Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
After Years in Port,Polar Star Back at Sea
The US Coast Guard Heavy Icebreaker Polar Star(WAGB 10) has finally gone back out to sea following years of engineering upgrades.It joins the Healy(WAGB 20) as the only other heavy icebreaker in the fleet.The Polar Star's sister ship,Polar Sea(WAGB 11),was also upgraded,but suffered an engine failure in 2010 and is slated for decommissioning.
The Polar Star is on a two week shakedown voyage,the Coast Guard said,out of its Seattle homeport.The ship is capable of rocking itself free of ice by means of three pairs of connecting tanks on opposite sides of the ship.Returning it to sea has been a priority in recent years as the Healy was left to do all the Arctic icebreaking on its own.
Polar Star was commissioned in 1976.It is estimated that building a new heavy icebreaker would cost upwards of a billion dollars-no mean feat in these cash-strapped times.
The vessel has five scientific labs and room for 20-35 researchers,in addition to the Coast Guard complement of 134 crew.It is 379 feet long,with a beam of 83.5 feet,and can sail at a speed of 20 knots.
Besides Arctic and Antarctic icebreaking,it supports research in such fields as geology,vulcanology,oceanography and sea-ice physics.
Polar Star carries two helicopters on major deployments.They are used for ice reconnaissance,scientific support,cargo transfer and search and rescue.The ship's armament consists of small arms.
Two blog posts by the Polar Star's crew are posted below to give an idea of the years of engineering work that was done to upgrade the ship.
The Polar Star is on a two week shakedown voyage,the Coast Guard said,out of its Seattle homeport.The ship is capable of rocking itself free of ice by means of three pairs of connecting tanks on opposite sides of the ship.Returning it to sea has been a priority in recent years as the Healy was left to do all the Arctic icebreaking on its own.
Polar Star was commissioned in 1976.It is estimated that building a new heavy icebreaker would cost upwards of a billion dollars-no mean feat in these cash-strapped times.
The vessel has five scientific labs and room for 20-35 researchers,in addition to the Coast Guard complement of 134 crew.It is 379 feet long,with a beam of 83.5 feet,and can sail at a speed of 20 knots.
Besides Arctic and Antarctic icebreaking,it supports research in such fields as geology,vulcanology,oceanography and sea-ice physics.
Polar Star carries two helicopters on major deployments.They are used for ice reconnaissance,scientific support,cargo transfer and search and rescue.The ship's armament consists of small arms.
Two blog posts by the Polar Star's crew are posted below to give an idea of the years of engineering work that was done to upgrade the ship.
Polar Star Blog: Can Fan Fun
Polar Star Blog: Can Fan Fun: Last week marked the completion of the installation of our new can fans (ventilation fans) on the starboard side of the Polar Star. The task...
Polar Star Blog: Keep Your Fingers Crossed!
Polar Star Blog: Keep Your Fingers Crossed!: Today was the second day of filling the potable water tanks in Aux. 4 on the Polar Star. Not only does this bring the boat one step closer ...
Friday, April 5, 2013
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Feeling the Impact:Sequestration and the Defence Industry
Drastic and arbitrary US budget cuts are hindering the defence industry in a big way.Sequestration is the single worst piece of public policy in my 35 years of experience,said Clay Jones,CEO of leading defence contractor Rockwell Collins.We've laid off 150 in Iowa and the rest of the year will lay off another 150 throughout our enterprise.
That's just the tip of the iceberg.One of the biggest problems is,it is impossible to plan.2014 will be even worse.We already took 60 million in restructuring charges.We don't like it,but we're gonna manage well.
Our defence business went down 8% last year;it will go down another 10% this year.By 2015,however,our commercial business will grow 10%.There's a high demand for fuel-efficient aircraft.We're about 33-35% international.That will grow to over 40% by 2020.
We'll be paid eventually.The biggest impact will be on the cash flow.
We produce the helmet-mounted sight for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter-the most Buck Rogers thing in the aircraft,so I think we're secure in that project.
Senator Ben Cardin,D-Maryland,said he doesn't expect any progress in resolving the sequestration issue.
Rockwell says the world's leading aerospace and defence companies rely on them for smart communications and aviation electronics solutions.Their products span displays,electronic warfare/intelligence,navigation and guidance,precision targeting and weapons,space components and other engineering applications.
Rockwell Collins,Inc(COL)
That's just the tip of the iceberg.One of the biggest problems is,it is impossible to plan.2014 will be even worse.We already took 60 million in restructuring charges.We don't like it,but we're gonna manage well.
Our defence business went down 8% last year;it will go down another 10% this year.By 2015,however,our commercial business will grow 10%.There's a high demand for fuel-efficient aircraft.We're about 33-35% international.That will grow to over 40% by 2020.
We'll be paid eventually.The biggest impact will be on the cash flow.
We produce the helmet-mounted sight for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter-the most Buck Rogers thing in the aircraft,so I think we're secure in that project.
Senator Ben Cardin,D-Maryland,said he doesn't expect any progress in resolving the sequestration issue.
Rockwell says the world's leading aerospace and defence companies rely on them for smart communications and aviation electronics solutions.Their products span displays,electronic warfare/intelligence,navigation and guidance,precision targeting and weapons,space components and other engineering applications.
Rockwell Collins,Inc(COL)
Monday, April 1, 2013
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