Sname News

Frederick Joseph Harris of Mystic CT, passed peacefully at 5:47PM on 10/24/2025, with his family by his side. “Fred” was born on 11/25/1944 at Framingham Union Hospital to Frederick Everett and MaryRosa Camilla Harris.Fred was a proud patriot who loved his country. Fred received his bachelor’s degree in Marine Engineering from Maine Maritime Academy (with Honors) in 1967. Upon graduation, Fred was commissioned in the U.S. Naval Reserve with the obligation of sailing in the U.S. Merchant Marine. In the Merchant Marine, Fred sailed on various U.S.

Bristol Harbor Group, Inc. (BHGI) has welcomed Lauren Kirk as a naval architect to its naval architecture and marine engineering firm. Lauren Kirk holds a bachelor’s degree in Naval Architecture and MarineEngineering from Webb Institute.During her time at Webb, Lauren interned at BHGI and Gilbert Associates, assisting naval architects and marine engineers with system and structural design for various types of vessels. She also interned at Langan Design Partners, where she worked on both sailing and motor yacht design.

Bardex Corp. is pleased to announce that the Offshore Technology Conference has awarded Daniel Toerner a spot in its 2025 Emerging Leaders class. Each year, the OTC recognizes up-and-coming professionals whose work in the energy industry demonstrates the kind of talent and commitment that puts them on a course toward being future leaders in the offshore energy sector. Each recipient of the award, who has been in the industry for fewer than 10 years, is selected by the previous year’s class.Toerner, who earned a B.S.

Dry cargo shipping and logistics company Lila Global has appointed Dr. Abdul Rahim as its Chief Maritime Strategy and Innovation Officer.Rahim will work closely with Lila Global's leadership to drive transformative strategies and foster innovation in the maritime industry. He will be based in Dubai.Rahim brings more than three decades of experience to this position, including a proven track record of leadership and innovation. Prior to joining Lila Global, he served as a Corporate Officer and Managing Director for Europe and Africa at ClassNK…

Bristol Harbor Group, Inc. (BHGI) president, Gregory Beers, and vice president, Cory Wood, have been honored with the esteemed 2024 Rosenblatt-Michigan Award on October 13, 2024, at the SNAME Maritime Convention (SMC) in Norfolk, Va.The Rosenblatt-Michigan Award is an annual accolade presented by the University of Michigan College of Engineering and the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering that recognizes alumni who demonstrate outstanding excellence, innovation and integrity in ship design.Beers expressed his gratitude…

The SL-7 was a class of high-speed steam containerships built for SeaLand in the early 1970s, operating at speeds in excess of 33 knots. These ships were later converted to the Algol-class Fast Sealift Ships due to high fuel consumption.Quick Read: Check out Rik van Hemmen's article on the subect as published in theJune 2024 edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering NewsRik van Hemmen, president of Martin & Ottaway, a SNAME Fellow and columnist for Maritime Reporter & Engineering News…

The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) announced it has appointed Elizabeth Bouchard as its next Executive Director. She will become the 15th person to serve in this capacity since the organization’s founding in 1893, and she will assume the helm at SNAME Headquarters on July 1, 2024, succeeding Valerie Hutnan.Bouchard comes to SNAME from International Registries, Inc. (IRI), where she served as Senior Vice President, Regulatory Administration. Bouchard also served as Deputy Commissioner of Maritime Affairs for the RMI Maritime Administrator…

Richard Mueller, president and CEO of naval architecture and marine engineering firm NETSCo has been elected as president-elect of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) and is slated to ascend to the presidency in the subsequent year.With almost five decades of experience in the maritime industry, Mueller is a respected and accomplished professional in the field of naval architecture and marine engineering. He has been a member of SNAME for over 46 years and has been actively involved in several of the society's leadership activities.

Bristol, R.I. based naval architecture, marine engineering and consulting firm Bristol Harbor Group, Inc. (BHGI) announced the continued expansion of its naval architecture and marine engineering firm with two new hires: Taylor Althouse and Kasey Kennedy.Althouse joined BHGI as a Naval Architect. Althouse graduated from the University of Michigan with a Master of Science in Engineering in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. During his time at the University of Michigan, Althouse interned at Hornbeck Offshore Services, LLC.

bound4blue announced the appointment of Elias Boletis as an external advisor to the company.Boletis has a Doctorate in Applied Sciences from the University of Brussels and holds a MSc in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering from the Technical University of Athens (Greece) and a MSc in Turbomachinery and Fluid Dynamics from the Von Karman Institute (Brussels, Belgium). He has also been recognized with several industry awards and accolades for his contributions to the field such as integration of new technologies…

NETSCo, a naval architecture and marine engineering firm located in Columbia Station, Ohio, has promoted two of its senior employees to new leadership roles. David Hossenlopp, P.E, has been promoted to the position of Chief Naval Architect, and Nick Hunter, P.E. to Senior Naval Architect / Marine Engineer.“David has been with NETSCo since 2013,” said Richard Mueller, CEO/President, “and throughout this time he has very successfully been involved with a large variety of projects…

Tom Perrine, Austal USA vice president of engineering, was recognized by the University of Michigan as the 2022 Rosenblatt-Michigan Award recipient. The award is presented annually by the University of Michigan College of Engineering’s Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering in recognition of outstanding professional achievement, integrity and devotion to excellence and innovation in ship design.The award honors the name of its first recipient, Lester Rosenblatt…

Donald L. Blount, an international esteemed technical expert in the field of high-speed craft hydrodynamics died on July 14, 2022 at the age of 87.Donald was driven all his life to do one job: design high-speed powerboats that could comfortably and efficiently run through rough water. His fascination with hydrodynamics began when he was a Virginia Tech co-op student working at the David Taylor Model Basin, the Navy's premier hydrodynamic research facility.Donald’s research contributions…

Bristol, R.I.-based naval architecture and marine engineering firm Bristol Harbor Group, Inc. (BHGI) announced it has hired Braden Delaney, as a naval architect. He graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. with an B.S.E. in naval architecture and marine engineering.Prior to joining BHGI, Delaney interned at NASSCO and NAVSEA, providing engineering support for shipyard operations in addition to interning as a salvage naval architect. Delaney is also a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME).

The use of certain technologies is rarely a stand alone decision. The switch from sail to steam did not happen overnight and they actually coexisted for over a century, where, based on available technologies, in certain applications steam was more attractive and in other applications sail was more attractive.The eventual dominance of screw propellers over paddle wheels was not even driven by technological considerations, but rather by a tug of war between a paddlewheel propelled vessel and a screw propelled vessel.

Last year I provided a list of my favorite historical ships as my contribution to the Great Ships issue. Even though I received some pushback on the list, I see no need to amend it.I created that list to avoid having to judge today’s Great Ships, but the second time around I suppose I cannot evade my mission and should focus on present day vessels, and there is a lot of interesting stuff being produced in the U.S. and globally.But behind every Great Ship there are a lot of great people that stood at her cradle…

As naval architects and marine engineers we are familiar with the design spiral. While design is not truly a spiral, we use the concept to remind ourselves that all pieces of a ship design interact. The design spiral is not a standard figure and can be simplistic or overcomplicated.A Google search image summary provides dozens of interpretations, all investigating different variables, with the only commonality that all spirals start with the “mission” variable.Figure 1 is an old…

Navies, shipowners, shipyards, and organizations have offered the best of birthday wishes to Canada’s Thomson-Gordon Group, the parent company of water-lubricated polymer bearing pioneer Thordon Bearings, as it celebrates its 110th anniversary this fall.Among several well-wishers, Claude Tremblay, Directorate General Maritime Equipment Program Management National Defence, Royal Canadian Navy, wrote: “Congratulations to Thomson-Gordon Group for 110 years of Canadian innovation and pioneering. We are proud to rely on your top-quality products.

In my May 2020 MREN USS Enterprise column I made a reference to the benefits of titanium as a hull structural material.It related to the life of the USCG cutter Bear and I concluded the column with a suggestion that titanium would be a particularly useful and cost-effective structural material for sail training vessels, aircraft carriers, research vessels, cruise vessels, tugs and Staten Island ferries. I made this suggestion assuming that the hull design (shape) would have to be mature…

Viega announced on Monday that its MegaPress CuNi and ProPress copper fittings are the first press fittings approved for use in U.S. Navy combat ships.After years of rigorous testing, the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) has approved the use of MegaPress CuNi mechanically attached fittings in sizes ½" to 2" in surface combatants for a variety of systems, including chilled water, potable water, electronic freshwater cooling, seawater cooling, washdown countermeasures, drainage and many others.

Naval architecture and marine engineering firm Vard Marine announced Derek Buxton, current vice president business development, has taken on the additional duties as vice president for the company's regional office in Ottawa effective immediately, following Andrew Kendrick’s retirement from the company.Kendrick started the position as president of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) on January 1, 2021 and continues to work for Vard Marine as a principal consultant.Kendrick’s career in the defense and security industry spanned 45 years…

“…We have built our reputation job by job, boat by boat, and tow by tow, and we intend to continue to do so.”The Great Lakes Towing Company (GLT) and the Great Lakes Shipyard are core businesses within The Great Lakes Group of Companies, based in Cleveland, on the Old River, a shipping channel that runs west from where the Cuyahoga River meets Lake Erie. Company towing operations extend from Buffalo, N.Y. in the east to Duluth, Minn. in the west. Great Lakes Towing owns and operates the largest U.S.-flagged tugboat fleet on the Great Lakes, serving more than 35 ports in all eight U.S.

Canadian headquartered naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd. announced that its Executive Chairman, Robert G. "Rob" Allan, has been made an Honorary Member by the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME), making him one of only 50 living individuals to enjoy this privilege. This membership is awarded to a person as result of their dedicated service to the maritime industry and the Society and is a symbol of recognition offered as a token of the high esteem in which their colleagues hold them.SNAME has previously honored Rob Allan with many accolades.