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FIRST RIGDON BOAT WORKING Bender’s Mobile yard has already delivered the Orleans, the first of 10 platform supply vessels (PSVs) for Rigdon Marine. The 64 m, diesel-electric-powered PSVs were designed by Guido Perla & Associates, Seattle and are classed as DP-2 by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). The second in the series, the Bourbon, was due to be delivered in late June, and the third, the Royal, in August. The heart of the propulsion system for each of the PSVs is a pair of Cummins Marine QSK60-D(M) marine generators. The 16-cylinder, four-stroke engines each develop 2,548 brake horsepower (1,901 kW) at 1,800 rev/min, which in turn produces 1,825 kW at 60 Hz. The generators power electrical motors that turn a pair of Steerprop SP-18T 360-degree azimuthing drives. The responsiveness of the diesel-electric drives enables the propulsion system to more readily meet the demands of the vessel’s level 2 dynamic positioning system. MILITARY MARKET HEATS UP Two recently passed Congressional appropriations bills will fund the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program. The Senate bill matches the Bush Administration’s request of $352.1 million for the LCS program, while the House version adds another $57 million on top of that. The House bill would allow the first LCS to be paid for in Fiscal Year 2005. The differences in the two bills will have to be hammered out in conference committee. Either way, it spells good news for Austal USA, Mobile, Ala. That’s because it is part of the General Dynamics Bath Iron Works team that was awarded a $79-million contract to develop a final design for the LCS. The contract, which includes options to build two ships, has a potential value of $536 million. What Austal brings to the table as the designer and builder of the proposed LCS vessels is its expertise in the construction of high-speed, aluminum-hulled ships. The GD-BIW team’s proposal for the LCS is based on Austal’s 50-knot, 126-meter high-speed aluminum trimaran hullform. Austal USA’s sister yard in Australia, Austal Ships, is building a 127-meter, high-speed trimaran for Spain’s Fred Olsen SA. Austal USA, of course, also recently delivered the 58-meter, 34-knot Lake Express (featured on this month’s cover), the first high-speed vehicle ferry to operate on the Great Lakes. Once the LCS final design is complete, the Navy will exercise options for Austal USA to build the first two ships. The first vessel will commence construction in late 2005 and the other in late 2006. Navy plans also call for the additional construction of three ships starting in 2007 and six in 2008. The Navy could build up to 60 Littoral Combat Ships. The contract will not only create 500 new jobs, but also trigger the expansion of Austal’s current shipbuilding facility, including new building halls that will triple the area of the existing construction halls. Austal USA has already started construction on two 105-meter high-speed passenger vehicle cargo ferries for Hawaiian Super Ferries, as well as a 32-meter Seacoaster-designed, Surface Effect Ship (SES) contracted by American Marine Holdings. The Seacoaster catamaran is being built under an Office of Naval Research (ONR) project. Once a demonstration for the ONR is completed, American Marine Holdings is expected to offer the vessel for commercial applications, such as a 149-passenger, high-speed ferry. The other team selected by the Navy to develop the final design for the LCS is led by Lockheed Martin and includes Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., Lockport, La.  The initial contract, which includes options to build two “Flight Zero” ships, is valued at $423 million. Other members of the Lockheed Martin team include naval architect Gibbs & Cox and Marinette Marine.  Once options are exercised, construction of the first LCS will begin in January, 2005 at Marinette Marine with the launch scheduled in late 2006.  Construction of the second ship will begin at Bollinger in 2006.  The Navy is expected to announce a selection for additional LCS “Flight One” production in 2007. Bollinger Shipyards has also partnered with VT Halter Marine, Inc., Pascagoula, Miss., in HBJV, a sub-contractor to Northrop Grumman Ships Systems sector. HBJV is refitting Island Class patrol boats for Integrated Coast Guard Systems (ICGS), a joint venture of Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin. In June 2002, the U.S. Coast Guard awarded the Deepwater contract to ICGS. Earlier this year, HBJV delivered the USCGC Matagorda, the first cutter to undergo extensive modernization and upgrade under the Integrated Deepwater System Program.  HBJV could potentially convert up to seven of the 49 Island Class patrol boats per year over the next seven years. During the renovation, Matagorda received extensive crew quarter improvements, a state-of-the-art C4ISR suite upgrade for increased capabilities in communications, detection and prosecution, and had her overall length extended 13 feet, to accommodate the addition of a stern boat launch ramp, among other improvements. TACOM TSV Another hot military project in the sights of both Austal Bender and Bollinger, through its Bollinger Incat, is the U.S. Army TACOM (Tank Automotive and Armament Command) Theater Support Vessel project. Now VT Halter Marine, Inc., is also in the race. It has teamed with Northrop Grumman Corporation's Electronic Systems sector to bid for the TSV project. Prime contractor VT Halter Marine will lead the TSV proposal development and perform hull, electrical and mechanical design and fabrication of the vessel VT Halter Marine CEO Boyd King said: "Our goal is to design and build a Theater Support Vessel specifically tailored to the U.S> Army's mission requirements by integrating commercial and military technologies, combining our experience and leveraging our resources in a way that effectively supports the Army's transformation strategy." With the capacity to transport more than 350 troops with their gear--and load/unload them in 20 minutes--the TSV will cost half as much as airlifts. It will deliver crew and cargo four times faster than current systems. On board C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaisance) capabilities will provide continuously updated information to the vessel and support commander, allowing for mission and en route planning. Tell a friend: PREVIOUS NEXT HOME