CVN 78 delivery delayed again

JULY 13, 2016 —  Although the Navy says that Huntington Ingalls is performing well as the shipbuilder, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) won’t now be delivered until at least November, more

Huntington Ingalls gets contract for CVN 73 RCOH planning

FEBRUARY 29, 2016 — Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) reports that its Newport News Shipbuilding division has received a $185.2 million contract option from the U.S. Navy to assist with planning for the

VIDEO: Newport News tests CVN 72 steam catapults

FEBRUARY 11, 2014 — Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (NYSE:HII) Newport News Shipbuilding division has begun testing the updated catapult systems aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), which is nearing the

New U.K. defense plan adds ships, costs more

Notably, the buy of advanced Type 26 Global Combat Ships will be cut to eight ships from the previously announced 13. 

The Type 36 ships are intended to replace the Royal Navy’s current Type 23 frigates in their anti-submarine role and the cuts to the program aren’t going down well in Scottish shipbuilding circles.

Overall, though, the plan adds to the number of ships in the fleet.

“We will maintain our fleet of 19 frigates and destroyers,” says the review. “We will also launch a concept study and then design and build a new class of lighter, flexible general purpose frigates so that by the 2030s we can further increase the total number of frigates and destroyers. These general purpose frigates are also likely to offer increased export potential. We will buy two further new offshore patrol vessels, increasing the Royal Navy’s ability to defend U.K. interests at home and abroad.”

The two new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, the largest warships ever built for the Royal Navy, that will enter service from 2018, will also get added punch with an increase the number of F35 Lightning aircraft being bought. And one of the two carriers will be enhanced to support the amphibious capabilities of Royal Marines 3 Commando Brigade.

Three new logistic ships will be built to support the fleet, in addition to four tankers that will enter service from 2016.

BALLISTIC MISSILE SUBS WILL COST MORE

Not too surprisingly, Britain’s 20 year plan to replace the Vanguard Class of nuclear-armed submarines with a new class of four submarines, currently known as Successor, is starting to look a lot more expensive, going up from a previously estimated ›£25 billion to £31 billion, with a further £10 billion being budgeted for contingency.”The revised cost and schedule reflect the greater understanding we now have about the detailed design of the submarines and their manufacture,” says the review.

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POSSE/HECSALV Software Monitors Carrier Block Heavy Lifts

POSSE, the naval version of the HECSALV naval architecture software package from Herbert-ABS Software Solutions LLC, is being used by the UK MoD Salvage & Marine Operations Team for Heavy Lift to monitor these complex heavy lift operations and ensure the blocks arrive safely at the assembly yard. MoD and the U.S. Navy Supervisor of Salvage have supported the development of new POSSE tools for drydocking and heavy lift analysis for a number of years, and the new features have proven their value on these complex block movements around the UK.

Lower Block 04 (LB04), a large aft block weighing 11,200 tonnes and measuring 86m x 38m x 23m, was rolled onto a barge in Govan, Glasgow using 498 SPMT (Self Propelled Modular Transporter) axles. A detailed POSSE model that included both the barge and the roll-on loads was used to evaluate the heavy lift plan and to monitor the on board operation every step of the way. This lift was in a tidal zone, so the timing of ballast operations, roll-on, and the tide were critical. MoD needed a tool to evaluate the lift if the planned timing could not be maintained because of tide prediction errors, SPMT problems, pump failures, and other unforeseen issues. As axles of the SPMTs came aboard during a rising tide the team quickly evaluated the current state of the operation by entering the current ballast, roll-on position, and observed drafts into the POSSE system to make sure the operation was on schedule and working within a safe zone. The MoD team also used POSSE’s recent time sequence tool enhancements to quickly look ahead to make sure the operation would be safe until completion.

The barge with the block fastened securely was then towed to the float-off site near the Rosyth assembly yard. The barge had to ballast down, ground the stern for stability, and fully submerge its deck to a draft deep enough to float the large block off. Stability becomes very critical in these operations as the heavy lift barge’s main deck submerges and the barge loses waterplane area. POSSE was used once again by the MoD team to evaluate and monitor the operation. The float off procedure was analyzed using POSSE’s new 2-body heavy lift tools using a model that included detailed LB04 geometry, detailed barge geometry, and a simplified model of the support blocks and the ground. The pumping sequences to ground the barge were pre-modeled, and the on-site team was able to rapidly rerun the sequence during all stages of the operation to evaluate any last minute changes to the plan and react to unforeseen problems.

Herbert-ABS sets the standard for leading edge stability, load management and emergency response software solutions for the marine and offshore industries. A joint venture between Herbert Engineering Corporation and the American Bureau of Shipping, Herbert-ABS supplies marine and offshore software products that include LMP-Offshore (offshore load management), CargoMax (shipboard trim, stability and loading) and HECSALV (salvage engineering and design). Herbert-ABS is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in Glasgow, Shanghai, Singapore and Busan.

 

Aircraft carrier overhaul at NNS marks another milestone

AUGUST 28, 2015 — Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (NYSE:HII) Newport News Shipbuilding division continues to make progress with the mid-life refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) of the Nimitz class aircraft carrier USS Abraham

NNS lays keel for carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79)

AUGUST 22, 2015 — Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding division today celebrated the keel laying of the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), the second ship of the Gerald R.

Navy crew moves aboard Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78)

AUGUST 4, 2015 — Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) reached a major milestone on the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) on August 3 as the ship’s crew moved aboard and ate

Newport News gets $23.8 million for CVN 77 work

JUNE 24, 2015 — Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) announced today that its Newport News Shipbuilding division has received a $23.8 million contract from the U.S. Navy for nuclear propulsion and complex modernization

Navy civilian engineer pleads guilty to attempted espionage

JUNE 15, 2015 — Mostafa Ahmed Awwad, 36, of Yorktown, Virginia, pleaded guilty today to charges of attempted espionage relating to his attempt to provide schematics of the nuclear aircraft carrier USS

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