US Navy Destroyer Harvey C. Barnum Jr. Christened
Bath, Maine shipbuilder General Dynamics Bath Iron Works on Saturday christened the U.S. Navy’s newest guided missile destroyer, the future USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124). The ship is named for Col. Harvey C. Barnum, Jr., who received the Medal of Honor for his heroism on the battlefield during Operation Harvest Moon in the Que Son Valley during the Vietnam War.The ceremony's speakers included Gov. Janet Mills, Sen. Susan Collins, Sen. Angus King and Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, who was the principal speaker. Martha E.
Shipyards Adapt to help Navy, Coast Guard Recapitalize Fleets
U.S. shipyards are making improvements to building ships for the Navy and Coast Guard today and in the future. In some cases, it means phasing out one class of ship and getting ready for the next. Or, it can be a drastic make-over.The yards include mid-tier yards all the way up to very large facilities devoted exclusively to warships. The ships range from the 353-ton Fast Response Cutter to the 100,000-ton nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Wisconsin…
Cold and Calculating: Dealing with Ice in Domestic Waterways
Army research laboratory helps vessels deal with ice in domestic waterways. Ice, snow and extremely low temperatures can put a big chill on maritime operations in ports, lakes, rivers and waterways. Thanks to the U.S. Army’s Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) in Hanover, New Hampshire, mariners have a better understanding regarding phenomena such as icing on superstructures, brash ice and propulsion systems and controlling ice dams. And…
USCG Begins Northeast Icebreaking Season
The U.S. Coast Guard's (USCG) winter icebreaking season has officially kicked off in the Northeast, starting December 15 and running through March. OP RENEW is the USCG's region-wide effort to ensure Northeast communities have the security, supplies, energy and emergency resources they need throughout the winter. Coast Guard units throughout the Northeast have been busy preparing for Operation RENEW by conducting training operations and prioritizing efforts. They are also replacing aids to navigation with special aids designed to ride underneath ice floes and remain on location.
Managing Ice Jams
April showers may bring May flowers, but spring can also bring ice jams to the thawing rivers and streams across the northern United States. An ice jam or ice dam, is a buildup of broken ice in the river system. It can be a problem that causes the water to back up over the top of highway bridges, roads, or into cities. At times, they can cause flooding. Ice jams can be large–backing up water for miles, or small and only back up water in a small area locally. An ice jam can damage bridges with the amount of water pushing on the jam from behind…
New Warship 'Zumwalt' Towed to Outfitting Berth
Rear Adm. "Water under the keel marks an important milestone for this 600 ft, 15,000 ton, 78 mega-watt ship and it brings PCU Zumwalt and her sister ships, Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001) & Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002), one step closer to operating with the fleet. Commencing activation in 2014 and joining the fleet in 2016, PCU Zumwalt is a multi-mission warship designed, built and netted to execute Maritime Security, Sea Control and Power Projection missions, including Undersea and Strike Warfare.
First-in-Class Zumwalt Destroyer Launched
General Dynamics Bath Iron Works has launched the Navy's first Zumwalt-class destroyer at their Bath, Maine shipyard. The future 'USS Zumwalt' (DDG 1000) will be the lead ship of the Navy's newest destroyer class, designed for littoral operations and land attack. The ship began its translation from Bath Iron Works' land-level construction facility to a floating dry dock, which was flooded and the ship was removed from its specially designed cradle. Then it was floated out and moored alongside a Kennebec River pier.
Coast Guard to Conduct Kennebec River Ice-Breaking Operations
BOSTON – U.S. Coast Guard units in Maine are scheduled to begin ice-breaking operations on the Kennebec River during the week of March 12, 2012. The public is being advised to remove their fish shacks as soon as possible, if safe to do so, in advance of Coast Guard ice-breaking operations. "Anyone who still has ice fishing shacks or gear on the Kennebec River should remove them as soon as possible and should proceed with extreme caution in areas where the Coast Guard will break ice," said Chief Warrant Officer Bob Albert, the ice operations mission manager for Coast Guard Sector Northern New England. During the Kennebec River Spring Break-out…
Kennebec River Waterway Study
The Coast Guard is conducting a waterways analysis review of the Kennebec River in Maine, to determine the effectiveness of aids to navigation in the river. Due to difficulties in keeping aids on station north of the Richmond/Dresden Bridge, the Coast Guard seeks to make all aids to navigation between the Richmond/Dresden Bridge to Augusta seasonal aids. Mariners and other concerned parties are invited to comment on the aids to navigation within these waterways. Questionnaires can be obtained by calling (207) 741-5442. Any comments or recommended changes to aids to navigation should be received no later than Dec. 15, 2008. (Source: U.S.
Six-Year Old Found Alive Under Capsized Boat
A six-year-old boy was found alive under a capsized boat near Huntington Park, Newport News, Va. last night. The boy was found by Newport News Dive Team members in a joint-agency rescue effort involving the Coast Guard, Virginia Marine Resource Commission, Newport News lifeguards and Newport News Fire and Rescue. The Coast Guard was notified at approximately 5:30 this afternoon of a 15-foot pleasure craft capsized in the James River with four people already recovered and the boy missing. Coast Guard Station Portsmouth immediately launched a 25-foot rescue boat, and the Coast Guard Cutter Kennebec, a 160-foot construction tender stationed at Portsmouth, was diverted to assist.
