Page 19: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (January 1980)

Goldrus Marine Seeks

Title XI For 4 Drill Barges

Goldrus Marine Drilling Company, 900

First City National Bank Building, Houston,

Texas 77002, has applied for a Title XI guarantee to aid in financing the construc- tion of four drill barges. Red Fox Indus- tries, New Iberia, La., is the proposed builder.

The inland bay and shallow coastal waters drilling barges are intended to be operated on the United States Gulf Coast.

The actual cost of the four vessels is $44,000,000. If approved, the Title XI guar- antee would cover 75 percent of that amount. $10.3-Million Contract

To Electric Boat For

Sub Support Work

The General Dynamics Corporation, Elec- tric Boat Division, Groton, Conn., is being awarded a $10,303,000 negotiated cost plus fixed fee contract to provide naval architec- tural, engineering, and cost estimating sup- port to the SSN-668-Class submarine pro- gram. The Naval Sea Systems Command is the contracting activity. (N00024-80-C-2021)

USS Harry W. Hill Commissioned

At Ingalls Shipbuilding

The 24th ship of the series of 31 Spruance- class destroyers designed and being built by

Litton Industries' Ingalls Shipbuilding Di- vision was commissioned into active U.S.

Navy service in Pascagoula, Miss., recently.

The 7,800-ton, 563-foot-long Harry W.

Hill (DD-986), under command of Comdr.

J.J. Hogan of Manchester, N.H., joined 11 other ships of the class now operating with the Pacific Fleet based in San Diego, Calif.

Twelve more jet-engine-powered Spruance-

Powered by four gas turbine engines, the U.S. Navy's newest multi-mission destroyer USS Harry W. Hill (DD-986) cuts a zigzag path across the Gulf of

Mexico, during recent sea trials.

January 1, 1980 class destroyers are operating with the At- lantic Fleet.

Adm. Jerauld Wright (ret.), former Com- mander in Chief, Atlantic and U.S. Atlantic

Fleet, and Supreme Allied Commander, At- lantic, was principal speaker at the com- missioning ceremony. The ship is named in honor of the late Adm. Harry W. Hill, a

World War II Naval force commander who led the amphibious assaults on the Japanese- held Pacific bastions of Tarawa and Iwo Jima.

The 25th ship of the class, the O'Bannon (DD-987), was delivered in late November.

Five other destroyers have been launched at Ingalls and will be delivered to the Navy at a rate of one a month into next spring.

The Spruance-class destroyers, largest

U.S. ships of the type ever built, are de- signed primarily for antisubmarine warfare.

Fast, highly maneuverable and extremely quiet, they are the first major U.S. combat ships to be powered by gas turbine engines.

Four marine jet engines produce more than 80,000 shaft horsepower to drive each ship at speeds in excess of 30 knots.

In addition to antisubmarine warfare, the

Spruance-class destroyers are capable of such missions as shore bombardment, sup- port of amphibious assaults, surveillance and tracking of hostile surface ships, and block- ade duty. Basic armament includes deck guns, torpedoes and antisubmarine rockets.

Each ship can also carry two ASW heli- copters. Other weapon systems, such as

Harpoon surface-to-surface missiles and Sea

Sparrow surface-to-air missiles, are being installed aboard each destroyer following a six-month shakedown period.

SERVICE

GILLEN BACKS EVEBY JOB ...with over 100 years of the best in service 21 WEST MAIN ST., OYSTER BAY, N.Y. 11771 • 212-895-8110 27