A large braider, circa 1950.
William Sound. This event resulted in broad changes to the design of oil-carrying vessels. 1989 Aluminum anodes are first installed on submarines, saving 4 tons in weight and cost savings of about $600,000 per boat. July 1991 Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) is commissioned at Norfolk, VA.
A large braider today.
1993 Light-off of the intercooled recuperated (ICR) gas turbine at the Royal Navy's Admiralty Test House in England. September 1993 Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) Celebrates its centennial anniversary. May 1997 A "Mast Stepping" is held onboard the Arthur W. Radford (DD 968), which is the U.S. Navy's first advanced hybrid composite structure. August 2006 Delivery of Emma Maersk, first container ship of greater than 12,000 TEU.
Sources: www.history.navy.mil; William du Barry Thomas, Society of Naval Architects & Marine Engineers, NASA. "Where the Fleet Begins: A History of the David Taylor Research Center", by Rodney P. Carlisle
� In 1957, Samson Cordage Works developed the first synthetic double-braided rope. This patented construction produced ropes far stronger, more durable, and easier to handle than the 3-strand twisted ropes made since ancient times. � In 1972, Samson Cordage Works cooperated with Ocean Systems, Inc., also of Richmond B.C., Canada, to develop the first double-braid synthetic-fiber rope used to moor an oil tanker to a loading buoy located in the North Sea. It was through this cooperation that Samson Cordage Works and Ocean Systems united to become Samson Ocean Systems. � In 1992, AMCO achieved another milestone when they perfected the co-extrusion process and produced a fiber that was 30% stronger and three times more abrasion-resistant than polypropylene. With the advent of high-modulus polyethylene (HMPE) fiber, rope making was primed for yet another era. High-modulus polyethylene provides the strongest synthetic ropes in the world. The use of lightweight HMPE ropes revolutionized the industry again, significantly affecting a multitude of industries. The marine industry in particular has benefited from high-performance ropes that have increased crew safety, and made operations more efficient and cost effective. Hooven Allison continues to make natural fiber rope and synthetic cordage products, and Gladding Braided Products is also still in business, catering to marine and military industries. In 1993, Samson Ocean Systems, Herzog Rope, and AMCO merged to become the worldwide leader in high-performance cordage. Now known simply as Samson, the company's trademark depicting Samson slaying a lion is the oldest active registered trademark in the United States. In 1996, Samson developed AmSteel-Blue using Dyneema to construct a rope that is, size for size, 1/7th the weight and as strong as wire rope.
The Future of Rope
Wheeler Shipyards, Inc. in Brooklyn, NY built 230 83-ft. U.S. Coast Guard cutters, 72 of which wer stationed in Poole, England for the DDay invasion. The Brooklyn yard closed at the end of WWII, and the Whitestone yard (pictured above) in 1948 when the Wheeler Yacht Co., Inc. was opened at the site of the Dawn Boat Works at Clason Point, the Bronx, where they resumed yacht building.
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Today, rope making is a science deepened by research, development, and testing. The world of highperformance ropes is ever expanding. Samson continues to pioneer new products for the marine industry, which include the first synthetic rope to exceed 3.3 million pounds in breaking strength, a line of products that provide higher coeffciency of friction for better grip, a reduced-recoil rope, and a fire-resistant towing pendant. Anchored solidly by its history, rope technology has a long future.
Contributed by Merry Schnell, Samson
January 2009
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