Mid-April 2006
Table of Contents:

Chesapeake Section

Canadian Atlantic Section

Chesapeake Section
by Jennifer Waters, Roger Compton, and Bruce Johnson

January 17, 2006

Naval Academy Students Plan for CAPSTONE and Senior Projects

On January 17th, 35 Midshipmen seniors from the US Naval Academy, hosted the third Chesapeake Student event for the 2005-2006 season. Nearly 40 members attended this meeting, which focused on presenting upcoming USNA Spring Semester Engineering Capstone design projects by students who are studying either naval architecture-marine engineering or ocean engineering. The key goal of the meeting was to facilitate interaction between students and members of the industry at large to serve as mentors for the five naval architecture-marine engineering Capstone Projects and eleven ocean engineering team design projects. The projects are given in the 2 links – mentors are asked to contact the faculty advisers ---

www.sname.org/sections/chesapeake/papers/usna-na.html

www.sname.org/sections/chesapeake/papers/usna-oe.html

Rickover Hall Hydrodynamics Laboratory Toured - The rebuilt hydrodynamics laboratory was featured. All members were excited to tour the laboratory. In September 2003, category 5 Hurricane Isabel sent a storm surge that flooded the ground floor of Rickover Hall to 3 foot depth (the top of the small tank in the photo). It also flooded the 380 ft towing tank as the walls were at elevation 7. All control systems and hydraulic power supplies for the towing tanks and the coastal laboratory flooded. Former hydro lab directors President Compton and Professor Bruce Johnson attended; their assistance by providing original specifications for the rebuilding was critical. We can report that small tank has a far superior speed control system and wave-maker power source.

The Chesapeake and Flagship sections were pleased to have President Compton and ASNE Executive Director Dennis Kruse in attendance.

February 15, 2006

by Pat Naughton

February Joint ASNE and SNAME Meeting - Admiral Sullivan gives NAVSEA SITREP

On February 15th, 2006 over 60 members and guests attended a joint Chesapeake and ANSE Flagship Sections presentation titled “NAVSEA SITREP” held at the Washington Navy Yard. The two sections were very pleased to have such a presentation by the Commander of Naval Sea Systems Command, Vice Admiral Paul E. Sullivan. Admiral Sullivan is a 1974 graduate from the Naval Academy, with dual degrees of Master of Science (NA-ME) and Ocean Engineer from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Admiral Sullivan is the 41st Commander of NAVSEA.

Admiral Sullivan’s presentation focused on three major areas; current NAVSEA projects, the “enterprise construct,” and what he and his staff hope to accomplish during the upcoming years.

With respect to current projects, Admiral Sullivan noted that within NAVSEA there are 29 ongoing ship design programs, including LCS, DD(X), OHIO class SSGN conversion, VIRGINIA class SSN, LHA6 and CV(X). LCS program, the author noted that he is currently very pleased with the proposed fly-off between the two designs, and that current CNO plans call for the procurement of at least 56 LCS vessels. With respect to DD(X) program, Sullivan noted that several years ago he would have thought that there would be no way the U.S. would ever build a destroyer as big as 12,000t, but now wishes they could be even larger.

As to submarine programs Sullivan noted that two separate lead ships were delivered to the Navy last year, the USS VIRGINIA and the USS JAMES EARL CARTER, which is a modified design incorporating a Multi-Mission Platform to enhance its payload capability. He also noted that the USS TEXAS will be delivered this year, and will be the first new-build submarine delivered from Newport News Shipbuilding since 1995. LHA-6 design is optimized for handling both the Joint Strike Fighter and the V-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft; the decision was made to not incorporate a well deck or stern gate into the design. The CVN-21 will be the U.S. Navy’s largest ship ever.

But the process of designing and delivering systems was Admiral Sullivan’s goal to upgrade, into an “enterprise construct” of resource management. Within this construct the type commanders, providers, and resource managers work together on strategic cost management issues. Within this construct there is almost nothing that cannot be considered. To this end Sullivan identified a number of priorities for NAVSEA:

• Aligning their efforts with the emerging Navy enterprises
• Evaluating the alignment of the organization
• Maintain and enhance Technical Authority and Competence
• Maximize the potential for the workforce, and
• Ensure that the Navy of the Future is affordable and effective

The sections thank Admiral Sullivan for his time as well as the NAVESA Vice Commander, Rear Admiral Chuck Goddard, who also attended this very special joint meeting.

Canadian Atlantic Section
by Dusty Miller

March 15, 2006

The SNAME Canadian Atlantic Section held its local meeting on March 15th on board the HMCS SACKVILLE in HMC Dockyard in Halifax, NS.

HMCS SACKVILLE is one of 123 Flower Class corvettes built in Canada during the Second World War, which were the workhorses of the North Atlantic, escorting convoys and hunting submarines. The SACKVILLE was built in 1941 at Saint John New Brunswick as a "short Forecastle" corvette, and commissioned in December 1941. She went immediately into service (with a crew where only two had ever been to sea on warships) and served on the North Atlantic from January 1942. She was damaged in 1943 (convoy ON 202 / ONS 19) by what is thought to be the result of a depth charge from SACKVILLE exploding an incoming torpedo. No.1 boiler was damaged, and she was dry docked in St. John's for a one-day hull check due to near misses from acoustic torpedoes. She was found to be seaworthy and escorted five more convoys until January 1944. She was then sent to Galveston Texas for an overdue refit and conversion from a short to a long forecastle corvette. On completion of the eight-week refit in Galveston she proceeded to Bermuda for three weeks of trials. On June 23rd, 1944 she departed for St John's once again and returned to convoy duty. Boiler problems persisted, and after an investigation in Londonderry, she was ordered back to Halifax for re-assessment, then assigned as a training ship for HMCS Kings, which lasted for only one month. In 1944, the Navy was looking for a maintenance vessel to serve as a conversion to a loop layer (this conversion was to save her from the disposal yard. This conversion commenced and was completed in May of 1945. The SACKVILLE remained in service as a Canadian Navy Auxiliary Vessel until 1982, when she was sold to the Naval Officers Association of Canada for one dollar, for restoration to her 1944 configuration. In 1985 the conversion was completed and she was designated as "The Canadian Naval Memorial".

SNAME members were received on board by the Commanding Officer, Wendall Brown, and by the Executive Director, Ray Soucie. After a short video of the ship’s history and a verbal review of the objectives and aims of the Trust, the members were taken on a complete tour of the vessel, including areas not normally open to the public including the floor plates of the Engine Room, and areas still under renovation. Some of the older members were very knowledgeable about the four cylinder steam triple expansion engine and its associated systems, since they had, in earlier times, been involved in the construction and operation of similar machinery sets. After the tour, the members and the ship's staff adjourned to the Mess where the evening continued at a social level with many stories of the ships career having being recounted.

Those members present considered that this meeting and location was one of the highlights of the season.

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