Bath Iron Works to lay off 73

Bath Iron Works is laying off 73 workers due to a workload gap as the Arleigh Burke program wraps up and production of the next-generation Zumwalt destroyer ramps up over the next two years.
Local S6 President Mike Keenan says the shipyard has come to the period where it’s imperative to get more work. – more

- A.P.

Speedboat can withstands 20 Gs

An East Boothbay boatbuilder has built a composite speedboat specially designed for Navy SEALS.

Fighter jet pilots are subjected to forces up to 10 times the pull of gravity, but the Mark V has produced forces upward of 20 Gs slamming against waves, said Lt. Damon Shearer, senior medical officer of Naval Special Warfare Group 4.

Hodgdon Yachts worked with the University of Maine’s Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center on the project. Maine’s congressional delegation secured $14 million through a series of earmarks over several years. – CNN

Tim Hodgdon, chairman of the board and majority owner of Maine Marine Manufacturing, said his goal is to position the yard so it can win a follow-up contract. Other Maine yards also would benefit, he said, because they could win subcontract work and take advantage of the state’s growing reputation as a place that excels in advanced composite manufacturing – PressHerald