Combatant Craft Division News

Louisiana-based boat builder Metal Shark announced it has expanded its executive team with a newly recruited appointment from the U.S. Navy and Department of Defense Naval Surface Warfare Center – Carderock (NSWC). Jason Marshall joins Metal Shark as Executive Vice President – Programs, following a 30 year career with NSWC’s Combatant Craft Division (CCD).Marshall most recently served as CCD’s In-Service Systems Engineering Branch Head (2019-2023), managing the team of project managers and systems engineers responsible for the Navy’s sustainment combatant craft…

The future USNS Apalachicola (EPF 13) is performing a series of planned test events assessing autonomous capabilities integrated into the shipboard configuration, demonstrating that a large ship can become a self-driving platform.Known as Unmanned Logistics Prototype trials, each test event increases the perception capabilities and complexity of behaviors demonstrated by the autonomous systems. Test evolutions to date include point-to-point autonomous navigation, vessel handling…

Superior, Wis.based patrol, fire and rescue craft builder Lake Assault Boats has opened a 14,800 sq. ft. repair, service and maintenance facility in Portsmouth, Va. Marine industry veteran, Smokey Glover, along with his team of five highly regarded and experienced technicians (all formerly with Willard Marine) will lead and support the operation.The full-service operation will focus on repair, overhaul and maintenance services. The team can be dispatched on an as-needed basis to locations anywhere around the globe.“We are beyond excited to add a large and well-equipped hub facility…

Cox Powertrain, the British developer and manufacturer of high-powered diesel outboards, is reporting the successful completion of the first round of in-field outboard validation tests by the US Navy.Following the trial of two CXO300s aboard a 9m RIB last week, when the engines achieved a cruise speed of 43 knots at 3,600 rpm, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) testers expressed great enthusiasm and excitement about their performance.The US Navy has been exploring the use of technologically advanced engines in an effort to improve combat readiness, crew safety and equipment supportability.

Private partnerships, executed perfectly – that’s West Coast boatbuilding in today’s challenging business climates. P3 Partnerships: no, we’re not talking about infrastructure funding. But, in our P3 version, boatbuilding in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska is alive and well, because of it. Long-standing enterprises and relative newcomers are all experiencing an uptick in projects. Here, as part of our annual MN100 top company profiles, we take a look at how three organizations have either merged and/or partnered with complementary companies to expand skills…

For some time now, military agencies and specialist organizations around the globe have driven the evolution of high speed watercraft. As a trickle-down effect fast response craft now serve roles once typically serviced by displacement designs including pilot boats, dive boats, crew boats and offshore support. During high speed operations the repeated shocks (RS) and whole body vibrations (WBV) of this harsh environment are transmitted to the passengers, operators and crew aboard, creating avenues of owner liability if not addressed.

Willard Marine, Inc. announced Monday that David “Smokey” Glover will join its east coast Virginia Beach facility as Director of Operations. Glover’s career in the maritime industry dates back to 1974 when he completed a four-year apprenticeship as marine machinist for Norfolk Naval Shipyard. He went on to work as both a shipbuilder and operational manager with SUPSHIP Portsmouth and Bluewater Yacht Sales before dedicating 13 years to the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Combatant Craft Division (NSWC CCD) as a Mechanical Engineer Technician.

Northrop Grumman Corporation was awarded a contract to support the U.S. Navy's integration onto an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) of the Northrop Grumman-built AQS-24A Side Look Sonar System to look for bottom and volume mines remotely. The repackaging of the sonar for USV use will build upon the capabilities of the AQS-24A. The AQS-24A and its predecessors, the AQS-24 and the AQS-14, all built by Northrop Grumman, are airborne minehunting search systems used by the Navy for the past 28 years.

CDI Corp. gets a new U.S. Navy SEAPORT task order to continue to provide watercraft engineering & marine services for the Naval Surface Warfare Center. The watercraft engineering and marine services contract is for the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, Detachment Norfolk – Combatant Craft Division (CCD). The new task order, including all options, has a maximum value of $36 million over a two-year period. CDI will be the principal engineering and installation/alteration contractor for the CCD, providing program management and planning, design and prototype engineering and construction, design development engineering, acquisition engineering, logistics, in-service engineering and lifecycle management. CDI has provided the same services to the Navy over the past nine years.

Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Carderock engineers released a new software that provides the government, industry and academia a standardized method of analyzing data that is expected to improve high-speed craft design. The Standard G software uses a physics-based approach to analyze data recorded during wave-impact testing on watercraft and was developed in partnership with the Office of Naval Research, the U.S. Naval Academy and the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

One of the country's top in-water boat demonstrations, Multi-Agency Craft Conference (MACC), has again been cancelled for 2012, as the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE) and NSWCCD Combatant Craft Division (CCD) report that despite best efforts, the required approvals cannot be had in time to conduct MACC in 2012. The event was held in 2011, but was cancelled in 2010. ASNE and CCD have started planning now for MACC 2012, but in the meantime ASNE is preparing to offer another event in 2012 aimed at the high-performance boat and craft community in the Tidewater, Virginia area. MACC 2011 featured more than 170 exhibit booths, static displays…

Jerry Fitzmorris, Raytheon Program Manager shows computer systems to Senior Chief Electronics Technician Scott Kelley, and Lt. William Swinford, during the Multi-Agency Craft Conference (MACC) June 6, at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek. The MACC is an annual event providing a forum for open exchange and discussion between government agencies and the maritime community regarding boats and combatant craft. U.S. By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman (SW) Shanika L. Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Va., hosted the 10th annual Multi-Agency Craft Conference (MACC) on June 5-7. The conference provided an opportunity for open exchange…