US Navy request raises issue about aluminum ships?

From: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1513314120100316?type=marketsNews

"US Navy request raises issue about aluminum ships"
By Andrea Shalal-Esa Mar 16, 2010

WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy is seeking an analytical tool to predict problems with aluminum-hulled ships just months before it is due to announce the winner of the Littoral Combat Ship competition involving such a ship.

In a little-noticed solicitation posted on a Navy website in January, the Navy said it needed better tools to predict possible cracking on aluminum-hulled ships, especially under difficult conditions at sea. Replies are due by March 24....

Extreme Loading Events

In the solicitation, the Navy said it was facing "great challenges" in picking appropriate analytical tools and validation procedures to assure the performance and integrity of the aluminum ship structure in the presence of "unexpected extreme loading events" such as wave-slamming....

>>>Rest of Article>>>

Nice piece of reporting. As background listen to the second audio link that says “click here” at:

http://disappearednews.com/2008/04/secon d-program-on-alleged-superferry.html

It’s the rest of the story. Helps to explain what the Navy might be looking at.

Also, here's a video to remind our readers what "deck-slamming" looks and sounds like:

LCS-2 Takes on Water...Déjà vu...flashback to Austal welder's radio interview in April 2008

The following interesting news brief today out of Mobile, Alabama. This reminds me of comments by former Austal first class welder Wayne Jenkins in a radio interview from April 2008. A link to that interview is here at Disappeared News. In that interview Wayne speaks about this area of the ships. Might venture a guess to check the welds, and the production processes used to deal with possibly imperfect aluminium "butt welds"?

From: http://www.al.com/business/press-register/index.ssf?/base/business/1255166112192270.xml&coll=3

Business Briefs

Saturday, October 10, 2009

LCS-2 Independence takes on water

General Dynamics Corp. said this week that the jet-drive compartment on the Austal-built littoral combat ship Independence took on an undetermined amount of water Oct. 1. The compartment is an unmanned space that houses waterjets, gears and other mechanical and electrical equipment for the ship's propulsion system.

"When (Austal) discovered the issue, they dewatered the space," said General Dynamics spokesman Jim DeMartini. "At this stage, we're pretty well back on track."

The flooding resulted in the replacement of some components, though nothing major, he said. General Dynamics, Austal and the Navy are investigating the cause, he said.

The new breed of shallow-water warship was built at Austal for a General Dynamics-led team. It is scheduled to undergo acceptance trials by the Navy in mid-November and be delivered by the end of the year...