Guest Editorial
(continued)
Security and Economic Considera-
tions." This report concludes that
"U.S. commercial maritime capabil-
ities will probably decline by a third
or more by this decade's end. That
condition may or may not be in the
national interest. That decline must
not, however, occur by default.
Broader public debate and discus-
sion are essential. The issue is too
vital to be resolved through inac-
tion."
This issue, we believe, transcends
partisan and parochial interests and
is truly a national issue. Further-
more, it is an issue on which we have
clear historical perspective. Two
world wars have demonstrated
beyond all argument the essentiality
of maintaining three-coast ship-
building capacity, as reported in
Frederick Lane's comprehensive
history of World War II shipbuild-
ing entitled "Ships for Victory." I
quote: "In 1940 and 1941, the Mari-
time Commission and the leaders of
the shipbuilding industry at-
tempted to applv lessons learned
from 1917-1919. Recalling the over-
concentration in the Northeast,
they wisely placed many new ship-
yards on the Gulf and Pacific
Coasts." In addition, of four admin-
istrative offices established, "the
most important regional office was
that in Oakland, California" which
from 1939 to 1945 delivered 10.2
million displacement tons of ships
all from West Coast commercial
yards, compared with 7.7 and 3.9
million displacement tons, respec-
tively, on the East and Gulf Coasts.
Todd is fully committed to seeing
that none of the foregoing scenarios
becomes a reality. We intend to
speak out and to stay in business
despite current and projected diffi-
culties in our industry.
Should the citizens of the West
Coast also be concerned about these
"could never happen here" events?
You bet they should. We have the
responsibility to make citizens in
our ten neighboring Western states
aware that they, too, have a stake in
maintaining a healthy private West
Coast shipbuilding industry and
must convince government decision
makers to redirect national policy
towards preserving balanced mari-
time resources.
As things now stand, the West
Coast is the area most severely im-
pacted by government misdirection.
It is also a strategically located mar-
itime/industrial center of immense
value to national security and eco-
nomic well-being. The message to be
sent is not from a supplicant with
hat in hand, but from a group of
proud and productive citizens who
are greatly disturbed at its govern-
ment's shortsightedness. We at
Todd urge you to share our sense of
deep concern on this issue and we
pledge to support your action with
all our resources.
FELS And Smit Combine
Resources For Heavy Lifts
—Color Brochures Offered
Asianlift, a specialized marine
heavy-lift pool, has been formed by
two widely experienced companies
in this field—Far East Levingston
Shipbuilding Ltd. (FELS) and Smit
International South East Asia Ptd.
Ltd. The Asianlift fleet currently
comprises four heavy-lift floating
sheerleg cranes. Two of the units are
self-propelled, with lifting capaci-
ties up to 1,600 tons, capable of lift-
ing to heights of 130 meters (426.5
feet).
Asianlift's experienced engineer-
ing staff can reliably identify and
develop the optimum solution to
any lifting or construction problem
and high-lift engineering. It can also
plan operations to insure fast, reli-
able execution with maximum safe-
ty, and provide supervision at every
stage of the operation.
The new venture has direct access
to FELS and Smit know-how and
experience in heavy and high lifts,
rig supply services, offshore mainte-
nance, underwater services, heavy-
lift barge transportation, salvage
and wreck removal, worldwide tow-
age, cable laying, marine engineer-
ing and installation and inspection
of offshore projects, building of off-
shore construction vessels, drilling
rigs, and accommodation/support
vessels; and offshore fabrication and
repair.
For further information and free
brochures giving specifications on
cranes that each company operates,
Circle 88 on Reader Service Card
Thomas Products Offers
Model 1500 Flow Switch
—Literature Available
Thomas Products Ltd., Southing-
ton, Conn., has made available the
model 1500, a high-pressure in-line
flow switch which is designed for
accurate field adjustability with
flow settings for both liquids and
gases. The model 1500 comes with
/2-inch NPT ports and is con-
structed of brass or 316 stainless
steel. Flow settings range from .5
gpm to 20.0 gpm in liquids or from 3
to 475 SCFM in gases. The flow
switch is very versatile because of its
wide range of flow settings and its
low pressure drop.
Operation of the model 1500 is
simple. The piston houses a magnet
which is displaced by the liquid's or
gas's flow or no flow condition to
actuate a hermetically sealed
S.P.D.T. reed switch.
For more information concerning
the Thomas Products's Model 1500
Flow Switch,
Circle 81 on Reader Service Card
. t 4L
•F
Hope/Progressive Yard Delivers
Patrol Boat To Bolivian Navy
The 67-foot patrol boat Santa
Cruz de la Sierra (shown above) was
christened at a recent ceremony
held at the Hope/Progressive ship-
yard in Houma, La. The new vessel,
ordered by the Naval Forces of the
Republic of Bolivia, was built under
contract with Napco International
Inc. of Minneapolis. Napco is an
international marketing firm that
supplies a full line of defense-
related products to the U.S. Govern-
ment and the governments of more
than 60 nations around the world.
Hope/Progressive is an established
group of companies specializing in
offshore fabrication of structures,
oilfield equipment, living quarters,
and high-performance aluminum
vessels.
The ceremony included a Cath-
olic Mass celebrated by Father
Timbre of St. Francis de Sales
Church, followed by the blessing of
the vessel's flags, emblem, and crew.
Title to the vessel was handed over
to the commanding officer, Capt.
Marco Antonio Justiniano, by
Joseph Jany, treasurer of Napco
International, as flags were raised
and the Bolivian National Anthem
played over the vessel's public ad-
dress system.
The festivities coincided with
Dias de la Armada—Navy Day of
Bolivia. "This event is of great sig-
nificance to Bolivia," said Captain
Justiniano. "It is an historical
landmark for our Navy because it is
the first patrol boat of this size and
category," he stated.
The new patrol boat, built of
high-strength aluminum, is a unique
design specified by the Bolivian
Navy, and incorporates the latest
technology and state-of-the-art
electronic equipment. It will operate
in rivers, protecting Bolivia's bor-
ders, and in drug interdiction duty.
The captain and his nine-man
crew are delivering the vessel. After
leaving Houma he will travel south-
west through the Gulf of Mexico,
along the coast of South America,
and upon entering the River Plate
in Argentina will proceed by river to
Bolivia. The total distance to be
covered is more than 6,000 miles,
and with stopovers is estimated to
last approximately 50 days.
The captain and his engineers
were well satisfied with the quality
of the vessel and its performance.
They consider their experience dur-
ing the sea trials as very significant.
This should assure the continuity of
relations between the Bolivian Navy
and the American companies that
participated in the project.
SANTA CRUZ DE LA SIERRA
List of Suppliers
Main propulsion . . . .(2) Detroit Diesel
Generators (2) Detroit Diesel
Clutches ) Twin Disc
Propellers ... (2) Michigan Dyna Quad
Alarm system .... E.M.T. Electronics
Radar Furuno
VHF/FM Cybernet
Fathometer Empulse
Loud Hailer Cybernet
Sound-powered
telephones Hose McCann
Paint System Glidde
Air Conditioning Carrier
Blackmer Pump Offers
New Marine And Special
Products Bulletin
A new eight-page bulletin by
Blackmer Pump Division of Dover
Corporation, Grand Rapids, Mich.,
presents their full line of rotary
positive displacement, sliding vane
pumps for military, marine and spe-
cialized industrial applications. In-
cluded are pumps specifically de-
signed for bilge, feed water, lube oil,
liquid service, transfer and strip-
ping applications.
In addition to a description of the
unique Blackmer design and operat-
ing features, the bulletin contains
illustrated sections on individual
pump series ranging in capacity
from 5 to 730 gpm (0.19 to 2763
liters/minute) with operating pres-
sures to 210 psi (14.7 kg/cm2)-
The features and options of each
pump series are described and per-
formance charts and materials of
construction are provided along
with available unit mounting ar-
rangements and drive styles.
For further information and a
copy of "Blackmer Positive Dis-
placement Pumps for Military, Ma-
rine and Industrial Applications,"
Circle 28 on Reader Service Card
38 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News
Digital Wave Publishing