Earlier this year Duane Fotheringham took over as the president of Hydroid, replacing industry icon Chris von Alt. MTR caught up with Fotheringham recently for his insights on the direction of the company on his watch.
Please provide a brief personal and professional background.
My background is in engineering, graduating with a degree from Washington State University in electrical engineering. After graduation, I went in to the Navy as a submarine warfare officer and I spent about nine years in the Navy driving submarines.
When I left the Navy, I went back for my MBA (to the City University of Seattle), and after that I started with Kongsberg as a project manager. That was about 16 years ago.
(Note: Hydroid is a Kongsberg company).
In early 2008 when Kongsberg was looking to combine with Hydroid, I was somewhat involved in that process and was given the opportunity to come out to Hydroid and join the team.
So I moved here in 2008 and took on the VP of Operations role at Hydroid. As of January 1, 2014, I took over from Chris (von Alt) as the president of Hydroid.
Looking back, how did you come to be interested in the subsea technology business?
I’ve always had a love for the ocean. I wanted to do something in that field, and that’s what led me to join the Navy. It sounded exciting and interesting, and it turned out to be true. My entire career has been spent doing something in the subsea area, whether it’s on submarines for the Navy or my involvement with subsea sonar, water surveillance and diver detection at Kongsberg, to my five years to date with Hydroid.
Coming into this position, what are your immediate & short term goals?
The biggest thing that I’d like to do is continue the growth and success that we have had up to this point. Hydroid had been successful with passionate, innovative people delivering an excellent product to our customers. Over the last three years we’ve had 30% or better overall growth in the company, and that’s revenue and in people. At the end of 2012 we were 84 people; we added 36 over the course of 2013 so we’re up to 120. And we’re planning to bring on 30 more over the course of this year.
What are your biggest challenges?
As we (Hydroid) grow up, we want to maintain that small company feel, that agility, innovation and passion and the connection to the product, the commitment to please the customer and build the best possible product that we can. But still, to grow and put all of the things in place that are necessary as a company gets larger, the infrastructure to support an increasing number of employees and a growing customer base. You have security requirements for dealing with the product we create. So it’s putting all of those things in place that adds value to the company and doesn’t detract from or change the things that got us to where we are at.
What is the greatest strength of the brand?
Part of it is the people that work here. You can’t create that kind of passion unless people really feel it, believe it and really love what they are doing. The product is known for reliability, and hopefully we are known for being people that you can count on.
As we all know working in the subsea industry, when you are putting things in the water things don’t always go as planned. But when they don’t go as planned, you want to have a company, people that you can count on to handle the situation and make it work and be successful. Kongsberg is also a strength of our brand. We have a complimentary vehicle line with the vehicles at Kongsberg (Hugin), the vehicles of Hydroid, the REMUS line, and our sister company out in Seattle is now building the Sea Glider.
We also have sensors and integration that can bring together what we call the “Full Picture” solution. Across the company we can offer all of those pieces, and bring all of that to bear to solve a problem.
What do you consider the greatest weakness of the brand, and why?
We’re at an incredible point in our history, particularly in terms of growth. The challenge is to maintain all of the things that made you good when you were smaller, and continue to do them when you are larger.
In short, describe the maturity level of the AUV market in general, as you see it.
The maturity level is increasing, which is driving our growth. You see users going from a prototype system here and there, going into user operational evaluation systems and now moving into fully operational systems. And we have contracts now that are moving into full rate production. All of those things are signs of a maturing market. The market overall is becoming more comfortable with the technology as a useful, productive tool that is becoming a key part of the ‘tool box.’
Specific to the product, how is your company investing today?
We’ve talked about our investment in people, in talent, and that’s something that we are always looking to do. In addition, we are building a new facility which is located just down the street from our present location. We are building a new 40,000 sq. ft. engineering and production facility, designed and built from the ground up to be a state-of-the-art AUV, marine robotics, engineering and production facility. That’s a big investment in the company, in the technology, the future of the business and the future of the market. (Move in is planned for August 2014).
When you look at the markets (both by geography and market niche) that you serve, what do you see as the brightest prospects in the year to come?
We see growth in all markets. Traditionally we’ve done very well in the defense market. A large part of Hydroid’s success has been in the defense market, both foreign and domestic. Our strongest presence is in the U.S. Navy. The academic market is strong, and we have strong ties and roots in the market, as you know we came out of Woods Hole. That gives us a lot of synergy with that community. Across the board it is growing, both foreign and domestic.
Offshore oil and gas?
I think we see a lot of opportunity in that market. Of course our parent company with the HUGIN vehicle has been very successful in that market. We have a joint development of the MUNIN, a combination of the REMUS 600, which we are sharing that technology with our sister-company in Horten, and they are taking it and making it in the family of the HUGIN with the same operating systems, interfaces and controls but in the smaller lower-logistics platform of the REMUS 600. It’s a great blending of those two technologies to come to the market with a product aimed at the oil and gas industry.
If you had to pinpoint a single (non-vehicle specific) technology that will have the greatest positive impact on AUV efficiency and performance in the coming year(s), what would that technology be and why?
I think vehicles are becoming smarter. There is more intelligence and autonomy in the vehicles. They’re able to go out and do more things, more applications. If you look outside of that, one of the limitations of putting something in the water is how much energy you can put into it. The technology for energy storage and batteries, and having greater energy density and safer technologies is something that will drive efficiency and performance in the future.
What do you consider the key to attracting and retaining the people that you want?
Giving them interesting work in an environment where their ideas can be heard and put to use. Giving them the freedom and autonomy to operate, to create and bring solutions to bear.
(As published in the March 2014 edition of Marine Technology Reporter - www.seadiscovery.com)
, a familiar name in the Unmanned Underwater System defense market, was bought this year by Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII). We checked in with Duane Fotheringham, President, Unmanned Systems, HII, for insights on the path forward for autonomy in the defense sector.Hydroid is a long-established, well-known
Nye Circle, Pocasset, MA 02559 Phone: 508-563-6565 Fax: 508-563-3445 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.hydroid.com CEO/President: Duane Fotheringham Number of Employees: 162 President: Duane Fotheringham Marketing Director: Graham Lester Engineering Director: Sandor Becz Facility: •
508-563-6565 Email: [email protected] Website: www.hydroid.com CEO/President: Christopher von Alt Vice President, Ops: Duane Fotheringham VP Sales & Marketing: Graham Lester Engineering Director: Robert Brown Number of Employees: 108 Facility: New 40,000 sq. ft state
6 Benjamin Nye Circle, Pocasset, Mass. 02559 T: +1 508-563-6565 E: [email protected] W: http://www.hydroid.com CEO/President: Duane Fotheringham Facility: 40,000-sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility – opened October 2014 Square Footage: 40,000-sq. ft. Testing Capabilities: The new
INTERVIEW DUANE FOTHERINGHAM, HII MISSION TECHNOLOGIES Image courtesy HII REMUS 620 Last month we visited with Duane Fotheringham, President, Unmanned Systems, HII Mission Technologies division, for insights on the new REMUS 620. Can you summarize the key techni- for the U.S. Navy’s Lion? sh System cal
copyright Jim McNeill/Global Warrior 4 Editor’s Note 6 Authors & Contributors 7 Editorial Board 18 Tech Feature: Wave Power 42 22 Interview: Duane Fotheringham HII Mission Technoloiges 24 Interview: Ann Stevens, Boeing Maritime & Intelligence Syst. 48 Pro? le: NBOSI 50 Tech Feature: Battery
of performance and versatility to suit a wide range of customer needs at a commercially com- Images courtesy Kraken Robotics petitive price, said Duane Fotheringham, HII REMUS 620 with Kraken MINSAS 60 Payload. President of Mission Technologies’ Un- manned Systems business, HII, in an Image of 7-meter
is HII’s REMUS 300. kits to enable third-party integration, now put a lot more processing power First unveiled by Hydroid in 2020 (be- said Duane Fotheringham, president of into the vehicles, which allows us to do fore its acquisition by HII), with a pro- the Unmanned Systems business group edge
and modularity to enable easy integration of hard- ware and software, with optional development kits to enable third-party integration, said Duane Fotheringham, president of the Unmanned Systems business group in HII’s Mission Tech- nologies division. It has sealed replaceable, modular sections that
going for a more f xed payload of ering, to bring slimmer, lighter but still highly capable vehicles to the market. Elaine Maslin takes a look. Duane Fothering- ham with Remus 300 at Oceanology International 2022 in London. Photo by Elaine Maslin 44 May/June 2022 MTR #4 (34-49).indd 44 4/29/2022
Ingalls Industries, Technical Solutions, Unmanned Systems business group tsd.huntingtoningalls.com/unmanned Led by Duane Fotheringham, president of the Unmanned The REMUS 300 unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) Systems business group in Huntington Ingalls Industries’s is the
release 100 systems with enhancements like of its REMUS 300 advanced modularity and a more robust unmanned underwa- structure and sensors,” said Duane Foth- ter vehicle. eringham, president of the Unmanned Systems business group in HII’s Techni- cal Solutions division. Modular energy sections allow
ensure we can continue to provide year. been delivering marine robotics to the our customers with the most advanced Navy for nearly 20 years,” said Duane autonomous systems across all class “CHASMAI” aims to Acceler- Fotheringham, president, Technical sizes.” With that, HII broke ground ate Tech
FEATURE Subsea Defense maintain. On our latest REMUS 300 vehicle, we introduced feld-swappable, environmentally sealed batteries in sev- eral sizes that allow the user to quickly get the vehicle back in water in a confg- uration that meets their mission profle. We have also maximized the use of
FEATURE Subsea Defense “Launch and recovery becomes a chal- the imPact oF coviD-19 lenge when a UUV might be launched from a dock, a RHIB, a submarine or a vessel with a high freeboard. Our new- No business is immune from the impacts of the COVID-19 pan- generation UUVs are all being designed demic
data fusion from sensors and maintaining greater situational awareness, vehicles will have the ability to adapt in real-time to their environment.” Duane Fotheringham President, Unmanned Systems, HII ydroid is a long-established, HII is not simply a larger corporate en- Hole Oceanographic Institution
FEATURE Subsea Defense one-on-one with Duane Fotheringham PresiDent, unmanneD systems, hii Hydroid, a familiar name in the Unmanned Underwater System defense market, was bought this year by Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII). We checked in with Duane Fotheringham, President, Unmanned Systems, HII
Thai-based HiveGround is hoping to deliver on “doing more for less” 20 for pipeline inspection with a new design AUV. 40 One-on-One with Duane Fotheringham Last y ear Huntington Ingalls Industries acquired Hydroid. We caught up with Duane Fotheringham, President, Unmanned Systems, HII. By Greg
MARINE TECHNOLOGY REPORTER May 2020 www.marinetechnologynews.com Subsea Defense Advancing Autonomy Interview Duane Fotheringham, President, Unmanned Systems, HII The Hybrid Survey USV A New Look @ Pipeline Inspection Volume 63 Number 4
powered by 3516E Tier IV Caterpillar at her launch by Eileen Buch, Eileen enter service in Port Everglades, Fla. The engines with twin Schottel SRP 490 Duane Donovan and Eileen Fitzsimons. 34th tractor tug in McAllister’s ?eet, Ei- Z-drive units and Markey winches, The three Eileens are direct descen- leen
HydroidHydroidHydroid Pocasset, MA www.hydroid.com President & Chairman: Duane Fotheringham Hydroid, a Kongsberg-company located in Pocasset, MA, is cise, the Advanced Naval Technology Exercise, or ANTX, for a ubiquitous name in subsea defense circles with nearly 70% the U.S. Navy and it demonstrated the
Fotheringham. “The vast majority of them come with ROS – capabilities that don’t exist in those other vehicles: high speed or Robotic Operating System –so there are a lot of things that – 10-plus knots – able to operate in multiple modes with either already exist in the whole infrastructure. It allows
for example hydrographic sonars and synthetic aperture so- “Last summer we did an exercise, the nars, and those are extremely well suited to putting on AUVs,” Advanced Naval Technology Exercise, said Fotheringham. Add to that the high precision Kongsberg or ANTX, for the U.S. Navy and we dem- navigation
ourtesy of his nine-years as a U.S. navy of? cer driving fast-attack submarines, it can be said that Duane Fotheringham knows a thing or two about subsea defense. Fotheringham is president and Cchairman of the board of Hydroid, a Kongsberg company, one of the true pioneers in the development and
Duane FotheringhamFotheringham President & Chairman of the Board, Hydroid For the “Defense” edition of Marine Technology Re- porter we visit with Duane Fotheringham, president and chairman of the board of Hydroid, a Kongsberg- company seated in Pocasset, MA, a ubiquitous name in subsea defense circles with
(561) 732-4368; Fax: (561) 732-6984 n a recent run up the coast to Massachusetts I was afforded the opportunity to PUBLISHER stop in and visit Duane Fotheringham, president and chairman of the board of John C. O’Malley Hydroid. Throughout my 25+ years covering all matters maritime, I have found jomalley@marin
a ubiquitous name in subsea defense, with nearly 70% of its business coming from the sector. It is also one of the longest-tenured AUV makers. Duane Fotheringham, president and chairman of the board, discusses the future. 26 By Greg Trauthwein UUVs 42 Taking UUVs Faster, Further, Deeper 34 Born in
MARINE TECHNOLOGY REPORTER June 2018 www.marinetechnologynews.com Subsea Defense Duane Fotheringham, Hydroid, discusses AUV technology to meet subsea military needs Voices Matt Hodson Marine Hub Cornwall Energy Robots for Renewables Tech Talk Tentacle