2023

The Need for [U.S. Navy Shipbuilding] Speed

The world's largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) steams in the Adriatic Sea, June 23, 2023.
(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Adkins)

The Navy wants, and needs, more ships; but it can’t build them fast enough.While the U.S. Navy aims to achieve a 355-ship fleet, it is decommissioning older (and some not so old) ships at about the same rate it's adding new ones.A Congressional Research Service report stated that, as of April 17, 2023, the Navy included 296 battle force ships. "The Navy projects that under its FY2024 budget submission, the Navy would include 293 battle force ships at the end of FY2024 and 291 battle force ships at the end of FY2028."But there is progress…

15 Dec 2022

U.S. Navy: Building the Architecture Framework for New Guided Missile Frigates

An artist’s rendering of the new Constellation (FFG 62)-class guided-missile frigate. Marinette Marine Illustration. (U.S. Navy Photo/Released)

“If we desire to secure peace,” President George Washington once observed, “it must be known that we are at all times ready for war.” During the late 1790s, the U.S. government commissioned naval engineers and shipbuilders to design and build large warships capable of agile maneuvering and stowing an excess amount of weapons.With the passing of the Naval Act of 1794, Washington secured the authorization to procure the Navy’s first six frigates – a wooden-hulled, three-masted warship with either a 38 or 44-gun capability.

26 Aug 2022

Seafarers Supported Amid Felixstowe Port Strike

Julian Wong (Photo: Stella Maris)

A Stella Maris chaplain is supporting crew onboard ships berthed at Felixstowe port amid the ongoing dockworkers strike.Julian Wong had gone on board the container vessel George Washington Bridge which arrived in Felixstowe on August 19 before the start of the strike, to meet the crew and left them his contact details in case they needed to get in touch.The ship was scheduled to leave the port on August 20, but its departure was delayed, so the crew had to stay on board. On August 24…

18 Apr 2022

Choi Joins HII Mission Technologies as VP

Henry Choi (Photo: HII)

HII announced on Monday that Henry Choi has joined its Mission Technologies division as vice president of business development for cyber, electronic warfare (EW) and space.Choi is responsible for driving business growth, strategy and customer engagement for HII’s full-spectrum cyber, EW and space capabilities that address today’s rapidly changing, multi-domain global security threats.“As HII expands its capabilities with mission-critical national security solutions, it is imperative that we have the right team and talent to deliver results for our mission partners…

14 Mar 2022

Newport News' Apprentice School Graduates 170

Chris Rose (Homer L. Ferguson Award Recipient) speaking during the 2022 Apprentice School Commencement ceremony held March 12, 2022.  (Photo: Ashley Cowan / HII)

Global engineering and defense technologies provider Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) hosted commencement exercises for 170 graduates of the company’s Apprentice School at Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS). The ceremony was held at Liberty Live Church in Hampton.Newport News Shipbuilding President Jennifer Boykin began the event by addressing the graduates as the shipyard’s newest leaders. “I want you to know how proud I am of each of you for everything that you've accomplished,” Boykin said.

19 Oct 2021

International Propeller Club Names Patti President

The International Propeller Club of the United States elected C. James Patti as its new International President at its 95th Convention and Port President's meeting. As International President, Patti will serve as the CEO and lead the business and affairs of the Club and its 70 port chapters worldwide. Patti succeeded Niels Aalund of Houston, Texas, as International President, who said "Jim Patti's broad experience, maritime contacts, and devotion to the Propeller Club will profoundly enhance our organization." Also elected were Maria Conatser of Nashville as First Vice President and Treasurer…

30 Aug 2021

Circle Line Relaunches Bear Mountain Cruises

(Photo: Circle Line)

New York Cruise Lines' Circle Line is relaunching its annual Bear Mountain Cruises on the Hudson River.The eight-hour round-trip excursions take passengers from New York City to Bear Mountain and back, launching Saturdays and Sundays from September 18 through October 31, plus Columbus/Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Monday, October 11.The 50-mile cruise up the Hudson includes sights of Hook Mountain, the Hudson River Palisades, the George Washington Bridge, and the Mario Cuomo Bridge…

14 Jun 2021

Biden to Nominate Carlos del Toro for SECNAV

Carlos del Toro (Photo: SBG Technology Solutions, Inc.)

U.S. President Joe Biden intends to nominate Carlos del Toro for secretary of the Navy, the White House announced on Friday.Del Toro is a retired U.S. Navy commander with nearly 40 years’ experience in national security and naval operations, budgeting and acquisition.Over the course of a 22-year career in the U.S. Navy, Del Toro held a series of critical appointments, including Senior Executive Assistant to the Director for Program Analysis and Evaluation in the Office of the Secretary of Defense…

15 Jan 2021

Wolfson Takes the Helm at Norfolk Naval Shipyard

Captain Dianna Wolfson took the helm January 15 as the 110th commander of Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) and first female leader in its 253-year history. (Photo: Shelby West / Norfolk Naval Shipyard)

Captain Dianna Wolfson took the helm Friday as the 110th commander of Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) and first female leader in its 253-year history.Wolfson also holds the distinction of becoming the first female commander of any of the nation’s four public shipyards when she assumed command in June 2019 of Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF).This marks her third NNSY tour, with previous assignments as Operations Officer and Project Superintendent for the USS Newport News (SSN 750) Engineered Overhaul.NNSY…

16 Nov 2020

ABS' Wiernicki Says Talent is Key in 'New Normal'

ABS Chairman, President and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki (Photo: ABS)

ABS chairman, president and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki outlined the absolute value of talent in the new normal in a cross-industry lecture on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and digitalization.Wiernicki addressed fellow global business executives spanning multiple industries and top-ranked academia as part of George Washington University’s Frank Howard Distinguished Lecture Series.Wiernicki, who holds a Master of Science in Structural Engineering from George Washington University and was elected to the school’s Engineering Hall of Fame…

01 Jun 2020

USS George Washington Overhaul 75% Complete

USS George Washington (CVN 73) is undergoing refueling complex overhaul (RCOH) at Newport News Shipyard. RCOH is a nearly four-year project performed only once during a carrier's 50-year service life that includes refueling the ship's two nuclear reactors, as well as significant repairs, upgrades, and modernization. (U.S. Navy photo by Marlan Sawyer)

The U.S. Navy's nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) reached the 75% completion point of the ship’s force work package.The warship entered dry dock at Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia in August 2017 to start her fueling complex overhaul (RCOH) period, the sixth Nimitz-class carrier to undergo this major mid-life milestone. In the 34 months since, her sailors have contributed more than 1.3 million work-hours out of the 2,306,996 planned work-hours in the completion of over 196…

27 Dec 2021

USS Nevada Shipwreck Located

The stern of the wreck has the remains of “36” and “140.”  Nevada’s designation was BB-36 and the 140 was painted on the structural “rib” at the ship’s stern for the atomic tests to facilitate post-blast damage reporting. (Photo: Ocean Infinity/SEARCH, Inc.)

The wreck of one of the U.S. Navy's longest serving battleships has been found 15,400 feet beneath the surface about 65 nautical miles southwest of Pearl Harbor, researchers said Monday.The USS Nevada (BB-36), which served in two world wars over the course of a career that spanned more than three and a half decades, was discovered by underwater and terrestrial archaeology firm SEARCH, Inc. and marine robotics company Ocean Infinity at the bottom of the Pacific.The mission was jointly coordinated between SEARCH's operations center and one of Ocean Infinity's vessels, Pacific Constructor.

01 May 2020

Rear Adm. Bert Makes History with New USCG Role

Rear Adm. Melissa Bert (Photo: USCG)

The U.S. Coast Guard announced Friday Rear Adm. Melissa Bert has been invested as judge advocate general and chief counsel of the Coast Guard. Bert is the service’s first woman to hold that office.Bert was most recently the director of Governmental and Public Affairs for the Coast Guard, where she was responsible for external engagement with Congress, the media and other inter-governmental entities.As judge advocate general and chief counsel, Bert will lead a group of legal professionals who are responsible for the delivery of all legal services in support of the Coast Guard's missions…

23 Apr 2020

Insights: Contracts are Overrated in Maritime

© Vittaya_25/AdobeStock

My company has been around since 1875, and today we actually still do things that were being done in 1875. We still get calls from underwriters to attend on disasters all over the place, and we are still asked to provide values on ships on a moment’s notice.Moreover, some of the companies that ask us to attend to those issues, in some form or another, also have been around since 1875.That results in a very smooth operational routine, where we get a call from one of those clients in the middle of the night, we pull our pants on, step into the car and go out to see what is going on.

31 Jul 2019

Ship Paint: NRL Pigment Package Slows Discoloration

NRL is currently working with Naval Sea Systems Command, Naval Systems Engineering Directorate, Ship Integrity & Performance Engineering (SEA 05P) to transition the new pigment combination into a military specification. The most recent vessel to receive it was USS George Washington (CVN 73). (Image: U.S. Navy)

A pigment package designed by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) to slow discoloration of the exterior coating on surface ships has started to make its way into the fleet and is producing early, positive results.NRL researchers created the pigment combination to satisfy the fleet requirement for the Navy standard "haze gray" paint that will remain color stable for longer than current coatings. While many paint manufacturers had produced new coating technologies that solved a variety of other problems…

13 May 2019

Thad Allen Joins HudsonAnalytix

Admiral Thad Allen, U.S. Coast Guard retired

HudsonAnalytix, announced that Admiral Thad Allen, U.S. Coast Guard retired, has joined their operation as a Senior Executive Advisor.Admiral Allen served as the 23rd Commandant of the Coast Guard from 2006 to 2010. He will be focusing on risk management for the global maritime transportation sector served by Hudson. Focus areas include regulatory and policy issues, crisis response and disaster management, environmental compliance, and cyber risk to shipping, ports, and supply chains.

18 Mar 2019

HII Installs Mast on USS George Washington

America's largest military shipbuilding company Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced the installation of the mast on the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, part of a $2.8 billion overhaul of the ship.The shipyard installed the final piece of the ship’s new main mast—the 34-foot upper mast section—that raises the ship’s distinctive profile 123 feet above the flight deck, said a press release from the Fortune 500 shipbuilding company.The  refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) is now 50 percent complete at ewport News Shipbuilding division, it said.“Landing the upper mast is one of the most visible construction milestones in the mid-life refueling overhaul and maintenance availability of an aircraft carrier…

10 Jan 2019

Captain Jeff Dixon takes over as President of TOTE Services

Captain Jeff Dixon, President, TOTE Services

Captain Jeff Dixon has assumed the role of President of TOTE Services following the retirement of Rear Admiral Phil Greene Jr.Dixon joined TOTE Services in May 2017 and has served as the Vice President of Marine Operations – Government and Commercial since starting with the company.Prior to his time with TOTE Services, Dixon was a captain in the United States Coast Guard and spent 27-years on active duty. Most recently he served in command of Sector Jacksonville where he exercised Captain of the Port authority including the three strategic ports of St Mary’s/Fernandina…

14 Nov 2018

Former U.S. Navy Captain Pleads Guilty in Corruption, Fraud Probe

File Image: AdobeStock / © Renaschild

A retired U.S. Navy captain pleaded guilty to criminal conflict of interest charges and a former U.S. Navy master chief was sentenced to 17 months in prison today on corruption charges. The defendants are among the latest U.S. Navy officials to plead guilty and be sentenced in the expansive corruption and fraud investigation involving foreign defense contractor Leonard Glenn Francis and his Singapore-based ship husbanding company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA).Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Adam L.

20 Jul 2018

MACC is Definitely Back

Even Mother Nature Can’t Dent the Enthusiasm at this Year’s MACC.Curtis Bay, MD: On the morning after the Baltimore, MD area received a record 3.5 inches of torrential rain in just 90 minutes, this year’s Multi-Agency Craft Conference (MACC) kicked off without a hitch at the United States Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, MD. That may sound easy, but for those flying in Tuesday afternoon (or like myself, driving in through DC at exactly the moment that the George Washington Parkway flooded badly near the DCA Airport), it was touch and go.Although a proud (although badly aging) graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and a licensed mariner – Chief Mate (any gross tons) and a 1600 Ton Master – this officially was my first command at sea.

15 Feb 2018

Huntington Ingalls Industries Q4 Revenue up 3.9%

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Miss., in June 2017 (Photo: Lance Davis/HII)

U.S. military shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries reported fourth quarter 2017 revenues of $2 billion, up 3.9 percent from the fourth quarter of 2016. Operating income in the quarter was $227 million and operating margin was 11.4 percent, compared to $268 million and 13.9 percent, respectively, in the fourth quarter of 2016. Diluted earnings per share in the quarter was $1.41, compared to $4.20 in the same period of 2016. Diluted earnings per share in fourth quarter 2017 included a one-time expense related to the early extinguishment of debt…

22 Sep 2017

Wiernicki Named Mass. Maritime’s Person of the Year

(Photo: Massachusetts Maritime Academy)

Christopher J. Wiernicki, Chairman, President and CEO of ABS, was recognized for his distinguished career of excellence, innovation and service to the maritime industries by the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) as this year’s recipient of the Maritime Person of the Year Award on September 21, 2017 in New York City. The honoree is presented with the Captain Emery Rice Medal and awarded annually to a civilian or military leader from around the globe. Named for an 1895 MMA graduate and World War I hero…

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