Page 65: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (July 1995)

alter Marine Wins $60 M

Dntract For Navy Swath r alter Marine, Inc., of the

Trinity Marine Group, has been assigned a contract for oximately $60 million by Tampa yards to complete T-AGOS 23, 1.5-ft. (85.8-m), 5,368-long-ton lacement Small Waterplane i Twin Hull (Swath) ocean sur- ance ship. The U.S. Navy's r al Sea Systems Command

VSEA) has consented to the as- iment. The ships are used to ment the Navy's submarine sur- lance capabilities by towing so- nicated sonar gear (SURTASS) i broader area of coverage than vious T-AGOS vessels. Delivery n the Trinity yard, which is lo- 3d in Moss Point, Miss., is planned

December 1998.

The Navy and Tampa Shipyards tied a contract for the construc- n of the ship in 1991, but the irida yard was unable to com- ite the contract.

The announcement of the new ltract was made by John Dane [, president of the Trinity Marine •oup, who said, "This is an impor- nt milestone in Trinity's growth cause it reflects the Navy's confi- nce in our ability to undertake id overcome complex shipbuilding allenges. The experience we will lin from this new type of vessel, upled with our experience in the isign and construction of T-AGOS 13 through 18, Navy oceanographic research ships, and the production, conversion and repair of over 15,000 vessels, enhances Trinity's stature as one of the world's most versatile shipbuilders."

T-AGOS 23, USNS Impeccable, will be 281.5 ft. long, with a 95.8-ft. (29.2-m) beam and a 5,369-long-ton displacement at design draft. The diesel-electric ship will have 6,000 kW of installed power provided by three diesel generator sets.

Mr. Dane said most equipment had been purchased and much steel had been cut, formed and fabricated, including about 50 percent of the lower hulls. Those components and other major block assemblies will be moved on barges, while other equip- ment is expected to be transported by truck or rail.

The ship will be completed at a new addition to Halter Marine, Inc., on approximately 11 acres of land adjacent to Halter's Moss Point fa- cility. Trinity leased the property in

April, and it will be integrated into

Halter Marine - Moss Point. Mr.

Dane said the new addition will provide additional wet dock space as well as special launching founda- tions, and storage and administra- tive space.

Mr. Dane said one of the smaller displacement T-AGOS 19 class ships recently went through a 48-hour period in Sea State 9, and the crew was able to work without exhaus- tion and seasickness. As an indica- tion of the ferocity of such seas, he said that Nathaniel Bowditch's classic, The American Practical

Navigator, includes photos of ships enduring Sea States 1 through 7, but photos of ships in violent sea states above that are not available.

T-AGOS 23 will comply with all applicable requirements of the

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and will be constructed under sur- vey and classed by ABS to the high- est classification of Maltese Cross

Al, Circle E, Maltese Cross AMS,

Maltese Cross ACU. Ice strength- ening will be the Class "C" in accor- dance with ABS rules.

Trinity also announced that Jo- seph McMahon has returned to

Halter Marine, Inc. as T-AGOS 23 program manager, after working on

T-AGOS 19 through 22, which are smaller Swath ships than the new

T-AGOS 23 class. Mr. McMahon served at Halter as a production engineer and project manager from 1979 to 1984, specializing in diesel- electric ships.

For more information on Trinity

Circle 16 on Reader Service Card

Impeccable

Principal Characteristics

Length o.a 281.5 ft. (85.8 m)

Beam 95.8 ft. (29.2 m)

Draft 26 ft. (7.9 m)

Speed (Max. sustained) 12 kn

Transit range 3,000 nm rench Yard Delivers Research/Supply Ship bal Change Study), was scheduled to begin in late May in the North

Atlantic and the Intertropical At- lantic.

For more information on

Ateliers et Chantiers du Havre

Circle 15 on Reader Service Card

Marion Dufresne Equipment

Main generating sets..... (3) Warlsilii Vasa

R32Dr total power 8,250 kW

Electric propulsion.......... ...... (2) Cegelec motors. ................................... 3,000 kW each

KaMeWa (2) Becker (lap type

Piloting System ............. SimradDPS

Marion Dufresne Particulars 396 ft. (120.8 m)

Width 67.5 ft. (20.6 m)

Speed 15.7 knots

Container Capacity 109 TEU

French yard Ateliers et Chantiers du Havre has de-livered the vessel Marion

Dufresne to a joint venture formed by Compagnie Generale Maritime and TAFF (Administration of French

Austral and Antarctic Territories).

The vessel is 396 ft. (120.8 m) long, and will serve two main functions: to act as a research vessel for experi- ments in ecology, biology, physics, geology, and hydrography; and to supply the sub-Antarctic islands with containerized cargo and gas oil. Marion Dufresne is fitted with 650 sq. m. of laboratory space, a helicopter platform and a two-heli- copter hangar, and will transport 160 scientists and missionaries in and out of the area. The vessel's first oceanographic campaign, IM-

AGES (International Marine Glo-

MCM Changes Name To

Southern Marine

Marine Construction Manage- ment, Inc., a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., corporation, has changed its name to Southern Marine, Inc.

This announcement, made by

PresidentJeffrey Dale Walsh, was prompted by the fact that the corpo- ration has advised owners in all areas of vessel ownership, not just in construction and project man- agement.

Southern Marine is presently in- volved in several projects including: the construction of a 300-ft. (91.4- m) fast ferry; the sale and potential refitting of a Peterson-built 66-ft. (20.1-m) patrol boat; and the pur- chase and potential refitting of a

Bertram sport fishing boat.

For more information on

Southern Marine, Inc.

Circle 70 on Reader Service Card

Spedding Appointed Chair

At Handling Equipment Co.

The Stamler Corporation, which is involved in the manufacturing and sales of material sizing and handling equipment, has appointed

Matt Spedding as its chairman.

Mr. Spedding will guide the cor- poration in its introduction of bat- tery-powered face haulage equip- ment and continuous haulage sys- tems.

July, 1995 67