Video: Bay Shipbuilding Delivers Ferry for Washington Island Fleet
Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding has delivered a new, year-round passenger/vehicle ferry, Madonna, for service to the Washington Island community across the Death’s Door Passage between the Bay of Green Bay and Lake Michigan.At 124 feet in length, 40 feet in beam and 9 feet in draft, and with capacity for up to 28 vehicles and 150 passengers, the newbuild is the largest vessel in the Washington Island Ferry Fleet, allowing crews to operate a spacious second ferry with year-round capabilities.The Madonna joins four additional vessels in the Washington Island Fleet, the Arni J.
Navy to Replace Mine Countermeasures Ships in Japan
The U.S. Navy announced Feb. 5 that newer, more capable mine countermeasure ships will forward deploy to Commander, Fleet Activities Sasebo, Japan, to become part of the U.S. Navy's Forward Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF). The Avenger-class mine countermeasure ships USS Pioneer (MCM 9) and USS Chief (MCM 14) will report to the U.S. 7th Fleet as part of the FDNF in Sasebo in May 2014. They will respectively replace the mine countermeasure ships USS Avenger (MCM 1) and USS Defender (MCM 2), which have both faithfully served in the FDNF since 2009.
