Gibbs Cox News

Marine News spoke to leaders at three North American naval architecture and marine engineering firms about some of the latest trends impacting their business today. Mike Fitzpatrick, president, Robert Allan Ltd.; Jeff Bowles, director, DLBA Naval Architects; and Rich Mueller, president and CEO, NETSCo., weigh in on topics such as digitalization, decarbonization and the naval architect talent pool.How do you view the maritime industry’s ongoing shifts in areas such as digitalization and decarbonization…

Christopher Deegan, former president and chief executive of the venerable naval architecture firm Gibbs & Cox, has passed away, the company shared on social media."It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of our former president and chief executive of Gibbs & Cox, Christopher Deegan’s passing. Chris joined Gibbs & Cox as the vice president of engineering in 2013 after an outstanding career as a Navy civilian program manager and senior executive service leader. In 2016, Chris was selected to be the ninth president and chief executive of Gibbs & Cox.

Donald L. Blount, an international esteemed technical expert in the field of high-speed craft hydrodynamics died on July 14, 2022 at the age of 87.Donald was driven all his life to do one job: design high-speed powerboats that could comfortably and efficiently run through rough water. His fascination with hydrodynamics began when he was a Virginia Tech co-op student working at the David Taylor Model Basin, the Navy's premier hydrodynamic research facility.Donald’s research contributions…

Naval architecture and marine engineering firm Gibbs & Cox Inc. has won a contract to support surface combatant ship design and engineering efforts for the U.S. Navy’s Future Surface Combatant Force, the Pentagon announced.Under the deal, Gibbs & Cox will primarily support of the DDG(X) program, as well as other emerging ship concepts, and it will also conduct feasibility studies as part of supporting the broader Navy fleet.The $29,561,327 cost-plus-award-fee and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract was awarded by the Naval Sea Systems Command and includes options which…

In 1985, Chris Deegan was hired out of Penn State as a nuclear submarine cost estimator by the Naval Sea Systems Command and retired nearly 28 years later as the Executive Director of PEO Integrated Warfare Systems, with the last 10 as a member of the Senior Executive Service. He’s been with Gibbs & Cox since 2013, first as the Vice President of Engineering, and as President and Chief Executive since 2016.Please give a “by the numbers” look at Gibbs & Cox today.Since our founding in 1929…

Defense, engineering and IT conglomerate Leidos announced on Friday it has completed its $380 million cash acquisition of marine engineering and naval architecture firm Gibbs & Cox.The deal, announced in February, will see Gibbs & Cox operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary combined with Leidos' maritime systems division.Headquartered in Arlington, Va., Gibbs & Cox is the largest independent ship design firm focused on naval architecture and marine engineering. The acquisition positions Leidos to provide a broad set of engineering solutions to the U.S.

U.S.-based naval architecture and marine engineering firm Gibbs & Cox, Inc. announced Tuesday that the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division (NSWCPD) awarded the company a $20 million prime contract.The NSWCPD provides the Navy's primary technical expertise for naval machinery research and development and in-service engineering, as well as machinery cybersecurity and lifecycle engineering.Gibbs & Cox said its contract will have a five-year operating period with a work scope including maintenance functions for the materials, structures, environmental and protection divisions.

Reston, Va.-based Leidos said it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire esteemed naval architecture and marine engineering firm Gibbs & Cox for $380 million in cash, as the defense, engineering and IT conglomerate looks to bolster its expertise as it competes for U.S. Navy unmanned systems contracts. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021, subject to closing conditions.Founded in 1922 in New York City, Gibbs & Cox has designed some of the world's most well-known vessels, including the WWII Liberty Ships and the stories ocean liner SS United States.

Shipbuilder Halter Marine is teaming with naval architecture firm Gibbs & Cox, Inc., on the U.S. Navy’s contract to perform design studies for the development of the Large Unmanned Surface Vessel (LUSV). The LUSV studies contract has an anticipated completion date of August 2021 with an option for additional studies, which would extend the forecasted completion date to May 2022.The LUSV will be a high-endurance ship able to accommodate various payloads for unmanned missions to augment the Navy’s manned surface force, according to the Navy’s program summary. Plans call for a vessel about 200 to 300 feet long that can function either partially or completely autonomously."We are honored to be part of the Gibbs & Cox team participating in the Navy’s LUSV studies contract…

Naval architecture and marine engineering firm Gibbs & Cox announced it is expanding its services into Houston with the aim to generate revenue in non-naval markets, develop and sell new products and/or services to non-traditional clients and contribute to existing programs."Over the last several months, we have hired a number of staff from the Houston area and expect this trend to continue as we continue to grow with our recent contract wins," Gibbs & Cox said in a statement on Monday.In the near term…

Naval architecture firm Gibbs & Cox said it has been awarded a multi-phase contract from the U.S.' Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop and demonstrate a connectorless "Sea Train" concept.DARPA's Sea Train program aims to demonstrate long range deployment capabilities for a distributed fleet of tactical unmanned surface vessels. The program seeks to enable extended transoceanic transit and long-range naval operations by exploiting the efficiencies of a…

The U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Navy have awarded six contracts worth around $42 million for studies of a large unmanned surface vessel.The companies awarded the contracts, valued around $7 million each, are Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Huntington Ingalls, Lockheed Martin, Gibbs & Cox, Austal, and Bollinger Shipyards.Each contract includes an option for engineering support, that if exercised, would bring the cumulative value for all awards to $59,476,146, the DoD said."...each contract and is expected to be complete by August 2021…

Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) 21, the future USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul, completed acceptance trials in Lake Michigan ahead of final outfitting and fine-tuning before delivery to the U.S. Navy in 2021.LCS 21 is the 11th Freedom-variant LCS designed and built by the Lockheed Martin-led industry team that includes Fincantieri Marinette Marine and Gibbs & Cox."LCS 21 joins a fleet of sister ships delivering unique flexibility and capability to the U.S. Navy," said Joe DePietro, Lockheed Martin vice president and general manager, Small Combatants and Ship Systems.

L3Harris Technologies said it has received a contract from the U.S. Navy for the Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MUSV) program. The $35 million initial award is part of a $281 million program that includes a prototype and options for a total of nine MUSVs. The program is the Navy’s first for a USV to support the Navy’s Distributed Maritime Operations strategy.L3Harris will integrate the company’s ASView autonomy technology into a purpose-built 195-foot commercially derived vehicle from a facility along the Gulf Coast of Louisiana.

A bow extension will allow Cape Henry Launch Services' workboat Delta Escape to push up against offshore wind turbines to support the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) pilot program off Virginia Beach.Naval architecture and marine engineering firm DLBA, a division of Gibbs & Cox, said it was recently engaged to complete the structural design for the project.The bow was built out of aluminum, and added on to the existing aluminum hull structure. The DLBA team created the push…

Pascagoula, Miss. shipbuilder Halter Marine Inc. said Monday it has been awarded a contract for industrial studies for the auxiliary general ocean surveillance ship (T-AGOS(X)) program.The U.S. Navy awarded the $981,000 contract for the T-AGOS class series of vessels, which ultimately will replace the existing fleet of four T-AGOS 19 and one T-AGOS 23 small waterplane area twin hull (SWATH) ships, which are reaching the end of their service lives. The contract is for a 12-month study to perform trade-off studies and analyses of the Navy design.“We have designed…

Naval architecture and marine engineering firm Gibbs & Cox announced Brian Hobbs has joined the company as Chief Information Officer. In his new role, Hobbs will provide executive leadership and oversight of the full spectrum of corporate information technology infrastructure, security, end user services, people and processes."With the cyber landscape constantly evolving and threats becoming increasingly more sophisticated, Brian's experience will help us and our clients increase resiliency and securely achieve the next generation of cyber capabilities…

A real estate development company is looking for a U.S. city to become the new home for one of America's most historic ocean liners.Having reached a deal with the ship’s nonprofit owner last year, RXR Realty has been developing a plan to restore the famed SS United States and this week issued a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) seeking a permanent waterfront location where America’s Flagship, once restored, will be able to relive its former glory.At the time of its launch in 1952…

Hindsight, they say is 20/20, and in this regard renowned design house Gibbs & Cox has nine decades in the rear view mirror on which to lean. We recently caught up with Chris Deegan, President and CEO of Gibbs & Cox, celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2019, to discuss the organization’s rich history and promising future.When you took the top spot at Gibbs & Cox in 2016, what were your goals for the organization?As a company that designs everything from yachts to work boats to destroyers, I wanted to reassert G&C as the global leader in the naval architecture and marine engineering industry.

Secretary of the Navy, The Honorable Richard V. Spencer, visited the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard, the home of Freedom-Variant Littoral Combat Ship production. The Lockheed Martin-led Team Freedom has delivered five ships to the U.S. Navy to date, with two more scheduled for delivery this year. "It is truly great to see what is being produced up here with the American worker," Secretary Spencer said during a shipyard tour. "We're producing a ship that based on price is exceptional. Spencer visited to view the modernized production line and tour LCS 13, the future USS WICHITA. Over the past 10 years, the Freedom-variant industry team invested more than $120 million to modernize the shipyard, hire more than 1,000 people and train a new workforce.

VT Halter Marine was selected for Phase 1 Preliminary/Contract design for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) AGOR Variant (NAV). For the NAV program VT Halter Marine teamed with Gibbs & Cox, Inc. to provide NAVSEA and NOAA a design approach that will deliver efficient and multi-mission effective NOAA AGOR Variant (NAV) Ships. Together, the design team brings together a group of companies with more than 160 years of combined experience in designing. Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) made the announcement of the awards for the firm-fixed-price groups for the shallow coastal, continental shelf, and worldwide ocean survey and data collection requirements ships Phase I. Initial contract award for VT Halter Marine Phase I is $1.465 million.

A Lockheed Martin-led team has secured a multibillion dollar order from the U.S. Navy to build four Multi-Mission Surface Combatants ships for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as part of the U.S.’s Foreign Military Sales program.Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM), who has been working with Lockheed Martin, naval architect Gibbs & Cox and more than 800 suppliers in 42 states for the US Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program, said it will build the ships at its Marinette yard in Wisconsin.

Moran Iron Works, Inc. (MIW) signed a contract with Pictured Rocks Kayaking (PRK) to build a specialized passenger tour vessel. Together, and in conjunction with DLBA (a division of Gibbs & Cox, Inc.), they are creating a special purpose tour boat that is first of its kind in the Great Lakes region.The 64’ by 19’ vessel will be constructed out of aluminum at Moran Iron Works’ headquarters in Onaway, Michigan. The purpose of this particular unnamed vessel is to escort 72 passengers and 36 kayaks around Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore for guided kayak tours.