Page 112 - MY STORY

are standing on the turntable!!” We looked past our feet

and sure enough, we were standing on a rotating floor that
was used to vertically mill the 16” cannon turrets for a
battleship. We figured this would be a good team.

Newport News had the ability to easily handle the weight
and size of the structure and had a good capability for

automated welding methods. We had the experience with
high strength materials, space propulsion systems, and
advanced welding technology for the Maraging Steels.

Our only concern was their welding methodology using
“Submerged Arc” techniques, where the molten metal

generated in the welding process was submerged under a
“chemical flux” to prevent oxidation and contamination
of the weld. Our approach was to contain the molten
metal under a blanket of inert gas (like an argon/helium

mixture) which we had developed and proven.

Newport News was pretty adamant about using their
methodology, and we indicated we might consider it if
they generated test samples that we could evaluate for

strength, ductility, and toughness. Our final team member
search was for a contractor that had the rocket engine and
large booster experience. We tied up with Thiokol for

this portion of the effort, and after senior management