Page 4: of Marine News Magazine (August 2005)

3 5

By Larry Pearson

The nearly $500 million contract to upgrade 49

Island Class Coast Guard patrol boats has been can- celled. The action by the U.S. Coast Guard had been rumored for months.

The plan originally made all kinds of sense. Take these 14-16 year old boats and extend their service life while a new series of vessels were designed and built. Problems started early in the program as the first four boats delivered to Bollinger Shipyards,

Lockport, La. for the refit work had a surprising number of hull plates that had to be replaced. Up to 35 percent of the hull steel on the Matagorda was replaced before the upgrades could be installed.

It was obvious that these boats had been "ridden very hard, especially in the months since 9/11," according to the Coast Guard.

Last September, the Matagorda was the first vessel to receive the upgrades including a 13-ft. addition to the stern to accommodate a deployable and recover- 4• MarineNews • August, 2005

NEWS

Circle 203 on Reader Service Card

Directory of companies given editorial coverage in this edition of MarineNews.

A.K. Suda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Accenture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Albacore Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Alltel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Arnold Schwarzenegger . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Barco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Bob Hilstrom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Bollinger Shipyard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

BP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Calhoon MEBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Caterpillar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Celebrity Cruises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Coast Guard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

CR Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Cummins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Daniel Akaka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Daniel Inouye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Department of Transportation . . . . . . . . . .15

Derecktor Shipyards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Detyens Shipyard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Don Young . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Ecom Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Eddie Bernice Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Elliott Bay Design Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Ericsson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

FDNY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Frank Lautenberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

George Pataki . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

GlobalSantaFe Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

GMATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Great Lakes Towing Company . . . . . . . . . .6

Grucci . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Gulf Drilling International . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Hamilton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Herbert Taylor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Hughes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

ITB Mobile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

James Oberstar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Jeremy White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Jerry Roberts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Jim Whitley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

John Duncan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

John Falvey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

John Jamian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Ken Wright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Keppel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Kongsberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33, 36

Kurt Nagle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Kvichak Marine Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

LeTourneau Shipyard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Lockheed Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Macy's . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

MarAd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Maragret Mitchell Jones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Maria Cantwell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

McAllister . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

MPT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Moose Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Motorola . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

MTU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

NASSCO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Norman Mineta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Northrop Grumman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

OSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Pat Williams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Paul Sarbanes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

PCCi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Pete McMahon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Pete Pritchard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

PetroCom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Petroleo Brasileiro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Phil Grucci . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Rick Perry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Rigdon Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Rosborough Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Roy Neyman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

SeaArk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

SEAPRO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Siemans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

South Tyneside Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Steve Stoebel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Steven Davison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

T&T Bisso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

T.R. Hamblin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Ted Stevens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

T-Mobil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Transas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Transocean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers . . . . . . . . .17

Verizon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Virgin Mobile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

VT Halter Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Workskiff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

The Index

USCG Patrol Boats Scuttled

The first of the upgraded Island Class cutters

Matagorda on sea trials with its deployable and recoverable RIB in the foreground. A 13-ft. stern extension was added to the vessel so the RIB could literally "drive-up" into the vessel.

AUGUSTMN2005 1(1-8).qxd 8/3/2005 9:27 AM Page 4