Page 43: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (September 1988)

with a microprocessor-based 1200A control system.

YTTs, which have a length of 185 feet, 45-foot beam and draft of 12 feet, are used to test underwater ordnance at the Naval Undersea

Test Facilities and recover the spent torpedoes for further testing. "A prime necessity for this appli- cation is precise maneuvering, posi- tion keeping and automatic heading control," stated Mr. Aker.

As an industry leader, Omni- thruster has created a number of innovative and future-oriented de- signs and products to improve the overall efficiency and reliability of marine transportation, including lower-acoustical noise systems for both military and non-tactical com- mercial vessels. Omnithruster also produces specialized ice manage- ment systems for polar class high- performance ships.

Omnithruster hydrojet maneu- vering and propulsion systems oper- ate efficiently whether the vessel is in light ship conditions or deep- drafted and while underway or when station-keeping. Systems are currently installed in many vessel types from tugs, barges and fishing boats to icebreakers, large cruise lin- ers, minesweepers, tankers, re- search, seismic, and hydrographic vessels.

For free literature detailing the features and applications of Omni- thruster systems,

Circle 12 on Reader Service Card

Moss Point Delivers Third

Of Four Logistic Support

Vessels To U.S. Army

Moss Point Marine, Inc., Esca- tawpa, Miss., has delivered the Gen- eral Brehon B. Somervell, the third of four 273-foot logistic support ves- sels (LSV) being built for the U.S.

Army in a $40.8-million contract.

The Army contract is being ad- ministered by the U.S. Navy and its

Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conver- sion, and Repair (SUPSHIPS) in

Pascagoula, Miss.

Speaking at the ship's christen- ing, James B. Emahiser, the

Army's first program executive offi- cer for troop support said: "This new generation of logistics support vessel will enable the Army to fulfill its logistics-over-the-shore (LOTS) mission by providing a ship which is not dependent upon external cranes nor port facilities. ... Its ramps, fore and aft, will provide drive-through capabilities, facilitating the trans- port of containerized, bulkbreak, and roll-on/roll-off cargoes from ship-to-shore at... the world's ports and unimproved beaches."

The all-steel Somervell is 273 feet long, with a 60-foot beam, and 16- foot 5-inch depth. Her two General

Motors EMD-16-645-E2 diesel en- gines can propel the ship at approxi- mately 12 knots, and she can trans- port between 900 and 2,000 short tons of cargo with a range of over 5,500 nautical miles. Crews will con- sist of six officers and 24 enlisted men.

The supply ship is named in hon- or of Army General Brehon B.

September, 1988 45

Somervell, who was head of the

Army Service Forces during World

War II which provided most of the logistics support for troops overseas.

While on detached service, he served as chief of the Works Prog- ress Administration (WPA) in New

York City, and supervised various projects, including the construction of La Guardia Airport. Another of his construction projects included the building of the Pentagon in 1940.

Mr. Emahiser said the General

Somervell will be assigned to the 604th Transportation Detachment,

Washington Army National Guard in Tacoma. The ship will be used throughout the Northwest Pacific to support the 9th Infantry Division (motorized), I Corps, and the Wash- ington and Alaskan National Guard.

The vessel will also participate in joint exercises with British and Ca- nadian forces.

Moss Point Marine, Inc. is part of the Trinity Marine Group which is owned by Trinity Industries, Inc. of

Dallas, Texas. Other members of the shipbuilding group are Halter

Marine, Inc., with shipyards in

Moss Point, Miss., and Lockport,

La., Equitable Shipyards, Inc., withu facilities in New Orleans, and Madi- sonville, La., and Gretna Machine and Iron Works, Inc., Harvey, La.

For free literature giving full in- formation of the facilities and capa- bilities of Moss Point Marine,

Circle 57 on Reader Service Card

YOUR BEST SOURCE

BIRD-JOHNSON COMPANY 110 Norfolk Street • Walpole, MA 02081 • 617/668-9610 Telex 6817294 • Telefax 617/668-5638 • Other operations in Seattle, WA: 206/782-9190 & Pascagoula, MS: 601/762-0728

Circle 131 on Reader Service Card 49