Free Republic

The sudden appearance of four crane barges where a submarine had been parked has prompted questions about the possibility of an accident. Satellite imagery shows unusual activity last month, including the sudden appearance of four crane barges, at a shipyard in China that builds submarines and other naval vessels, which might potentially be a sign of an accident of some kind. Tom Shugart, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) think tank and a retired U.S. Navy submarine warfare officer, was first to notice the goings-on at the Wuchang Shipyard. This yard, which is...

President Joe Biden’s Navy secretary wants to import skilled blue-collar migrants to build the U.S. Navy ships that protect Americans and their job opportunities. “What we’ve got to do is open up the spigot a bit, basically, on legal immigration to allow blue-collar workers to come here … so they can actually work in our shipyards and be employed by the types of trades that are open to shipyard workers,” Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro told a meeting in Arlington Va. Del Toro’s call for migrant shipbuilders comes amid a shipbuilding crisis where many U.S. warships are being delivered far...

"Investigative journalists doing their jobs should dig deep, into Pelosi's role in the controversial, $280-million, federal-funded Hunters Point Shipyard affair - in relation to her alleged role as an investor in a real estate investment called PRESIDIO PARTNERS. Look past the fact that the 936-acre site, of which about 443 acres are not polluted - Hunter Point is the largest tract of undeveloped land in San Francisco. Roll Call stated that in early 2004, Murtha “reportedly leaned on U.S. Navy officials to sign a contract to transfer the Hunters Point Shipyard to the City of San Francisco” and that “Laurence...

A Russian nuclear submarine has caught fire in the northern province of Arkhangelsk ... The blaze started in the early afternoon local time when insulation between the craft’s inner and outer hull caught fire during welding. The submarine was the Oscar class K-266 Orel (Eagle), a similar vessel to the Kursk, which sank in the Barents Sea in 2000, claiming the lives of 118 men. A spokesman for the shipyard told Interfax there were no casualties and all crew and workers left the craft in time.

BREAKING NEWS: Explosion shook houses and blew doors open in Spanish Fort.

KENNEBUNK, Maine –— Politicians may say the looming federal budget cuts won't hurt very much, but Becky Burritt isn't buying it. The Kennebunk mother whose husband, Justin, is a civilian employee at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, knows the mandatory furlough days will mean cutting back on everything from eating out to kids' activities. “We're cutting back, not going out — there will be more home-cooked meals,” the mother of two said as her family faces a loss of nearly $400 and all overtime per biweekly pay period. Federal civilian workers at the shipyard and throughout the United States will be forced...

Four people have received medical attention in connection with a fire on a nuclear-powered submarine at a Maine shipyard, but none of the injuries were serious. Fire crews are fighting the blaze on the USS Miami SSN 755 at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on an island in Kittery near Portsmouth, N.H. ... The ship's reactor was not operating at the time of the fire, which was reported at 5:41 p.m., the release said. The reactor was not affected by the fire.

MOSCOW - A massive fire engulfed a Russian nuclear submarine at an Arctic shipyard Thursday, but there has been no radiation leak, or injuries, officials said. The fire broke out while the nuclear submarine Yekaterinburg was undergoing repair at the Roslyakovo shipyard in the Murmansk region, said Irina Gretskaya, a spokeswoman for the Emergencies Ministry's branch in the area. The K-84 Yekaterinburg nuclear submarine is one of seven Delta-IV class submarines in service, all deployed in the Northern Fleet. The core of the naval component of the Russian nuclear triad at present, Delta-IV submarine carries 16 Sineva (NATO classification "Skiff")...

In the movie Dave, Kevin Kline plays a presidential lookalike who finds himself running the country after the real President falls into a coma. Convening a Cabinet meeting, this political novice uses common sense to expose the ludicrous mentality of the entrenched Business As Usual crowd. Kline asks the Commerce Secretary about an ad campaign his Department has implemented to boost consumer confidence in the American auto industry. “It’s designed to bolster individual confidence in a previous domestic automotive purchase,” the Secretary proudly explained. Speechless at first, Kline fires back, “We're spending millions for somebody to feel good about a...

From missile boats to machine guns By Ora Coren Israel Shipyards Ltd., one of the companies owned by the Samy Katsav Group, designs and manufacturers military platforms such as missile boats, gunboats and guard boats, as well as civilian platforms that include freighters that carry up to 4,500 tons of general cargo. Another group company, whose products are familiar to most Israeli infantry units, is the Israel Weapon Industries (known as IWI ). The group bought the company, then called Magen, in 2005 from the government-owned Israel Military Industries. "The newly purchased plant required thorough care after years of difficulties....

Philadelphia democrats have proposed naming the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard after the disgraced and deceased John Murtha. I. Kid. You. Not. The same John Murtha who worked closely with anti war groups in developing a 'slow bleed' strategy in order to undermine the ability of our troops to successfully engage terrorists in Iraq. The same John Murtha that accused the now exonerated Haditha Marines of murder and war crimes: [VIDEO AT SITE] Murtha has an airport named after him, let that be. It would be more meaningful to name the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard after one of Philly's fallen soldiers. This is...

ADELAIDE, Australia, Feb. 15, 2010 – Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III observed the opening of the heart of one of the most modern shipbuilding plants in the world here today. U.S. Ambassador to Australia Jeffrey Bleich, left, and Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III, center, tour Techport, one of the most modern shipbuilding plants in the world, with South Australia Premier Mike Rann in Adelaide, Australia, Feb. 15, 2010. DoD photo by Air Force Master Sgt. Jerry Morrison  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Techport is a $300 million investment in Australia’s defense. The shipyard is where...

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Donald Ashford can't go home, but he can still go to work. Hurricane Katrina saw to that when it forced his family from their Moss Point, Miss., house 10 days ago. "I'm bringing home the bacon, but I got nowhere to bring it to," said the 30-year worker for Northrop Grumman Corp.'s shipyard. He's part of the state's largest work force, a man whose only sense of place for now is a shipyard undergoing a massive restoration and cleanup from debris strewn across the port. A feeling of urgency grows each day as crews fill trash bins...

Photo Release -- Northrop Grumman Pascagoula Shipyard Recovery Underway PASCAGOULA, Miss , Sept. 2, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) heavy equipment operator Owen McLeod clears storm debris from the dry dock alongside the large-deck amphibious carrier Makin Island (LHD 8) during recovery operations at Northrop Grumman's Pascagoula shipyard, part of the Ship Systems sector. A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://media.primezone.com/noc/ Northrop Grumman's Owen McLeod clears storm debris from the dry dock alongside the large-deck amphibious carrier Makin Island (LHD 8) during recovery operations at Northrop Grumman's Pascagoula ship yard. The Ship Systems sector is in...

Trail of destruction follows theft of heavy equipment By MATTHEW ROY, The Virginian-Pilot © August 27, 2005 Last updated: 12:59 AM A small guard shack at Colonna’s Shipyard in Norfolk was knocked down early Friday with a piece of heavy equipment. A Maryland man has been charged in the incident. Mort fryman/the virginian-pilot William G. Ioven NORFOLK — A Maryland man was jailed on charges he stole heavy equipment from a shipyard early Friday and then left a trail of damage until residents nabbed him, police said. A heavy John Deere track loader and a lighter Bobcat skid loader were...

Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) speaks out against plans to close the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard during a rally held at the shipyard in Kittery, Maine, May 16, 2005. Last week the Pentagon recommended the closure of 33 major domestic U.S. military bases and the realignment of 29 more, threatening a hard economic blow to many communities across the country. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi

Warsaw. (Interfax-Europe) - Norwegian shipowner Odfjell ASA has ordered two chemical tankers for a total of USD 116 mln from Polish ship maker Stocznia Szczecinska Nowa (SSN), as reported by the Polish state agency PAP and cited by Internet portal onet.pl. "I can confirm that the Norwegians ordered two chemical ships but I am not confirming the price," Piotr Gumowski of SSN's sales office told Interfax. The ships, which increase Odfjell's total number of ships ordered from SSN to eight, are to be delivered in 2006 and 2007. Odfjell transports chemicals and other specialty bulk liquids, and also provides related...

Warsaw. (Interfax-Europe) - US-based defense contractor Lockheed Martin signed state-owned Polish ship builder Stocznia Szczecinska Nowa (SSN) to build four ships by 2008 as part of an offset deal concerning Poland's purchase of American F-16 fighter jets, the shipyard said in a statement Thursday. In the first stage of the project, SSN is to build two container ships, valued at a total of USD 80 mln, which are to be delivered in 2007. SSN and Lockheed are also beginning work on the second stage of the project, which includes the construction of two other ships in 2007 and 2008. "The...