Page 5: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (May 1984)

Marinette tion of mi

Marine's unique $7.1 nesweepers, is schedu

PPj, ^ million ship erection building, dedicated totally to the construc- led to be dedicated this spring.

Gangways from the mezzanine on the left and from walkways on the right with provide quick access to ships under construction and eliminate the need for traditional scaffolding. At the front and rear of each bay, 70-foot high doors, consisting of 6 sliding panels, open to a width of 65 feet.

Marinette Marine's $7.1-Million Ship Erection

Building Nears Completion

A unique, $7.1-million ship- erection building is nearing com- pletion at Marinette Marine Cor- poration's shipyard in Marinette,

Wise.

The massive, 69,700-square-foot facility is dedicated totally to the construction of minesweepers. A joint effort of MMC and Ayres As- sociates of Eau Claire, Wise., its design was determined after ex- tensive research, according to

Larry N. Hairston, Marinette's vice president, marketing. "Teams from MMC visited ship- yards throughout Europe gather- ing information on the most ad- vanced forms of ship erection in the world," Mr. Hairston says. "The result is a building which will enable us to produce two mine countermeasure vessels simulta- neously, including fiberglassing and painting, in an environmentally controlled area."

One MCM vessel is now in con- struction at Marinette after re- ceiving a $41.9-million contract from the U.S. Navy last fall. Mar- inette currently is a finalist for a 17-vessel minesweeper/hunter (MSH) contract to be awarded by the Navy this summer.

Running through the center of the 205 by 340-foot complex is a three-tiered mezzanine that houses offices, tool rooms, sheet metal ships, pipe shops, electrical shops, general supply rooms and a cafe- teria. Gangways to ships on either side of the mezzanine will provide quick access to supplies and ena- ble materials and equipment to be moved on and off vessels with un- usual ease. "We've eliminated the need for traditional scaffolding," says Mr.

Hairston. "Because workers won't be forced to do a lot of the unnec- essary vertical movement required in more traditional shipbuilding techniques, we'll save time and in- crease productivity."

Open areas below the mezzanine allow easy movement of equip- ment between the two shipbuild- ing areas. A material handling monorail above the mezzanine raises items to the proper level or can move them the length of the building.

Other features include two 50- ton cranes serving each shipbuild- ing bay, and giant, 70-foot-high doors, manufactured at MMC, con- sisting of six sliding panels which open to a width of 65 feet.

Knock-outs in ductwork along mezzanine walls will enable work- ers to connect flexible elephant- trunk tubing, which can be brought onto the ship to remove fumes from confined areas being painted or fiberglassed. "A unique steel grid network in the floor of the building not only gives us an exceptionally strong, stable and flat building surface for accuracy control, but also contains large steel tubes, which can be opened to draw in fumes," ex- plained Mr. Hairston. "The heav-

New Brochure Describes

Cooper Energy Services

Modular Control System

A new six-page, full-color bro- chure from Cooper Energy Serv- ices gives detailed information of the Flexitrend 4000, a fully inte- grated, modular system specially designed for the control of gas tur- bines, steam turbines, reciprocat- ing engines and compressors, sta- tion controls, and data collection systems. ier-than-air fumes, created during the fiberglassing of a hull, will be drawn below ground, filtered, and exhausted."

Although primarily designed for the construction of wooden MCM's, the facility is easily adapted to steel or fiberglass construction as well. This manufacturing flexibil- ity and advanced auxiliary sys- tems, Mr. Hairston adds, "will substantially increase our effi- ciency and productivity, whatever type of ship is constructed here."

The Flexitrend 4000 is an advanced, microprocessor-based control system developed by

En-Tronic® Controls, yet is said to be easy to use and completely adaptable to the user's specific needs. It provides the application engineer with the computer power he needs to fully utilize his oper- ating experience, yet requires no special computer knowledge.

For a free copy of the new brochure,

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