Undersea Technology News

Naval shipyards and industry partners see business growing, but finding enough trained and qualified workers is a challenge.General Dynamics Electric Boat will invest $1.7 billion to modernize and upgrade its Quonset, R.I. and Groton, Conn., facilities over the next ten years,” said Sean Davies , vice president for EB’s Quonset Point Operations. “Here at Quonset, we are investing $700 million that will increase our outfitting space by 13 acres, to support work on the Virginia and Columbia class of submarines.

A privately funded mission has found, surveyed and filmed the USS Johnston, the world’s deepest known shipwreck, offshore Samar Island in the Philippines Sea.The expedition was backed by Victor Vescovo, is an entrepreneur, explorer and retired U.S. Navy Commander who personally piloted his submersible DSV Limiting Factor down to the wreck during two separate, eight-hour dives 21,180 feet (6,456 meters) below the ocean's surface. These constituted the deepest wreck dives, manned or unmanned…

Teledyne Bowtech, which specializes in the design and manufacturing of underwater vision systems, announced the supply of modified LED-V-Series deep water lamps for installation on board Triton submarines for the Five Deeps Expedition, a collaboration between investor and explorer Victor Vescovo of Caladan Oceanic, Triton Submarines and EYOS Expeditions.Teledyne Marine, which is is a collaboration of undersea technology product brands assembled by Teledyne Technologies, said in a press release that after three years of intensive efforts from some of the world’s leading oceanographers, submarine engineers, and scientists, the Five Deeps…

In 1869, the U.S. Navy’s first research facility—the Naval Torpedo Station—was built on Newport, Rhode Island’s Goat Island. This rich history continues today, as the state is home to the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, which provides the technical foundation to ensure the U.S. Navy’s undersea superiority. Fitting for “the Ocean State,” we have identified more than 170 Rhode Island organizations that touch undersea technology—and we believe that is a conservative count. We are a cluster leader not just in New England but indeed in the entire country.

The U.S. Navy has sent Lockheed Martin Corp three requests to correct problems, including propulsion-related issues, with the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program dating back to May of last year, a Navy spokesman said on Tuesday. The ships were originally designed as a small, fast and affordable addition to the fleet, but production has been marked by cost increases and delays. Navy officials, however, say the costs have fallen sharply and the ships are performing well. Lockheed…

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Thursday defended the Pentagon's decision to buy just 40 Littoral Combat Ships instead of the 52 originally planned, saying the money saved would allow the Navy to buy more missiles and undersea technology. Carter told reporters during a visit to Seattle that the U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and other backers of the program have said the Navy's requirement for the smaller, fast coastal LCS warships remains unchanged at 52, despite Carter's decision to truncate the program. Mabus told lawmakers on Wednesday that the final decision about how many small surface warships to buy would ultimately be made by the next administration.

Bluefin Robotics underwater robot helps locate historic sunken Japanese battleship Musashi; located by philanthropist and entrepreneur Paul G. Bluefin Robotics underwater autonomous vehicles (AUV) scour the ocean floors around the world looking for items critical to the defense industry, oceanographic researchers and the oil and gas industry. Most recently, a Bluefin vehicle was used by Paul G. Allen and his team of researchers in their search for the sunken Japanese battleship Musashi, the largest battleship in naval history.

In the early days of subsea technology, there were a number of pioneers: men and women who stepped over the edge of what we knew about the underwater world. These individuals left the comfort of solid ground to explore beneath the waves and report back to the rest of us what they had seen. They pushed boundaries, raised the stakes and in some instances opened our minds to the possibilities. They were subsea visionaries. Today, those boundaries continue to be pushed, and undersea technology, now more than ever, is reaching new heights.

Representatives from the U. S. Navy's Program Executive Office, Littoral Combat Ships Unmanned Maritime Systems Program Office and General Dynamics unveiled a quarter-scale model of the Surface Mine Countermeasure Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (SMCM UUV), known as "Knifefish," at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space Exposition being held at the Gaylord National Resort. Knifefish is a heavyweight-class, minehunting, unmanned undersea vehicle designed for deployment by forward operating forces, and will be a part of the Littoral Combat Ship Mine Countermeasures Mission Package. The SMCM UUV system will allow Navy commanders and sailors to detect and identify mines in high-clutter underwater environments without putting sailors in harm's way.

The Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport cut the ribbon and officially dedicated a new $11 million Maritime Subsurface Sensor Operations Laboratory on Tuesday, Aug. 16. Sen. Jack Reed and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse attended the event, as well as Rep. David Cicilline. NUWC attendees included the Warfare Center Commander Rear Adm. Thomas Wears and NUWC Technical Director Donald McCormack, and the NUWC Newport Technical Director Dr. Paul Lefebvre. "This project resulted in a significant addition to the towed array facility and a major upgrade to our capabilities," said Wears. Under construction since its July 31, 2009 ground breaking, the 40,000-square-foot, single-story laboratory provides secure workspace for the testing, refurbishment, and maintenance of towed arrays.

Keppel Hitachi Zosen Limited (KHZ) will deliver its first cable laying and repair vessel to TyCom by end August 2001. The vessel was named TyCom Reliance by Lady Sponsor, Ms Claire Calandra, Executive Vice-President and COO of TyCom at the naming ceremony at Hitachi Zosen Singapore yard yesterday. When commissioned, TyCom Reliance will be the most efficient cable laying and repair ship in TyCom's fleet. KHZ was awarded the first contract to build two cable laying and repair vessels for TyCom in April 2000. Subsequently, TyCom exercised its option to build an additional four sister vessels in November 2000. The second vessel is currently being built in Keppel Shipyard and delivery is expected in the fourth quarter of this year.