Sensor Systems

Benthos Granted Small Business Technology Transfer

Benthos has been awarded a Phase 1 Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) contract with the Office of Naval Research to develop underwater transport of video imagery from remote, autonomous sensor systems to distant human observers. The technology is based on the Benthos ATM 885 acoustic modem, combined with innovative, wavelet-based image compression and with the EMATT (Expendable Mobile ASW Training Target) vehicle built by Sippican, Inc.

Brief VTS Outage in Prince William Sound Coverage

Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) Prince William Sound regains full operations following an electrical fire Wednesday the fire alarm in the Electronics Support Detachment Valdez building was triggered indicating a potential fire in the electronics room. The Valdez Fire Department immediately responded to the alarm, cleared the space of any potential danger, and stated the smoke appeared to be due to an electrical short in one of the equipment racks.

New Appointment for Coast Guard’s Deepwater Program

Rear Adm. Gary Blore took over as head of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Deepwater program April 17, becoming the second officer to lead the service’s ambitious recapitalization program. Blore relieved Rear Adm. Patrick Stillman, who ran the program since its inception in 2001. Blore, an aviator, piloted helicopters and jets after graduating from the Coast Guard Academy in 1975. At service headquarters in Washington, he was chief of the Coast Guard’s aviation forces from 2000 to 2002

Northrop Grumman Supports First LCS Mission Package Delivery

Northrop Grumman Corporation and the U.S. Navy's Naval Sea Systems Command, along with members of the government-contractor team, will celebrate the delivery of the first mission package for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) at ceremonies tomorrow in Panama City, Fla. This first package is for the mine warfare mission, and is one of the three initial warfare packages being developed for the LCS. Mission packages allow the LCS the flexibility to support three

Where is the All Electric Navy?

"There is a powerful agent, responsive, quick, and easy to use, pliable enough to meet all our needs on board. It does everything. It supplies light and heat for the ship and is the very soul of our mechanical equipment. That agent is electricity." — Captain Nemo in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Jules Verne's classic novel first appeared in 1869. Today, the Navy is standing at the threshold of remarkable capabilities that Jules Verne could barely imagine-a "revolution at sea" akin to the

Transocean Orders Kittiwake's Thrusterscan

Kittiwake announced an order for its ThrusterSCAN product from Transocean. ThrusterSCAN marks a new era in online condition monitoring for azimuthing thrusters, helping to predict failure, enabling preventative maintenance and ultimately reducing costly downtime. Kittiwake’s ThrusterSCAN will be installed on Transocean’s eight-thruster Development Driller III rig. ThrusterSCAN delivers early warning of thruster component damage

NOAA Seeks Comments On USN Sonar Deployment

NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service is seeking public comment on a request by the U.S. Navy to operate its Low Frequency Active Sonar on the world's open oceans. The Navy's Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System Low Frequency Active Sonar uses an underwater sound source to locate submarines, and the agency wants to ensure the operation of the system has a negligible impact on marine mammals. Unique to this proposal

Kongsberg Maritime Launches Type-Approved GPS Compass

The new Seapath 20 GPS Compass from Kongsberg Seatex has achieved IMO type approval from DNV, Norway as THD (Transmitting Heading Device) using GNSS principle. The Seapath 20 replaces several vessel instruments with one compact navigation package (gyrocompass, GPS system, speed log and rate-of-turn indicator) that outputs heading, position, velocity and rate-of-turn, together with 1-second time pulse (1PPS) for synchronization of other survey systems.

New Master Catalog from Gems

At more than 336 pages the new Gems Sensors, Controls and Fluidic Systems catalog features fluid level, flow & pressure sensors, miniature solenoid valves and proximity switches. This desktop resource features sensors and controls not offered in previous catalog editions. These include new electro-optic level switches, ultrasonic level sensors, float type level sensors, Warrick conductivity level and solid-state controls, new high-accuracy pressure transducers

CMA CGM: Significant Recovery in Operations

Operating profit for the CMA CGM Group is expected to return to the breakeven point in December 2009, ahead of the company’s cautious forecasts in September 2009.   The savings plan applied throughout all segments of the group, combined with increasingly firm volumes and rates, is already producing its initial effects. The recovery of operating profit illustrates the shipping expertise of the CMA CGM teams, which have been entirely focused on achieving this objective.