View non-flash version
Products carrier Coast Range sliding down the ways after recent christening at National Steel and Shipbuilding yard in San Diego. Powered by 13,000-shp Gen- eral Electric steam turbine, the 37,500-dwt vessel is for Union Oil Company of California. She is second of three sisters. NASSCO Launches Products Carrier For Union Oil Company Christening and launching cer- emonies were held recently at the San Diego yard of National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NA- SSCO) for the Coast Range, a 37,500-dwt products carrier under construction for Union Oil Com- pany of California. A gathering of more than 400 invited guests witnessed the ceremonies. Spon- sor for the ship was Mrs. Peggy Hartley, wife of Fred L. Hartley, chairman and president of Union Oil and key speaker of the day. Mrs. Carol Barnett served as ma- tron of honor; she is the wife of Elton P. Barnett, vice president, refining and supply, Union Oil. Other participants in the pro- gram were C. Larry French, pres- ident of NASSCO, and John M. Murphy, NASSCO's vice presi- dent of corporate relations. The Coast Range is one of three sister ships that NASSCO is building for a subsidiary of Union Oil; all are scheduled for delivery in 1981. These Carlsbad class tankers are a new NASSCO design, powered by General Elec- tric 13,000-shp steam turbines. Each ship is 658 feet long with a 33-foot draft and carrying capac- ity of 300,000 barrels, and will be capable of transporting 10 dif- ferent products simultaneously. They will carry products from Union Oil's refineries in Los An- geles and San Francisco to Alas- ka, Hawaii, and other U.S. West Coast ports. West Coast Shipping Company will operate the vessels. With a cylindrical bulbous bow to improve propulsion efficiency, the vessels will incorporate the most modern equipment avail- able. They will meet the latest safety and environmental protec- tion standards, including double bottoms, a clean segregated bal- last system, an inert gas system, a sewage treatment plant, colli- sion-avoidance radar, and a back- up steering system. They will be classed by the American Bureau of Shipping. The vessels were ordered by Union Oil in April 1979, and are being built entirely without Fed- eral subsidy. The keel for the Coast Range was laid in June 1980, and delivery is scheduled for July this year. NASSCO currently has under contract five additional products carriers, three Navy destroyer tenders, and a Navy cable repair ship. At the end of 1980, the company's backlog of new con- struction and repair work stood at about $735 million. The San Diego yard has been engaged in marine construction for 35 years, and is wholly owned by Morrison- Knudsen Company of Boise, Idaho. Bethlehem Boston Yard 1980 Workload Of 80 Ships Equaled 1979 Business at Bethlehem Steel Corporation's Boston yard during 1980 was about equal' to its 1979 activity, Raymond F. DeVinney, general manager, reported. The yard repaired about 80 ships in 1980, including regular overhaul work on four U.S. Naval vessels. These repairs provided employ- ment for an average of about 625 workers for the year, he said. Work that was started in 1979 on two Navy frigates, the USS Blakely and the USS Truett, was completed during 1980. "We are proud that the yard was com- mended for its timely completion of these two vessels by the Chief of Naval Material," Mr. DeVin- ney said. Commercial work at the yard continues somewhat slow. Rou- tine drydock work was performed on the cruise-ferry motor vessel Caribe, the drillship Ben Ocean Lancer, and other vessels. Grounding damage repairs were made to the Steamship Authority vessel Uncatena, and major re- pair work was carried out on the Islander, another Steamship Au- thority vessel. Looking ahead, Mr. DeVinney said : "At this moment it appears that 1981 will be a lean year. We will have to work hard to attract what commercial vessels are available. If the Reagan Admin- istration increases emphasis on Naval ship repair, perhaps the yard will be fortunate and get one or more of those contracts." New Satellite Navigator Receiver Announced By Racal-Decca Navigator A new satellite navigator re- ceiver that makes a significant breakthrough in terms of cost, performance, and size of Sat-Nav equipment was announced re- cently by Racal-Decca Navigator Limited. The Racal-Decca DS4 uses signals from the U.S. Navy Navigation Satellite System (TRANSIT), and provides all the global Sat-Nav position fixing fa- cilities required by the profes- sional mariner. Its low cost, com- pact size, and high performance make it ideal for every type of vessel from fishing craft to su- pertankers. Graham Coles, Racal-Decca Navigator's marine marketing di- rector, commented: "Bv breaking the 3,000-pound $7,200 price bar- rier for a full-capability receiver, we have opened up a much wider market for marine Sat-Nav equip- ment. This, together with sup- port from the well-established Racal-Decca international service organization, will enable us to obtain a significant share of an expanding worldwide market." Wholly British designed and built, the DS4 provides full ac- curacy of the TRANSIT single channel system to within 0.05 nautical miles. It displays simul- taneously lat/long, time, date, heading, and speed. The user can al^o call up the latest satellite fix; the next 100 satellite passes for voyage planning; course and distance to 10 waypoints; elapsed DR (dead reckoning) time, dis- tance, and course made good from the last satellite fix; set and drift. For further information on the Racal-Decca DS4 Sat-Nav re- ceiver, Write 85 on Reader Service Card T.J. Lamb Named Systems Department Sales Manager At Engelhard Industries Engelhard Industries has named Thomas J. Lamb to the position of sales manager, Elec- tromechanical Group, Systems Department, for the Eastern Hemisphere. His responsibilities include the administration of the division's Capac and Chloropac systems sales in Southeast Asia, Japan, and Australia. After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy with a BS degree in marine engineering, Mr. Lamb acquired an MS degree in ocean engineering at the University of Miami. He served in the U.S. Navy as an executive officer and chief engineer. Engelhard Industries, a divi- sion of Engelhard Minerals & Chemicals Corporation, is a world leader in the manufacture of pre- cious metals products and in the refining of secondary materials containing metals. Smashing the champagne against the Coast Range is Mrs. Fred L. Hartley, wife of the chairman and president of Union Oil Company. Onlookers are (L to R): Elton P. Barnett, vice president, refining & supply, Union Oil; C. Larry French, president, NASSCO; Honorable Duncan Hunter, U.S. Congressman from California; Mrs. Elton Barnett, matron of honor; John M. Murphy, VP-corporate relations, NASSCO (on the telephone to the trigger area); and William H. McMurren, presi- dent, Morrison-Knudsen Company. 18 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News