Report: Navy's Joint High Speed Vessel at risk in combat

From: http://blog.al.com/live/2010/01/report_navys_joint_high_speed.html

"Report: Navy's Joint High Speed Vessel at risk in combat"
By Sean Reilly January 30, 2010

WASHINGTON -- As the Navy ramps up production of the Joint High Speed Vessel, the Pentagon's chief weapon tester is warning that the low-slung cargo ship has little or no chance of surviving an enemy attack.

Manufactured by Austal USA's Mobile shipyard and modeled on a commercial ferry, the vessel "is not designed or expected to be survivable against weapons effects encountered in combat missions," according to the latest annual review by J. Michael Gilmore, director of operational test and evaluation at the Defense Department.

In a Friday statement, Navy spokeswoman Monica McCoy said the vessel is not designed to operate in uncontrolled environments and thus "does not require the survivability and ability to sustain damage like a surface combatant" ship...>>>Rest of Article>>>

We had this conversation before with regard to aluminium, burn, and things like white phosphorus...

Austal awarded $204 million to build 2nd and 3rd JHSV's

Announced the day after the Huakai is used for the first time...by the military. Is that $204 million for both or for each? Or for both just to get 'em started? Either way quite a bit different price from the 1st one...

CONTRACTS
NAVY
Austal USA, Mobile Ala., is being awarded a $204,238,728 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-08-C-2217) to exercise options for Ships 2 and 3 of the Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) program. The JHSV will provide high speed, shallow draft transportation capability to support the intra-theater maneuver of personnel, supplies, and equipment for the Navy, Marine Corps and Army. Work will be performed in Mobile, Ala., and is expected to be completed by July 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

From: http://blog.al.com/live/2010/01/austal_awarded_204_million_to.html

"Austal awarded $204 million to build second, third Joint High Speed Vessel"
By Kaija Wilkinson January 28, 2010, 4:22PM

MOBILE, Ala. -- The U.S. Navy has awarded $204.2 million to Mobile's Austal USA shipyard for the Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) program, part of a potential 10-vessel, $1.6 billion contract Austal landed in November 2008, Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, announced today.

The funding will allow for construction of the second and third vessels, high-speed transport ferries that will be used by both the U.S. Army and Navy, according to Shelby's office.

Austal began work on the first JHSV in December...

(For a complete report, read Friday's Press-Register.)

Video: Huakai Underway Today

Pictures: Superferry load-out

BY MIKE HOLTZCLAW
January 27, 2010

FORT EUSTIS - The Superferry Huakai was loaded up at Fort Eustis today with equipment and soldiers bound for Haiti and the ongoing earthquake relief effort.

The U.S. Army's Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) will send its 597th Transportation Brigade to Port-au-Prince to deliver humanitarian supplies.

In a press release, the SDDC noted that the Huakai "traditionally only moves passengers," but for this mission the Maritime Administration has given operational control of the vessel to the Military Sealift Command to deliver equipment and cargo as well as military personnel.

Obama Preparing to Make a Mistake with HMS Haiti?

From gallupnews - Americans Lean Against Letting More Haitians Into U.S.: http://bit.ly/7UkFvd counter to what #Obama intends with #HMSHaiti?

HMS Haiti and Never before seen pictures of the Huakai

From Timothy Dick today, founder of HSF:

http://www.hmshaiti.com/

Also, never before seen pictures of the Huakai:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hms-corp/

Video: Current Harbor and Ferry Operations in Haiti:
http://bit.ly/7At07M

Alakai Headed to Haiti Too

From: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100120/BREAKING01/100120032/Alakai+gets+call+for+Haiti+relief+duty

Updated at 12:04 p.m., Wednesday, January 20, 2010
"Alakai gets call for Haiti relief duty" by Advertiser Staff

...U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood announced today that the Department's Maritime Administration has started preparing Alakai for relief duty in Haiti. The ship will be crewed by civilian mariners. "This ship will help our relief workers on the ground by allowing quick movements of people in and out of Haiti from various staging points," LaHood said in a statement...

From: http://blog.al.com/press-register-business/2010/01/hawaii_superferry_built_at_aus.html

"Hawaii Superferries built at Austal's Mobile shipyard to deliver Haiti relief"
By Kaija Wilkinson al.com January 20, 2010, 10:16AM



Huakai, a catamaran designed and built by Austal USA, has been mobilized along with its sister ship Alakai by MARAD for relief efforts in Haiti. MARAD reposessed the vessels in summer 2009 after Hawaii Superferry Inc. went bankrupt. Two high-speed catamarans built at Austal USA in Mobile for Hawaii Superferry Inc. are headed to Haiti to assist with relief efforts, the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced today...

Although no details have been released about how they will be used, the ships may serve as a link between Haiti and Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba or Miami, carrying relief supplies and personnel to and from Haiti.

The catamarans can carry nearly 800 tons per voyage, Austal said. They will be crewed by Hornblower Marine Services of Albany, Ind.

Huakai Superferry Headed to Haiti

From: http://www.starbulletin.com/business/20100119_Never-used_Superferry_vessel_mobilized_to_aid_Haiti_relief_effort.html

"Never-used Superferry vessel mobilized to aid Haiti relief effort"
The U.S. Transportation Department obtained the Huakai after Hawaii Superferry shut down
By Nina Wu Jan 19, 2010

The M/V Huakai, the high-speed ferry that never fulfilled its purpose as part of Hawaii Superferry operations last year, will be mobilized for relief duty in Haiti...>>>Full Article>>>

Can't frickin' believe we have to keep repeating these things!

From: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100118/BREAKING01/100118067/Governor+says+city+needs+to+revise+its+financial+plan+for+rail+project

"Governor says city needs to revise its financial plan for rail project"
Updated at 4:02 p.m., Monday, January 18, 2010

...GOVERNOR LINDA LINGLE OPENING REMARKS

AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS – HONOLULU CHAPTER

PRESENTATION ON HONOLULU RAIL TRANSIT

Monday, January 18, 2010...

Re: "The Superferry did not use one dollar of public funding. We had reimbursable general obligation bonds that were paid for, and will be paid for, by the people who use the harbors. There's not one dollar of direct tax funding that ever went to Superferry or was pledged to Superferry or will be used for Superferry in the future."

WRONG! The Superferry DID use public funding beyond the general obligation bonds. Beyond the bonded money there was all of the money spent to fix the barge at Kahului harbor. There was all of the money spent on the tug boat service daily to hold the barge to the Kahului pier when the ferry came in. There was all of the money spent for extra DLNR security when the ferry first started operating and then continuing for inspections. There was all of the money spent to pay for the Act 2 Special Session. There was all of the legal fees of the Attorney General in this case. There are all of the legal fees of the continuing bankruptcy proceedings.

Re: "In addition, there was never a requirement for an EIS for the Superferry until it was challenged and went to the State Supreme Court and then the Supreme Court made the ruling. The Superferry was treated the way every other ocean-related project was treated whether it was Matson, NCL, Young Brothers or anyone else using our oceans. It was treated the same way, our Administration made the same decision, it's just that the Supreme Court changed the law with their decision."

WRONG AGAIN! You are one hard-headed, obstinate politician! The EIS requirement existed all along, before the Supreme Court even made their first ruling on this. The Superferry was not treated the same as the other harbor users. Those harbor users have had to do EIS's for similar projects. The Supreme Court never changed the law. In fact, it was your Attorney General who wrote the flawed new law Act 2 and your Administration who lobbied the new law through the Legislature. The underlying HEPA law never changed. The Supreme Court never changed the law.

Still Sittin' There...

From: http://connect.hawaiinewsnow.com/vmix_hosted_apps/p/media?id=9401236&item_index=23&all=1&sort=NULL

Click on image to enlarge.

Hawaii Super Ferry sighting
Full Description:
This is both of the Hawaii Super Ferries sitting here in downtown Norfolk, Virginia. I am in the Navy and just transferred to Norfolk from Pearl Harbor.
By: OS2(SW) Jon P Florez, US Navy

GD Austal May Break Up LCS Team

From: http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4447501

"GD May Break Up LCS Team"

By Christopher P. Cavas
Published: 11 January 2010

The partnership between General Dynamics and Austal USA that has produced one of the two contenders for the U.S. Navy's Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) is preparing to break up - a reaction to the Navy's increased push for multiple layers of competition in the program.

The move is expected to position GD to build further LCS ships in one of its own shipyards, regardless of the outcome when, later this year, the Navy chooses between the GD LCS design and one from a Lockheed Martin-led team.

GD, through its Bath Iron Works subsidiary, is the prime contractor on the LCS bid, allied with shipbuilder Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. The partnership, formed to compete for the 2004 LCS program, saw Bath, with more than a century of experience building naval ships, overseeing relative newcomer Austal USA, a subsidiary of Australia's Austal shipbuilding company. GD's LCS proposal is based on an all-aluminum commercial ferry design from Austal.

All along, GD has planned to expand LCS construction to one of its own shipyards - Bath's yard in Maine or the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) facility in San Diego - whenever LCS production ramped up. The Navy had planned to buy unspecified numbers of each team's LCS, but in September the service changed its acquisition strategy to a single-design downselect - a decision expected to come in late spring or early summer.

But with the single-design switch, the Navy also now wants a second-supplier shipyard that can't be associated with the primary builder. That would mean that, should the Navy choose GD's LCS, the company's shipyards would be excluded from bidding to become the second shipyard. As a result, GD and Austal USA are prepared to split up their partnership.

No final decisions have been made, as the companies are waiting to see the Navy's latest Request for Proposals (RfP), expected to be released in mid-January. The RfP already has been delayed several weeks to allow the Navy to react to industry responses from a preliminary RfP issued last fall.

It is not clear what effect the shipyard breakup would have on GD's Advanced Information Systems (AIS) division, which designed the combat system for the ships.

Officials from General Dynamics, Austal USA and the Navy declined to comment on the story, citing its speculative or preliminary nature. >>>Rest of article>>>