Johnson Props

Propeller Milestone Achieved By U.S. Navy

The U.S. Navy's drive during the past decade to become more efficient on both the ship contracting and life cycle management sides has proven to be much more than mere talk. The "new" Navy is embodied in the current LPD-17 project, and U.S. Navy senior officers and engineers recently marked a critical milestone in ship research on January 6, 2000, wrapping up a successful phase in the testing of a full-scale propeller for the USS San Antonio (LPD-17) Class amphibious transport dock ship. The tests verify that a new compact design for the LPD-17 CPP meets the seven-year service life cycle requirements. The 17 million cycles completed at the ceremony show that this new design exceeds requirements and that the service life could be extended twofold. This Naval Sea Systems Command program could lead to a significant saving for the Navy in overhaul costs for the new propeller. The hub and blades, manufactured of nickel-aluminum-bronze and steel, constitute a unique design. The hub has a smaller diameter than in the past, leaving less surface for attaching the five blades and increasing stress in the blade root area and the hub. Verifying the new design will facilitate extending the period between overhauls from seven to 14 years, producing lower costs, easier maintenance and faster upgrades — an affordable propeller with enhanced performance reflecting the fiscal constraints of the modern Navy.

Palmer Johnson Introduces Sport Yacht Series

By Larry Pearson Palmer Johnson, luxury yacht builder, has a new president and is introducing a new line of sport yachts. Mike Kelsey, Jr. was elected president of the Sturgeon Bay, Wisc. yacht builder in June 2004. Kelsey's grandfather, Patrick Haggerty, founder of Texas Instruments, purchased the yard in 1961. Kelsey's father Mike Kelsey, Sr. immediately went to work for Haggerty and passed the knowledge of fine yacht building down to his son.

Johnson Controls' Batteries to Power All-Electric Boat Motors

Johnson Controls, Inc. to produce Li-ion battery packs from its Holland, Mich. plant for Torqeedo's all-electric boat motors. Torqeedo, a German-based manufacturer, will use Johnson Controls' Li-ion automotive battery packs to power its award-winning 80-Horsepower electric boat motor called DEEP BLUE. "With our leading battery expertise, we helped our customer combine two distinct technologies – the large outboard engine and electric motor -- making the Torqeedo DEEP BLUE system

Mid America Shipyards Delivers First Vessel

Mid America Shipyards LLC out of Ft. Smith, Ark. announced that after opening its doors in December 2009 it has delivered its first vessel, a truckable tug boat, the Mary Ann, to the Chicago area. Specifications: Length    25.5 ft Beam    14 ft Hull depth    5 ft Draft    3.3 ft Weight    44,500 lbs Power    660 hp, Twin Screw John Deere 6081 AFM Shaft size    3 inches

Tidewater Building Two 145 ft. Crewboats at Swiftships

Working from a proven Swiftship design with modifications to meet their particular needs, Tidewater Marine has ordered a pair of 145 x 26 ft. crewboats from Swiftships, in Morgan City, La. With space for 150 passengers and accommodation for up to nine crew, the boats will also be capable of carrying 16,000 U.S. gallons of fuel, 19,500 gallons of fresh water, 375 gallons of lube oil and 275 gallons of waste oil. An additional 6,600 gallons of ballast tankage is included

Chinook Aluminum Cruiser Delivered

The William E. Munson Company delivered a 32 ft. Chinook welded aluminum cruiser to Ed Robinson's Diving Adventures. Powered by twin Volvo KAD43 diesels, coupled to Volvo dual prop drive legs, the USCG certified 15-passenger dive boat has a top speed of 45 mph light and 40 mph fully loaded. Outfitting includes port and starboard side dive doors, large stern dive platform with two flip out dive ladders, aluminum tank rack for 30 dive bottles, tropical style open-backed wheelhouse with sunroof

Seacor Repowers Vessels

Conrad's aluminum manager Todd Babin shows the "tweaked" props. The 300-ton travel lift at Conrad Industries Morgan City facility is a major attraction to Gulf Coast crew boat operators. Shallow waters in the area add to the heavy usage that crewboats receive contributes to a steady demand for quick haul outs and timely below waterline repairs. The yards large upland area is another attraction as it provides ample storage space for vessels undergoing major overhauls.

New Leadership for NASSTRAC

NASSTRAC announced new leadership for 2005-2007 at the association's recent fall conference at the Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel in Baltimore, Md. This newly elected group of executives will give strategic direction and input that supports NASSTRAC in providing professional development, networking, advocacy and provider relationships to its membership. The following officers will serve two-year terms officially starting this month:

Shipbuilders Awarded Training Funds

A pair of grants totaling nearly $58,000 will be used to train 245 workers at two shipbuilders in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., the Business Journal of Milwaukee reported. The Workforce Advancement Training Grants from the Wisconsin Technical College System were awarded to Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) in Green Bay. The funds will be used for training workers from Bay Shipbuilding Co., a manufacturer of commercial ships, and yacht maker Palmer Johnson Yachts..

USA's Ingram Barge Appoints Coal Division Sales Leader

Joe Johnson has been promoted to Assistant Vice President, Coal, in the Ingram Barge Company of Nashville, Tennessee. Joe Johnson already is serving in this newly created position, and the Ingram sales team now reports to him, with respect to their coal accounts. He joined Ingram in 2002 and has handled the majority of the company’s utility and export coal customer base. Prior to joining Ingram, he gained over 20 years of experience in the coal industry.