'Maersk Alabama' Crew File for Financial Compensation
The five-day saga off the coast of Somalia ended when Navy SEALs killed three of the ship's masters' captors in a volley of rifle fire and a fourth pirate had previously surrendered to the Navy. Though the master of Maersk Alabama, Captain Richard Phillips, was hailed as a hero, 11 former crew members allege in lawsuits filed in Norfolk Circuit Court and in Mobile, Ala., that his employers, through Phillips' actions, put them in grave danger when the ship sailed within about 250 miles of the Somalian coast despite warnings to stay at least 600 miles out because of pirate activity, according to 'The Virginia Pilot'. Together…
New Navy Contracts
Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding Inc., Northrop Grumman Corp., Newport News, Va., is being awarded a $373,511,932 cost plus fixed fee contract for the construction preparation efforts for the second aircraft carrier of the Gerald R. Ford class (CVN 79). Efforts under contract will include engineering, detail design, test and evaluation, logistics support and the procurement of long lead time material. Special performance incentives are also included under the contract. Work will be performed in Newport News, Va., and is expected to be completed by October 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-09-C-2116).
History Repeats Itself In the “City of Brotherly Love”
A new development within the realm of U.S. Shipbuilding — the new Kvaerner Philadelphia Shipyard (KPSI) is poised to be one of the most efficiently outfitted commercial shipyards in the world. The shipbuilding company, which occupies approximately 114 acres on what used to be the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, utilizes a section of the former Naval yard, which was closed down in 1996 by the U.S. Government due to lack of funds. Further revitalizing this historical landmark, was KPSI's decision to utilize the yard's original drydocks that date back to WWII. But the facility is hardly stuck in the 1940s as it boasts a full array of modern shipbuilding technology and systems. Recently, Ron McAlear, hailing from Litton Avondale and a U.S.
