This Day In Naval History: June 7
1898 - During the Spanish-American War, USS Marblehead (C 11), along with auxiliary cruisers USS Yankee and USS St. Louis, engage the Spanish gunboat Sandoval and the shore batteries at Guantanamo, Cuba for 2 1/2 hours. 1917 - During World War I, U.S. submarine chasers arrive at Corfu, Greece, for anti-submarine patrols. 1942 - Just after dawn, USS Yorktown (CV 5) sinks after being torpedoed the previous day by Japanese submarine (I 168). 1944 - The construction of artificial harbors and sheltered anchorages, also known as Mulberries, begins off the Normandy coast. 1944 - USS Susan B. Anthony (AP 72) strikes a German mine while approaching "Omaha" Beach to land reinforcements. After an unsuccessful effort to contain flooding, she is abandoned and, within a few hours, sinks.
NASSCO Wins $37m for USS San Diego Fitting-Out
General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), won a $37m contract by the U.S. Navy for the fitting-out availability of the San Antonio-class amphibious assault dock ship USS San Diego (LPD 22). Work under this contract will be performed at NASSCO beginning in May 2012 and is expected to be completed by December 2014. Specific efforts for the USS San Diego under this contract include program management, planning, engineering, design, liaison, scheduling, labor and procurement of incidental material. On board repair efforts will include piping, structural and machinery work. The contract award also includes options which, if exercised, would bring the total value of this contract to approximately $134m.
Implosion on Ship, Gravesend Bay N.Y.
A concerted response by a member of the American Salvage Association (ASA), technical experts from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and New York City Fire Department (FDNY) averted the risk of a toxic material release from a chemical carrier anchored in Gravesend Bay near Brooklyn, N.Y. during the week of Feb. During operations with a barge alongside to transfer ethanol cargo, the 443-ft chemical carrier Sichem Defiance sustained an implosion on board. The main deck over a cargo tank collapsed and adjacent bulkheads were breeched. The ship’s cargo consisted of benzene LAB and ethanol, a dangerously volatile liquid. Following the violent event, the ship’s captain immediately notified Federal and port authorities.
