NUWC Division Newport Engineer Earns DON Superior Civilian Service Award
William “Dave” Shallcross, an engineer for the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport’s Customer Advocate and Field Team Office, who is currently detailed to the Office of Naval Research Global (ONR-G), recently was awarded the Department of the Navy’s (DON) Superior Civilian Service Award.The award is the second highest civilian award which recognizes employee contributions that are high in value. Shallcross, of San Diego, California, was honored for sustained exceptional service as science advisor and special assistant to the commander, U.S. 3 rd Fleet, from
HII Expands Portchester, UK Facility for Unmanned Systems
HII, a leading manufacturer of autonomous surface and underwater unmanned vehicles, has doubled the size of its unmanned facility in Portchester, U.K.The enlarged facility enhances and strengthens the company’s presence in the United Kingdom and increases capacity and support for the U.K. Royal Navy and European partners that operate the REMUS line of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs).In addition to supporting regional unmanned customers, the Portchester facility will serve as a European hub for HII’s Mission Technologies division, enabling customer support for U.S. combatant commands
Babcock, Frankenburg Partner on Counter‑Drone Maritime Defense System
Babcock and Frankenburg Technologies have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore development of a new maritime counter‑drone air defense system in response to the rise of one‑way attack drones.Under the agreement, the partners will work on a cost‑effective, containerized platform for launching Frankenburg’s new low‑cost missiles, designed specifically to defend against one‑way attack drones. The capability is intended to offer affordable, scalable, kinetic solutions to protect military personnel and critical national infrastructure across Europe.Frankenburg’s engineering
Entanglement Acquires Applied Ocean Sciences
21 world-class ocean scientists and acoustics experts, alongside differentiated intellectual property and multiple active, revenue-generating programs already in market. Applied Ocean Sciences will operate as an Entanglement company, strengthening the firm’s portfolio of applied intelligence platforms across environmental, maritime, and dual-use domains.Applied Ocean Sciences’ work spans environmental science and conservation, atmospheric science, physical oceanography, biological oceanography, and maritime and defense applications. These capabilities support complex sensing, modeling,
Vatn Systems Acquires Crewless Marine
Vatn Systems, a defense technology company building autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) for the US military, allied nations, and commercial customers, announced the acquisition of Crewless Marine, a Rhode Island-based company specializing in advanced underwater acoustic sensing and signal processing.Founded by former Navy engineers, Crewless Marine brings experience in torpedo acoustic systems, hydrophone manufacturing, and real-time signal processing. The acquisition strengthens Vatn's strategy to vertically integrate its tech stack to control critical technologies, reduce supply chain dependenci
U.S. Icebreaker Build Plan Moves Forward at Warp Speed
at lightening speed, with Seaspan Shipyards (Seaspan) signing agreements with Bollinger Shipyards (Bollinger) and Rauma Marine Constructions Oy (Rauma) to provide its Multi-Purpose Icebreaker (MPI) design and associated supply chain packages to enable rapid construction and delivery of up to six vessels for the U.S. Coast Guard’s Arctic Security Cutter (ASC) program.Rauma will build up to two vessels in Finland with delivery expected in 2028 under the contracts formally announced by the U.S. Coast Guard last week. Bollinger will construct up to four cutters in the U.S; the first U.S.-built
OPT to Deploy Multiple PowerBuoys for US Coast Guard
Ocean Power Technologies has secured a contract worth more than $5 million to deploy and operate multiple maritime surveillance buoys for a U.S. Coast Guard mission under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.The contract covers the delivery and operation of MERROWS-equipped PowerBuoy systems to support a demonstration aimed at providing persistent maritime domain awareness off the coast of San Diego, California. Near-term delivery will include four maritime surveillance-equipped PowerBuoy platforms.The buoys will be integrated into the Department of Homeland Security’s chosen command, control
Submarine Group Two Commander Visits NUWC Newport
Rear Adm. Melvin R. Smith, commander of Submarine Group Two, visited the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport on Dec. 11, delivering a message of gratitude to the workforce during the command’s holiday cookie party before receiving a series of briefings on emerging undersea technologies.Smith oversees the U.S. Navy’s Undersea Hybrid Fleet Executive Steering Group — a group focused on the development and delivery of undersea robotic autonomous systems (URAS) capabilities to the fleet. He toured the command to gain a deeper understanding of NUWC’s role in system
Missing Sofar Spotter Buoy in the Gulf
While 2025 was coming to an end, a Sofar spotter buoy that Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary staff refer to as Bob due to his minion-like characteristics became dislodged from its location at East Flower Garden Bank. The buoy is an essential part of our monitoring efforts, as it tracks temperatures at the ocean surface as well as near the reef, but it also tracks sea surface conditions, which are crucial to boats visiting the area.Bob's location as of 12:50 p.m. CT on January 5, due south of Rezak Bank. © Flower Garden Banks National Marine SanctuaryWe would love to have Bob
December 2025
