DTN News: General Dynamics NASSCO Lays Keel Of The USNS William McLean

DTN News: General Dynamics NASSCO Lays Keel Of The USNS William McLean Source: DTN News / General Dynamics (NSI News Source Info) SAN DIEGO, U.S. - March 27, 2010: General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - News), yesterday Mar. 26., laid the keel for USNS William McLean, the twelfth ship of the Lewis and Clark class of dry cargo-ammunition ships (T-AKE). The ship is named in honor of the U.S. Navy physicist who in the 1950s pioneered the technology behind the Sidewinder missile, the first effective U.S. air-to-air missile. Construction of the William McLean began in September 2009. NASSCO is scheduled to deliver the ship to the Navy in the third quarter of 2011. When it joins the fleet, the William McLean will be used primarily to stage U.S. Marine Corps equipment abroad by the Navy's Military Sealift Command. Located in San Diego, NASSCO employs more than 4,200 people and is the only major ship construction yard on the West Coast of the United States. The San Diego shipyard has already delivered nine T-AKE ships to the Navy and is under contract to build five additional ships, including the William McLean, for a total class of 14 T-AKE vessels. Additional information on NASSCO can be found at http://www.nassco.com/ . General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employs approximately 91,700 people worldwide. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies. More information about General Dynamics is available online at http://www.gd.com/ .

DTN News: General Dynamics NASSCO Lays Keel Of The Future USNS Washington Chambers

DTN News: General Dynamics NASSCO Lays Keel Of The Future USNS Washington Chambers

*Source: DTN News / General Dynamics

(NSI News Source Info) SAN DIEGO, USA - August 26, 2009: General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), today laid the keel for USNS Washington Chambers, the eleventh ship of the Lewis and Clark class of dry cargo-ammunition ships (T-AKE). Construction of the Washington Chambers began in March.

The ship is named in honor of the naval officer who oversaw the development of the U.S. Navy’s aviation program. NASSCO is scheduled to deliver the ship to the Navy in the first quarter of 2011.

NASSCO has delivered seven T-AKE ships to the Navy and is under contract to build five additional T-AKE ships, including the Washington Chambers. The Navy has also provided long-lead material funding to NASSCO for two more ships for a total class of 14 T-AKE vessels. Located in San Diego, NASSCO employs more than 4,500 people and is the only major ship construction yard on the West Coast of the United States.

In addition to the T-AKE program, the shipyard is also building a series of product carriers for American Petroleum Tankers, a shipbuilding joint venture led by the Blackstone Financial Group. Additional information on NASSCO can be found at http://www.nassco.com/.

General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employs approximately 92,000 people worldwide. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies. More information about General Dynamics is available online at www.gd.com

DTN News: General Dynamics NASSCO Launches USNS Matthew Perry

DTN News: General Dynamics NASSCO Launches USNS Matthew Perry

*Source: DTN News / General Dynamics

(NSI News Source Info) SAN DIEGO - August 18, 2009: General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), yesterday Aug 17., launched the U.S. Navy’s newest supply ship, USNS Matthew Perry (T-AKE 9), during a christening ceremony at the shipyard.

USNS Matthew Perry (T-AKE-9) is a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship of the United States Navy, named in honor of Commodore Matthew C. Perry (1794–1858), who led the effort to open Japan to trade with the West. The contract to build Matthew Perry was awarded to National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) of San Diego, California, on 30 January 2006. Her keel was laid down on 3 October 2008. She was launched and christened on 16 August 2009, sponsored by Hester Evans, a great-great-great granddaughter of Commodore Perry.*

The ship is named in honor of Commodore Matthew C. Perry, the U.S. Navy officer who established American trade with Japan in the mid-19th Century.

Vice Adm. Richard Hunt, the commander of the U.S. Navy’s 3rd Fleet, was the ceremony’s principal speaker. Ms. Hester Evans, the great-great-great granddaughter of Commodore Perry and the ship’s sponsor, christened the ship by breaking the traditional bottle of champagne against the bow before the 689-foot-long ship slid into San Diego Bay.

More than 2,000 people attended the ceremony.Commodore Perry (1794-1858), the younger brother of Battle of Lake Erie hero Oliver Hazard Perry, received a midshipman commission in January 1809. Over the next 43 years, he commanded three ships and two squadrons of ships. In March 1852, he was selected to lead a U.S. mission to Japan, a country that had been essentially closed to outsiders for 200 years.

Through Perry’s stately negotiations, the Convention of Kanagawa treaty was signed on March 31, 1854. The treaty provided that humane treatment be extended to U.S. sailors shipwrecked in Japanese territory, that U.S. ships be permitted to buy coal in Japan, and that the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate be opened to U.S. commerce. Perry lived his final years in New York City following his mission to Japan.

USNS Matthew Perry is the ninth ship of the Lewis and Clark (T-AKE) class of dry cargo-ammunition ships for the Navy, and the first U.S. Navy ship to be named after Commodore Perry.

NASSCO began constructing the ship in April 2008 and is scheduled to deliver it to the Navy’s Military Sealift Command in the first quarter of 2010. When the Matthew Perry joins the fleet, its primary mission will be to deliver more than 10,000 tons of food, ammunition, fuel and other provisions to combat ships on the move at sea.

General Dynamics NASSCO employs more than 4,500 people and is the only major ship construction yard on the West Coast of the United States. NASSCO has delivered seven T-AKE ships to the Navy and is under contract to build five additional T-AKE ships, including the Matthew Perry. The Navy has also provided long-lead material funding to NASSCO for two more ships for a total class of 14 T-AKE vessels.

The shipyard is also building a series of five commercial product carriers for American Petroleum Tankers, a shipbuilding joint venture led by the Blackstone Financial Group. Additional information on NASSCO can be found at http://www.nassco.com/.

General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employs approximately 92,000 people worldwide. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies. More information about General Dynamics is available online at www.gd.com

DTN News: General Dynamics NASSCO Begins Construction Of Fifth Product Carrier Ship

DTN News: General Dynamics NASSCO Begins Construction Of Fifth Product Carrier Ship

*Source: General Dynamics Corporation

(NSI News Source Info) SAN DIEGO – June 1, 2009: General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly-owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, May 29 began construction of the fifth ship in its series of product carriers. The shipyard is scheduled to deliver the ship to U.S. Shipping Partners in the third quarter of 2010.

The ship will be named “Evergreen State,” the state nickname of Washington. Designed to carry petroleum and chemical products in Jones Act trade between U.S. ports, the double-hulled ship will be 600.4 feet (183 meters) in length and have a cargo capacity of approximately 331,000 barrels.

General Dynamics NASSCO employs approximately 4,700 people and is the only major ship construction and repair yard on the West Coast of the United States. In addition to the product carrier construction, NASSCO is also building the Lewis and Clark-class of dry cargo-ammunition ships for the U.S. Navy. Additional information on NASSCO can be found at http://www.nassco.com/.

General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employs approximately 92,900 people worldwide. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies. More information about General Dynamics is available online at www.generaldynamics.com.

General Dynamics NASSCO Lays Keel Of Tenth T-AKE Ship

General Dynamics NASSCO Lays Keel Of Tenth T-AKE Ship (NSI News Source Info) SAN DIEGO - March 19, 2009: General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, March 17., laid the keel for USNS Charles Drew, the tenth dry cargo-ammunition ship in the U.S. Navy’s T-AKE program. Construction of the Charles Drew began in October. The ship is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in the third quarter of 2010. The ship is named in honor of the African-American physician who was a pioneer in blood preservation and storage. USNS Lewis and Clark (T-AKE-1), the lead ship of her class of dry cargo ship, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. The contract to build her was awarded to National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) of San Diego, California, on 18 October 2001 and her keel was laid down on 22 April 2004. She was launched 21 May 2005, co-sponsored by Jane Lewis Sale Henley and Lisa Clark, descendants of the ship's namesakes. She was delivered to the Navy on 20 June 2006. The T-AKE is a new Combat Logistics Force (CLF) Underway Replenishment Naval vessel that will replace the current capability of the Kilauea-class ammunition ship, Mars-class and Sirius-class combat stores ships, and when operating in concert with a Henry J. Kaiser-class oiler, the T-AKE will replace the Sacramento-class fast combat support ship. The T-AKE Program will consist of 11 ships with a budget of approximately $4 billion. On March 19, NASSCO will begin construction of USNS Washington Chambers, the eleventh ship of the T-AKE class. The Washington Chambers is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in the first quarter of 2011. The ship bears the name of the Navy officer who oversaw the early development of U.S. naval aviation. NASSCO has delivered seven T-AKE ships to the Navy and is under contract to build five additional T-AKE ships, including the Charles Drew and Washington Chambers. The Navy has also provided long-lead material funding to NASSCO for two more ships for a total class of 14 T-AKE vessels. Located in San Diego, NASSCO employs more than 4,700 people and is the only major ship construction yard on the West Coast of the United States. In addition to the T-AKE program, the shipyard is also building a series of product carriers for U.S. Shipping Partners L.P. Additional information on NASSCO can be found at http://www.nassco.com/. General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employs approximately 92,300 people worldwide. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies. More information about General Dynamics is available online at www.gd.com.