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30Maritime Reporter & Engineering News BIW welder, Carl Pepin, second from left, with members of the Zumwalt family including Ann Phillips, left, James G. Zumwalt and Mouzetta Zumwalt-Weathers, at the keel laying for DDG- 1000, the first ship in the planned three-ship Zumwalt class of guided-missile destroyers. Bath Iron Works Lays Keel of DDG 1000 On November 17, 2011, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works celebrated the keel laying of Zumwalt (DDG 1000), the first ship in the planned three- ship Zumwalt class of guided-missile destroyers. The keel unit is the 4,000-ton, heavily outfitted mid-forebody section of the ship, which was moved from the shipyard?s Ultra Hall construction facility onto the building ways in late October. The ship is named for ADM Elmo Zumwalt (1920- 2000), regarded as the father of the modern Navy. He served with distinction on destroyers during WWII in the Pacific and later oversaw littoral op- erations during the Vietnam War. In 1970, he was named the youngest-ever chief of naval operations. He applied his vast knowledge of sailors and ships to modernize the U.S. Navy, introducing major policy changes to boost morale and create greater efficiency while also conducting a campaign against racism and sexism throughout the fleet. A special steel plate containing the initials of ADM Zumwalt?s four children, daughters and ship co- sponsors Ann Zumwalt and Mouzetta Zumwalt- Weathers, LtCol James G. Zumwalt, USMC (Ret.), and Elmo Zumwalt III, now deceased, was prepared for the ceremony. The co-sponsors au- thenticated the laying of the keel by striking weld- ing arcs onto the steel plate, assisted by Carl Pepin,a 33-year BIW welder. The DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class destroyer is the U.S. Navy?s next-generation, guided-missile naval destroyer, leading the way for a new generation of advanced multi-mission surface combat ships. The ships will feature a low radar profile, an integrated power system and a total ship computing environ- ment infrastructure. Armed with an array of weapons, the Zumwalt-class destroyers will pro- vide offensive, distributed and precision fires in support of forces ashore. Bath Iron Works is the lead designer and builder for the program which employs approximately 5,500 people. DDW Wins Groundbreaking GOM Conversion Contract Drydocks World signed a Contract with Singapore based AET, a global leader in petroleum shipping, for two Tanker- to-Modular Capture Vessel (MCV) conversion projects. AETis converting these vessels as part of the Marine Well Con- tainment Company?s (MWCC) well containment system. MWCC is a not-for-profit, stand-alone organization with 10 member companies ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Shell, BP, Apache Anadarko, BHP Billiton, Statoil and Hess. The conversion will be implemented at the Drydocks World ? Dubai facility. The conversion shall allow the tankers to continue to operate normally as tanker in the US Gulf of Mexico, with capability to be deployed as MCV within short- est possible time. The first vessel is expected to arrive at the yard in December 2011 and the second vessel in February 2012. Each project will be completed within a period of ninemonths. Each vessel will handle about 100,000 barrels of liquid and about 200 million standard cu. ft. of gas per day. The MCVs are capable of operating at depths of 10,000 ft. The vessels will be equipped with new state-of-the-art containment system provided by Marine Well Containment Com- pany. Conversion scope includes installation of four off power generators, four off retractable type azimuth thrusters one tunnel thruster, Dynamic Positioning, Pipe racks on deck and supports for Process Module, Flare tower, turret etc. Ali Bin Towaih, VP Business Devel- opment, Administration & Strate-gies of DDW with Hor Weng Yew, President & CEO of AET at the contract signing.MR Dec.11 # 4 (25-33):MR Template 12/7/2011 10:57 AM Page 30