Anaheim, Calif. – August 4, 2016 – The United States Navy and Willard Marine have executed a licensing agreement for a Willard Marine boat design to serve as the guideline for the Navy’s new 11-meter rigid hull inflatable boat (RIB) government design.
For 27 years, Willard Marine has designed and built U.S. Navy ship-board RIBs that are 7- and 11-meters in length featuring a wide variety of propulsion, deck and outfitting arrangements. This licensing agreement allows the U.S. Navy to utilize Willard’s Sea Force® 1100, U.S. Navy model RIB design to create an all new Navy 11-meter RIB. The new RIBs will be used in their American fleets around the world, and it enables select international militaries to purchase the vessels through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programs. The Navy pursued the licensing agreement with Willard Marine in an effort to maximize commonality between the old and new 11m RIB platforms, minimize time and money spent on boat operations training, maintenance, repair and service.
Through the U.S. Navy FMS program, Willard Marine has also provided SEA FORCE® 1100 RIBs to foreign militaries such as Lebanon, Mexico and the Ukraine.
“We are honored that the largest and most prestigious Navy on the globe has chosen a Willard Marine design to serve as their guideline for the new 11-meter RIB design,” said Ulrich Gottschling, President and CEO of Willard Marine. “The U.S. Navy and our allies who leverage the FMS program to procure this boat are assured of a proven, seaworthy design” added Gottschling.
Since its founding in 1957, Willard Marine has developed world-class watercraft for the U.S. military, Department of Homeland Security, foreign governments, law enforcement agencies, search and rescue organizations and private companies. Willard Marine is also the exclusive builder of commercial vessels originally designed by SeaArk Marine and Crystaliner. Based in California with facilities in Maryland and Virginia, Willard Marine is ISO 9001:2008 certified and the sole American manufacturer of SOLAS rescue boats.
Contact: Bob Beck
Willard Marine, Inc.
+1 (714) 666-2150 ext. 272
kjacquelin@willardmarine.com
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Anaheim, Calif. – Jan. 26, 2016 – Willard Marine, Inc., recently delivered a SOLAS 670 rescue boat to the U.S. Army to serve aboard the USACE Dredge McFarland in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Outfitted with a Volvo Penta D3 220hp inboard engine paired with a Hamilton Jet HJ2274 water jet, the 22’ 5” SOLAS rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) performs at speeds of up to 26.5 knots and accommodates nine passengers. A Cranston Eagle single-point lifting frame is incorporated into the SOLAS 670 to allow for a more dynamic launch and recovery system. Extensive safety features include a self-righting frame and a 40-ounce, UV-resistant polyurethane collar with a reinforced rub strake.
Anaheim, Calif. – Jan. 13, 2016 – Willard Marine, Inc., a global leader in the manufacture of mission-proven boats, has received an order to produce a 33-foot, fiberglass harbor patrol boat for the Oceanside Police Department in California based on the iconic “Crystaliner” boat design.
The order from Oceanside Police Department marks the first Crystaliner to be purchased from Willard Marine since they acquired the licensing and manufacture rights from Crystaliner, which folded in 2012.
Anaheim, Calif. – Willard Marine, Inc., a global leader in the manufacture of mission-proven boats, was awarded a contract by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to produce a 20’08” rigid hull inflatable boat for the Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) to facilitate their fisheries and marine mammal research in the Pacific region.
On October 12, CBS premiered a new episode of their hit TV show Scorpion which featured a SEA FORCE® 1100 RIB built by Willard Marine for the U.S. Navy. The vessel can be seen at the 4:46 marker of the episode titled Robots as the Scorpion team is taken to a special-ops nuclear submarine.
To watch the full episode, visit the CBS website here: http://www.cbs.com/shows/scorpion/video/A8F41702-C1A1-0BC7-8F43-48493CBBCD4E/scorpion-robots/
Anaheim, Calif. – October 07, 2015 – Willard Marine, Inc., a global leader in the manufacture of mission-proven boats, unveiled their new SEA FORCE® 777 this week at the Pacific International Maritime Exposition in Sydney, Australia.
This military-grade, fiberglass, rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) is 7.77-meters long, 2.74-meters wide, and designed with a deep-V hull for maximum stability in the roughest sea conditions. The Steyr SE306J38 diesel engine with ZF-63 marine gear powering a Hamilton Jet drive HJ-274 provides 300 horsepower for a 9-member crew and can achieve 32 knots. Nine Ullman Dynamics shock-mitigating seats are installed for crew comfort and safety.
Anaheim, Calif. – October 1, 2015 – Willard Marine, global leader in the manufacture of mission-proven boats, was awarded a contract to provide the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with three aluminum Hydrographic Survey Launch Ships.
The three 28-foot Hydrographic Survey Launch Ships (HSLs) will be used on the coastal waters of the United States to conduct oceanographic surveys with hull-mounted and towed sonar units. A Cummins QSC8.3 engine capable of 510 HP with a ZF Marine 305-2 transmission will be used to power the boats. Outfitted to support traditional manned survey operations, the HSLs will offer additional flexibility to add unmanned autonomous capability. Two Willard Marine HSLs will be built for the 208-foot NOAA ship Thomas Jefferson, and an additional Willard Marine HSL will be built for the 231-foot NOAA ship Rainier, reported by NOAA to be one of the most modern and productive hydrographic survey platforms of its type in the world.
Anaheim, Calif. – September 30, 2015 – Willard Marine, Inc., will be touring the United States offering test drives of their new MISSION PRO™ 730, a fiberglass rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) that they designed with input from some of the largest maritime patrol units in the country.
The nearly 24-foot long and 9-foot wide RHIB is designed with a deep-V hull for maximum stability in the roughest sea conditions, and offers 300 horsepower from twin 150 Mercury four-stroke engines. The 40-ounce polyurethane WING inflatable collar has reinforced rub-strakes to reduce risk of boat damage upon boarding and stability during weight shifts. Providing protection from the elements, there is an aluminum T-top over the ergonomic center console, which features cup holders, a weather-protected laptop compartment, and an aft-folding windscreen that is safe and convenient for one-person crews.
Anaheim, Calif. – September 3, 2015 – The United States Department of State awarded a contract to Willard Marine, Inc., to provide the Philippine National Police Maritime Group with patrol vessels equipped to conduct search and rescue operations along Philippine maritime borders.
This contract marks the third time Willard Marine has been chosen to provide military vessels to the Philippines. Willard has also developed boats recently for international military use by the Navy of Ukraine and the Nepalese Army.
Anaheim, Calif. – June 9, 2015 – The U.S. Navy has exercised an option on their contract for 11-meter rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) with Willard Marine, Inc., requesting five more RIBs in addition to the 10 that the Navy had previously ordered in 2014.
Willard Marine will provide three 11-meter Open Center Console (OCC) boats that will be equipped with twin Cummins QSB6.7 380-hp engines, and two Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) boats equipped with twin Cummins QSB6.7 480-hp engines, both versions of which will be paired with Hamilton Jet HJ292 water jets.
Today, Willard Marine shipped another 11-meter open center console rigid inflatable boat (RIB) to Virginia, fulfilling our contract with the U.S. Navy to supply two variants of 11-meter RIB boats for a standard ship's boat operations. Willard Marine has been supplying the Navy and their Foreign Military Sales division with these types of 11-meter RIB boats for 15 years, and additional 11-meter vessels have been procured by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Anaheim, Calif., – May 4, 2015 – Willard Marine, Inc., a preeminent manufacturer of proven military, commercial and law enforcement boats, announced the addition of Jimmy Sorenson as their Regional Sales Manager for the Gulf Coast and Florida.
Sorenson served 11 years with the U.S. Coast Guard in many roles including Machinery Technician and Maritime Law Enforcement Instructor, and earned the prestigious boat coxswain certification. For the past 14 years, Sorenson managed business for an aluminum boat manufacturer, including proposal and quote development for a team of sales representatives.
Anaheim, Calif. – May 1, 2015 – Willard Marine, a leading manufacturer of aluminum and fiberglass commercial and military boats, will present at the High Speed Boat Operations (HSBO) Forum in Lisbon, Portugal, next week. The HSBO Forum gathers professionals from around the world to discuss new development, research, technology, operational procedures and equipment for high speed boating.
Willard Marine Director of Sales, Bob Beck, will present Operational Risk Management procedures and a method to evaluate risk using a customary U.S. Coast Guard model. Beck will also discuss procedures used by the U.S. Coast Guard in their daily operations for risk assessment, and conduct an exercise in evaluating a casualty scenario on a small rigid inflatable boat.
Pursuant to our customer contract requirements and ISO certification procedures, Willard Marine performed Builder Trials in Long Beach Harbor on the newest 11-meter military RIB. At the helm from left to right are Naval Architect Zack Zuker, VP of Manufacturing Dave Gutierrez, and Quality Assurance Manager Debbie Andrews.
MELBOURNE, FLORIDA
Willard Marine Delivers First 7M Fleet Ready Advanced Combatant Craft for Evaluations.
Structural Composites is pleased to announce that Willard Marine, Inc. has built and delivered the first 7M Fleet Ready (7MFR) Advanced Combatant Craft for evaluations. The 7MFR provides the durability and maintainability of solid laminate construction at a weight equal to sandwich construction.
Structural Composites (SC) and the Navy will be testing and qualifying the fleet ready version of the advanced combatant craft. Moving from prototypes to fleet ready craft will allow the Navy to evaluate SC’s SBIR technology in operational conditions, and this advances our Technology Readiness Level to TRL-8.
Willard Marine Production Manager Tim Pridemore and Manufacturing Team Member Jose Fernandez are in Guam doing maintenance on 670 SOLAS Rigid Inflatable Boats aboard the USNS John Ericsson T-AO-194 Oiler.
Anaheim, Calif. – April 6, 2015 – Willard Marine, Inc., a leading boat manufacturer for more than 50 years, has been awarded a contract to supply the Nepal Army with two newly designed aluminum riverine boats.
Under the contract, issued by the U.S. Navy Foreign Military Sales (FMS) office, Willard Marine is producing two 31.5-foot aluminum riverine boats, each powered by Yanmar engines and Hamilton water jets. Willard Marine will also provide comprehensive onsite crew training regarding the design, operation, maintenance and repair of the boats. The vessels will be used by Nepal to perform search, rescue and recovery operations in riverine and flood environments.
Willard Marine provides training to a dozen members of the Alaska Marine Highway System on their new 670 SOLAS RIBs. These SOLAS rescue boats service four Alaskan ferries that carry a combined total of 332 vehicles and 1599 passengers every day in a variety of challenging Alaskan weather conditions.
Learn more about our rugged SOLAS Rigid Inflatable Boats here: http://www.willardmarine.com/applications/uscg-solas-boats.html
This Willard Marine 730-LE Rigid Inflatable Boat is currently in our Virginia Beach location undergoing minor repairs and upgrades. The RIB is used by HDR Inc. for studies of whale activities off the coast of Virginia.
A 40-foot container of spare RIB parts and materials was shipped from Willard Marine today headed for the Ukraine in support of the many 7m and 11m Rigid Inflatable Boats they've ordered from us since 2009 through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program.