Halter Receives Outstanding Rating From U.S. Navy
Friede Goldman Halter, Inc. announced that its Halter marine segment received an outstanding rating for the completion of the USNS Mary Sears sea trials. Rear Adm. William Schmidt of Insurv and U.S. Navy captain Philip Johnson of Supships Pascagoula participated in the trials along with personnel from the U.S. Coast Guard, Navy Insurv Board, Naval Sea Systems command, Military Sea Lift Command, Pascagoula Supervisor of Shipbuilding and the Naval Oceanographic Office. The USNS Mary Sears is the sixth Pathfinder T-AGS 60 class built for the Navy by Halter Marine. The vessel is a multi-mission oceanographic survey ship capable of surveying in either coastal or deep-ocean waters, and always forward deployed- having no stateside homeport.
SUPSHIP, New Orleans Holds Change of Command Ceremony
CAPT John Robert Exell relieved CAPT David Joe Vogel at a Change of Command Ceremony for the Naval Sea Systems Command's (NAVSEA) Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair (SUPSHIP), New Orleans, Wednesday, 12 December 2001. RADM Charles Young, Vice Commander, NAVSEA, was the principal speaker. In his remarks, RADM Young reflected on CAPT Vogel’s service to NAVSEA. He applauded CAPT Vogel’s efforts, which he said had created a dynamic three-year resurgence in quality assurance by SUPSHIP personnel and forged a long sought after strategic partnership with SUPSHIP New Orleans' lead supplier—Northrop Grumman Avondale Industries.
Technology Firms Assist Navy Shipbuilding
According to Pascagoula Mississippi Press, while the welders, fitters and engineers at Northrop Grumman work on the ships that will soon form the nucleus of the Navy's updated surface fleet, two companies are providing critical shipbuilding assistance. El Segundo, Calif.,-based Computer Science Corp.'s Advanced Marine Unit in Pascagoula and Gautier-based Omni Engineering are working under contracts with the Navy's Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, to provide support with evaluating and analyzing ship designs and engineering plans and monitoring various parts supply chains for the ships. In two cases, the companies are partnered under joint contracts on certain shipbuilding programs.
SUPSHIP Gulf Coast Change of Command
In a traditional Navy change of command ceremony Capt. Mary E. Dexterrelieved Capt. David W. Bellaas the Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair (SUPSHIP) Gulf Coast on Feb. 24. Bella was the first SUPSHIP Gulf Coast, which resulted from the summer 2003 merger of SUPSHIPs New Orleans, LA and Pascagoula, MS. Rear Adm. Mark A. Hugel, deputy commander for Logistics, Maintenance and Industrial Operations, Naval Sea Systems Command (SEA 04), spoke and presented Captain Bella with the Legion of Merit. Hugel paid tribute to Bella's strong leadership as he molded the two SUPSHIPs into one and in meeting the challenges of quickly restoring his command following Hurricane Katrina.
A Rest For Joint Venture
Subsequent to various tests by the U.S. military, the 315-ft. (96-m) experimental vessel HSV-X1 Joint Venture that had been delivered by the U.S. Army to Bollinger Morgan City, was successfully drydocked at the yard on October 31, 2002 for routine maintenance and periodic regulatory inspection. Upon completion of sea trials on November 14, the vessel was then delivered to the U.S. Navy for additional operational testing of its military capabilities. The project, which was managed by Bollinger Morgan City, also encompassed the coordination of a variety of subcontractors including Incat Tasmania, Caterpillar and Maritime Dynamics - interfaced with SupShips New Orleans - the government's project manager.
