John (Jack) William Gilbert, PE, U.S. Navy Lieutenant, USNR, a world-renowned Naval Architect and Marine Engineer and President of John W. Gilbert Associates, Inc., Hingham, Massachusetts, died at the age of 80 years on July 26, 2010. Gilbert was born in Silver Creek, N.Y., on November 1, 1929, and was a resident of North Scituate, Mass., for more than 48 years. He graduated with a B.S.Nam. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1955. Gilbert founded John W. Gilbert Associates, Inc., in 1964, which has a long and successful business in ship design, overseeing the construction of over 400 vessels ranging from fishing, research, passenger vessels and vehicle ferries, excursion ships, tugboats, fireboats, river towboats, to other commercial vessels. He pioneered original research from his model tests, developed computer programs and simulations for his design and stability of vessels. Additionally, Gilbert received numerous awards and has given lectures worldwide on topics of naval architecture and marine engineering, fishing industry and diversification, vessel regulations, and ferry transportation to name a few. Gilbert designed many of the New Bedford and Gloucester fishing vessels, and a number of local ferries, such as the Nantucket ferries, the Eagle and Great Point, the Provincetown ferries: The Provincetown I and Provincetown II, and the Block Island ferries: Nelseco, Anna C., Carol Jean and the Block Island.
Predeceased by his beloved wife, Nancyann (Smith), and is the son of the late Buck and Margaret Gilbert. He is the loving father of his six children John and his wife Robin Gilbert of Hull, MA, Anne Gilbert of Cohasset, Mass., Byron and his wife Karen Gilbert of Flemington, NJ, Peter and his wife Stephanie Gilbert of Newport Beach, Calif., Priscilla and her husband Patrick Lang of Sherwood, Oregon, Catherine and her husband Charlie Raynes of Rye, N.H.; and his seven grandchildren: Evan, Bradley, Nolan, and Ellis Gilbert, Skylar Raynes, Elizabeth Gilbert Zheng, and Kyra Lang, as well as his dog Riley. He is the brother of the late Jean Koch and June Allen, and is survived his younger sister Judy Foley.