A Report On ASNE Day 1981

More than 2,000 persons participated in the 1981 national meeting of the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE) held in Washington, D.C. Nineteen local ASNE sections from around the country, including four student sections, were represented.

The theme of the two-day meeting held at the Shoreham Hotel was "Naval Design and Engineering—New Dimensions." The technical sessions were opened with a keynote address "The Challenge of Design" delivered by Rear Adm. James W. Lisanby, Deputy Commander for Ship Design and Integration, Naval Sea Systems Command.

Many phases of ship and combat system design — including the latest in advanced approaches — were presented and discussed at the technical sessions.

Adm. James D. Watkins, USN, Vice Chief of Naval Operations, delivered the luncheon address, "Increased Force Levels and Warfighting Readiness Through Better Ship Design." He challenged the ASNE members to "increase harmony between the naval engineers and the unrestricted line officers of the Navy" by defining realistic requirements in the first place, and by bringing the best technical minds to bear on basic shipbuilding issues such as propulsion plant and electrical generating capacity. He called upon naval engineers to demonstrate the highest levels of design competence to provide new ships for which future maintenance, overhaul, and modernization will be only a "fine-tuning" exercise.

At the banquet, five prestigious awards were presented. The Harold E. Saunders Award for 1980 was presented to Rear Adm- John D. Bulkeley, USN (ret.), for his contributions to naval engineering during his tenure as president, Board of Inspection and Survey. Admiral Bulkeley received the Medal of Honor during World War II.

The ASNE Gold Medal Award was presented to Capt. Alfred Skolnick, USN, for outstanding professionalism and leadership in directed energy weapon system development.

Captain Skolnick is the project manager of the Navy's High Energy Laser Project.

John Mittleman from the Naval Coastal Systems Center (NCSC) in Panama City, Fla., received the Solberg Award for research and development activity in the field of underwater ship inspection.

Dr. Carl T. Zovko of the Naval Surface Weapons Center, White Oak Laboratory, received the "Jimmie" Hamilton Award for his technical paper on unusual propulsion systems for underwater vehicles.

Capt. Frank G. Law (ret.), who until recently was the secretary-treasurer of the ASNE, was the recipient of an award named in his honor for contribution to the advancement of ASNE through dedicated service in furtherance of its ideals. Captain Law served the society for over 11 years after his retirement from the Navy in 1969.

Dr. Robert A. Frosch, president of the American Association of Engineering Societies, delivered the banquet address, "Technology is Fun, It's the Other Things . . ." He urged engineers and technically trained people to become involved in defining the problems in meeting military requirements and to help reduce serious problems in delivering efficient systems on time and within budget.

He also discussed the need for developing more creative budgeting processes to allow for the kinds of tradeoffs necessary to produce highly complex systems that are designed to meet still-developing requirements.

Other stories from September 1981 issue

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