Welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Here’s the news for the day.



Northrop Grumman Awarded $114 Million Long Lead Material Contract Modification on U.S. Navy DDG 51 Class Destroyer
Source: Northrop Grumman Corp.

PASCAGOULA, Miss. --- The U.S. Navy awarded a $114 million contract modification to Northrop Grumman Corporation to provide long lead materials for the company's 30th DDG 51 class Aegis guided missile destroyer. The materials purchased will be used in the construction of DDG 114.

In April 2009, the U.S. Navy announced Northrop Grumman would be awarded contracts for the first two destroyers in the DDG 51 program continuation. The company has delivered 26 of 28 ships, with two more ships currently under construction in Pascagoula.

This award is a modification of a contract awarded in December 2009 when the U.S. Navy awarded $171 million for long lead material purchases for DDG 113.

"The DDG 51 production line continues to be the most successful shipbuilding program in the history of our Gulf Coast operations and this contract fortifies that distinction," said Bob Merchent, vice president of surface combatants for Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding-Gulf Coast. "This award allows us to maintain focus on supply chain management and move forward in procuring equipment toward the construction of DDG 114. The improvements we've put in place throughout our facilities will ensure the Navy and our nation will receive a quality product for American Sailors, built by American shipbuilders."

This contract modification will allow the company's supply chain program to begin purchasing propulsion gas turbines, generators, controllable pitch propeller, and other components to support construction of DDG 114.


Fincantieri Awarded Two Contracts Worth Over $130m in the USA
Source: Fincantieri

TRIESTE, Italy --- Marinette Marine Corporation (MMC), Fincantieri’s American subsidiary, has been awarded two orders in the USA worth over 130 million dollars: a $73 million contract from the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) for a Fisheries Survey Vessel (FSV) and a $63 million contract for 30 boats for the US Coast Guard.

The research vessel is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act within the framework of a program to replace outdated vessels with cutting edge ships.

Construction of the vessel will be at Marinette shipyard in Wisconsin and delivery is scheduled for 2013 to the ship’s homebase in San Diego. The ship will serve the Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC), NOAA’s facility in south west America, replacing the “David Starr Jordan” which has logged over 1.5 million miles since 1966. 63.5 metres long and 15.2 metres wide, the vessel will be equipped with a full suite of modern instrumentation for sampling and advanced navigation systems with multifrequency acoustic sensors and extensive laboratories.

Thanks to high technological standards, the new research vessel will be able to carry out surveys on marine fauna, including mammals, turtles and fish and conduct studies into the effects of climate change on the ecosystems off the west coast of North America and in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.

The boats for the US Coast Guard will be built at ACE Marine (Aluminum Center of Excellence) at Green Bay, Wisconsin, and are part of a multi-year Coast Guard program at a total contract value of 600 million dollars, called “Response Boats-Medium (RB-Ms)”, for which MMC is prime contractor and program manager.

Delivery of the first boats is scheduled in the third quarter of 2011. This order brings the number of boats ordered to MMC to 97 out of a total of 250. Kvichak Marine Industries, located in Seattle, will collaborate in the construction of the vessels announced today with its yard in Kent, Washington.

13.5 metres long and just over 4 metres wide, the boats have a draft of almost one metre. They can reach a maximum speed of 42 knots and can operate in a range of 250 nautical miles from the coast, with a pull capacity of 100 tons.

The boats will replace outdated craft within a process of fleet renewal of the Coast Guard. The project has taken into due account indications from operations commanders who have been able to test the boats which incorporate many improvements over previous models, especially in terms of performance, operational versatility, efficiency and crew safety during missions.

Giuseppe Bono, Chief Executive Officer of Fincantieri commented: “We are proud to continue to serve the US market. These orders are both further recognition of our capabilities and confirm we chose the right strategy, business diversification as a way of stimulating demand in a market which continues to stagnate.”

Marinette shipyard is also engaged in the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program for the US Navy, a leading-edge technology ship for coastal patrols, and in an oceanographic research vessel for Fairbanks University in addition to participating in a team with Boeing with a view to the future tender for the ten-year “Sea Base-to-Shore Connector” (SSC) program, which provides for the construction of 80 hovercraft for the US Navy.




New Naval Combat Helicopter Tender Release
Source: Australian Department of Defence

The Minister for Defence, Senator John Faulkner today announced that the Defence Materiel Organisation has released project solicitation documents to the United States Navy and Australian Aerospace for the supply of a new naval combat helicopter under Defence Capability Plan project AIR 9000 Phase 8.

Under this project, the Government will acquire sufficient helicopters to provide at least eight helicopters concurrently embarked on ships at sea, which under the White Paper requires a fleet of 24 helicopters.

Senator Faulkner said that “The new naval combat helicopter will enhance the Royal Australian Navy’s ability to conduct a range of maritime combat and other operations, including anti-submarine and surface warfare.”

As announced by the Government in February 2010, the new helicopter will be either the Sikorsky-Lockheed Martin built MH-60R sourced through the United States Navy, or the NATO Helicopter Industries NH90 NFH sourced through Australian Aerospace.

“The competition to select a new helicopter has commenced on schedule ahead of a final decision about the new helicopter in 2011” Senator Faulkner said. “The release of tender documents now is in line with the schedule determined by the Government when it considered the project for First Pass Approval in February of this year.”

The Minister for Defence Materiel and Science, Greg Combet, said “This marks the transition of Project AIR 9000 Phase 8 to a formal competitive solicitation phase.”

“A competitive process is consistent with the Kinnaird and Mortimer procurement reforms,” Mr Combet said. “It will allow the companies to offer innovative solutions that satisfy the capability, cost and schedule requirements and detail what opportunities they will offer local industry.”

Senator Faulkner said that any decision Government makes in 2011 will take into account all relevant considerations including capability, cost, interoperability with other ADF capabilities, Australian industry opportunities, risk and value for money.




Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships

Today’s website is Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Enjoy.


This Day in U.S. Naval History

1944 - USS Comfort is commissioned in San Pedro, CA; first ship to be manned jointly by Army and Navy personnel.
1948 - VF-17A becomes first carrier qualified jet squadron.
1961 - CDR Alan Shepard Jr. makes first U.S. manned space flight. Flight of Freedom 7 (Mercury 3) which lasted 15 minutes and 28 seconds reached the altitude of 116.5 statute miles with a velocity of 5,134 mph.
1980 - USS Robert E. Peary (FF 1073) rescues 440 Vietnamese refugees from disabled craft south of Thailand.


Photo of the Day



Retired Navy Cmdr. Paul Becker takes the lead in the UL-14 Go Navy hydroplane during the 2010 Lucas Oil Firebird Spring Nationals Drag Boat Races at Firebird Raceway.

Gator