Page 44: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (February 1989)

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The USS Tortuga at the Shipyards Division of Avondale Industries, Inc., Avondale, La. She is the third in a series of five Landing Ship Docks (LSDs) being built for the U.S. Navy. The

Tortuga is powered by four medium-speed Colt-Pielstick diesel engines.

Avondale Shipyards Christens

USS Tortuga (LSD-46) For Navy

Third In Series Built By Yard

Promising Future For

Canadian Shipbuilding (continued) with Hyperfix Precise Navigation

Systems, side scan sonar, the PINS 9000 Precise Integrated Navigation

Systems and with mechanical mine- sweeping equipment.

The two vessels will require dock- ing, equipment installation and shipwork to bring them to Canadian

Coast Guard pollution standards.

The DND will contract engineer support to private industry within the next six months.

Auxiliary Vessel

Replacement Project

This project is presently in the planning stages. When developed, it will entail the progressive modifica- tion and replacement during the 1990s of tugs, cranes and auxiliary barges. This project should generate a great deal of work for Canadian yards.

General Purpose

Auxiliary Vessel

The urgency of the Canadian Pa- trol Frigate requirement for a trials support vessel has made it necessary for the DND to bring forward the procurement of one of the vessels in the Auxiliary Fleet Replacement

Project, the General Purpose Auxil- iary Vessel. This vessel is needed much the same as the MCM Auxil- iary, and Supply and Services Cana- da has sent letters to all companies who responded to the MCMA re- quest.

Under-Ice Fixed

Sonar Systems

This project involves the installa- tion of a modern, fixed under-ice surveillance system in the Arctic to aid in the detection of incursion of

Canadian Arctic waters by subma- rines. Departmental officials are in the process of preparing the neces- sary option analysis and documen- tation to obtain approval for this project. It is expected that a com- petitive contract for project defini- tion will be issued in 1989.

Sonar Array

Towing Vessels

The DND has determined the need for mobile-subsurface long range surveillance systems consist- ing of towed arrays and up to three towing vessels. This project depends on the development of a suitable sensor to meet the performance re- quirements.

ONGOING PROJECTS

ASW Patrol Frigates

The government has approved the second phase of the ship re- placement program in the form of six more Canadian patrol frigates to be delivered between 1992-1996.

The design remains essentially the same as that of the first six ships and Saint John Shipbuilding, Ltd.,

New Brunswick, and Paramax are in the process of placing purchase orders for material for the second batch.

At a total cost of C$10 billion, the

CPF is the largest single defense project with annual expenditures now approaching C$1 billion.

Saint John Shipbuilding, the prime contractor for the first six fri- gates, has christened the first ASW frigate, the HMCS Halifax, and will construct two others.

Marine Industrie Limitee (MIL) of Quebec is building the other three frigates in the first batch.

Tribal Class Update &

Modernization Project (TRUMP)

The C$1.2-billion TRUMP pro- gram was begun in June 1986 when

Litton Systems Canada Ltd. was selected as prime contractor with responsibility for project manage- ment and combat systems design and integration.

Under the project, the four Tribal

Class destroyers, the Iroquois, Al- gonquin, Huron and Athabaskan, are being modernized and equipped with new combat systems, gas tur- bine propulsion engines, diesel gen- erator engines, vertical missile launcher modules and electronics to fulfill the role of air defense, as well as antisubmarine warfare. Each conversion takes approximately 18 months.

At present, the HMCS Iroquois and the HMCS Algonquin are being converted at the MIL Davie Ship- yard in Lauzon, Quebec.

Contracts for the second two de- stroyers will be let by Litton on a competitive basis. The RFP was issued by Litton in 1987 and propos- als have been submitted. The evalu- ation and approval process is pro- ceeding and it is expected that the subcontract will be awarded early this year.

CF Maritime Experimental & Test Range Support Vessels

West Coast Manly, a division of

Rivtow Straits Ltd., was awarded a contract in September 1988 to build four Canadian Forces Experimental and Test Range Support vessels.

The vessels will be 98.4 feet long and displace about 220 tons.

Research & Development

This year, the Research and De- velopment Branch of the DND has been allocated C$149 million for

R&D contracts and equipment, plus the support needed for research fa- cilities. These funds will be supple- mented by additional monies identi- fied to support international coop- erative development as recently stipulated by the U.S. "Nunn

Amendment."

Coast Guard Projects

A number of Canadian Coast

Guard major capital projects have been completed, are underway or proposed. See Exhibit 1 for details.

More information will be provided next issue. •

Bender Awarded

USCG Buoy Tender

Repair Contract

Bender Shipbuilding & Repair

Co., Inc., Mobile, Ala., was recently awarded a $278,546 contract for the regular overhaul of the U.S. Coast

Guard buoy tender Salvia.

Contingent work on the 180-foot tender, which is based at the Coast

Guard station in Mobile, could add $100,000 to the contract.

Avondale Shipyards Division,

Avondale Industries, Inc., Avon- dale, La., recently christened the

Landing Ship Dock vessel USS Tor- tuga (LSD-46) for the U.S. Navy.

She is the third in a series of LSDs being built for the U.S. Navy by the yard.

The principal speaker at the christening ceremonies was U.S.

Senator J. Bennett Johnston (D-

La.). The ship's sponsor was Mrs.

Rosemary Parker Schoultz, wife of retired Vice Adm. Robert

F. Schoultz, U.S. Navy. Other dig- nitaries at the ceremonies included

Albert L. Bossier Jr., chairman and chief operating officer, Avon- dale Industries, Inc., and the Honor- able Everett Pyatt, Assistant Sec- retary of the Navy, Shipbuilding and Logistics.

The USS Tortuga, like her sister ships, is 610 feet long, has a beam of 84 feet, maximum draft of 19 feet 7 inches, and displaces 15,623 long tons.

Powered by four Colt-Pielstick

Main engines Colt-Pielstick

Reduction gears . . Philadelphia Gear

Shafting Avondale

Ship service generator .... Colt-FM

Lineshaft bearings .... Waukeshaw

Exhaust silencers . . Burgess Manning

Main switchboards .... International

Switchboard

Motor controllers . . Cutler-Hammer

CP propellers Bird-Johnson

Steering gear Paul-Munroe

Propulsion control, ballast control & bridge consoles Rexnord

Damage control console . . . Henschel

F/O & L/O purifiers Alfa-Laval

Rotary pumps . Transamerica Delaval

Blackmer

Centrifugai pumps Carve

Deballast air compressor Dresser-Roots

HP air compressor .... Worthington

LP air compressor RIX

Distiller Aqua Chem

Auxiliary boiler Combustion

Engineering medium-speed diesel engines for a total of 33,000 shp, the Tortuga is capable of service speeds in excess of 20 knots.

LSDs are multi-functional ships capable of a wide range of amphi- bious assault operations for the U.S.

Navy and Marine Corps. Their pri- mary mission is to carry, launch and dock up to four Landing Craft, Air

Cushion (LCAC) vessels. In combi- nation with the LCACs, the LSD ships will allow Marines to make beach landings.

The LCACs which will be carried by the Tortuga and her sister LSDs are also being built by Avondale at its recently acquired Gulport ma- rine facility.

The Tortuga, which is being built by Avondale with the use of mod- ular construction techniques, is ex- pected to be delivered in July 1989.

For free literature detailing the shipbuilding services offered by

Avondale Shipyards,

Circle 16 on Reader Service Card

Oil/water separator Quantec

Filter separator Gill

Valve actuator Limitorque

Morgan

A/C plant York

Reefer plant Carrier

Halon system Hille

Cargo & ammo elevators Unidynamics

Package conveyor & turntable operating gear Transco

Stern gate operating gear & ballast valve hydr. pwr. units Paul-Munroe

Motors GE

Tech Systems

Frequency changer Teledyne

Switchboard Taplin

Degaussing system EMS Development

Brominating system Everpure

Vent fans Buffalo Forge

Pedistal cranes, anchor windlass & capstans Lakeshore

Bridge crane P&H

Joiner work American Joiner

TORTUGA

Equipment List 46 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News