$3-Million Surface
Effect Ship Award
To Philadelphia Gear
Philadelphia Gear of King of
Prussia, Pa. 19406, has been cho-
sen to design, manufacture and
test the propulsor reduction gear-
box for the 3,000-ton Surface Ef-
fect Ship (3KSES). The planned
cost for this effort through de-
sign, development, test and de-
livery of one ship set of four
propulsor reduction gearboxes,
plus one development propulsor,
will exceed $3,000,000 in the next
four years.
An SES is a marine vessel that
operates on a cushion of air to
significantly reduce its drag. As
a result of the reduced drag, a
large SES can be propelled at
speeds ranging up to 100 knots.
By comparison, conventional ships
have maximum speed limitations,
depending on size, mission, hull
configuration, etc., of less than
half that of the SES.
The Navy's 3,000-ton Surface
Effect Ship Program represents
the culmination of 15 years of
research and development to pro-
duce an oceangoing operational
surface effect ship prototype. Ad-
vanced ships of this type are
Fabrication:an ^ort nozz'e ta^es
The Harvey plant, like all of Avondale, is well
versed in fabrication. Here you see a 10 foot
diameter kort nozzle undergoing the varied steps
from shapeless steel plate to a functioning member
of a tug.
It's nice to know there's a place that takes every
type of steel fabrication in its stride. Kort nozzles,
rudders, stern rollers, deck houses, dredge
ladders, marine tanks . . . you name it.
That place is the Harvey Quick Repair Division of
Avondale Shipyards ... "The Around the Clock
Marine Service."
HARVEY
QUICK REPAIR DIVISION
Avondale Shipyards, Inc.
A SUBSIDIARY OF OGDEN CORPORATION
Post Office Box 116 • Harvey, Louisiana 70059
(504) 341-4211
capable of extraordinarily high
speeds, since they ride over the
water on a cushion of air con-
tained under the ship.
The 3KSES design has an ap-
proximate length of 270 feet, a
maximum beam of about 105 feet,
and a cushion height of 18 feet.
The ship will be able to carry a
crew of 125 men at speeds three
times that of conventional ships.
For propulsion, General Electric
LM 2500 gas turbine engines will
drive four Aerojet water jet pro-
pulsors. Cushion air will be pro-
vided by six Aerojet centrifugal
fans powered by two LM 2500
gas turbine engines. The ship
will be equipped with helicopters
and/or V/STOL aircraft, as well
as weapons and sensors for test
purposes.
Philadelphia Gear was selected
because of its experience in large
marine gearbox fabrication for
the U.S. Navy and shipbuilders
throughout the world. Their ex-
perience includes fabrication of
supercavitating propellers used on
the U.S. Navy 100-ton Surface
Effect Ship that recently set a
speed record of 103 mph. The
award is by the Aerojet Liquid
Rocket Company of Sacramento,
Calif., under a subcontract from
Rohr Marine Incorporated, a sub-
sidiary of Rohr Industries, Inc. of
Chula Vista, Calif.
Jonathan Feffer
Named President
SSI Navigation
Thomas S. Tan, president of
Itel Corporation's Transportation
Services Group, has announced
the appointment of Jonathan Fef-
fer to president of SSI Navigation.
SSI Navigation is engaged in
the chartering of ships for the
transportation of dry and liquid
bulk commodities. The company
owns and operates a fleet of eight
vessels, with four additional ves-
sels on order to be delivered in
1978.
Mr. Feffer joined SSI from
Maritime Overseas Corporation,
Agents & Brokers for Overseas
Shipholding Group (NYSE). He
will be headquartered in SSI Nav-
igation's New York headquarters.
He received his A.B. degree from
New York University.
The Transportation Services
Group of Itel Corporation is one
of the world's largest lessors of
diversified transportation equip-
ment. Its operations include SSI
Container and SSI Rail, as well
as SSI Navigation. By the end of
1978, it is expected that Itel's
Transportation Services Group
will have a fleet of equipment in
excess of $700 million.
Itel Corporation, San Francisco,
Calif., markets and leases capital
equipment and provides related
services. Itel concentrates its ef-
forts in two of the largest cate-
gories of capital equipment —
transportation and computer
equipment.
24 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News
Digital Wave Publishing