HISTORY OF GIBBS & COX

Gibbs & Cox, Inc. is an independent engineering and design firm specializing naval architecture, marine engineering, management support, and consulting engineering. The firm is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia with offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Hampton, Virginia, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The firm is organized into two Business Areas; Program Management Group focused on ship build programs, and, Government Services Group focused on services support programs to the US government.  Our Arlington, New York, Washington and Philadelphia offices constitute our Engineering Services Group providing engineering and management services. Our Hampton office constitutes our Design Services Group providing design and life cycle support services. Together, these four Groups offer full service support to our government and commercial clients. Gibbs & Cox, Inc. is certified as ISO compliant under ISO 9001:2000 for design, engineering and administrative services.

Since its founding in 1929, Gibbs & Cox, Inc. has been continuously providing services to the U.S. and international navies, other government agencies, shipyards, and commercial clients. Over this almost 80 year period, thousands of naval and commercial ships have been built to Gibbs & Cox, Inc. designs. The firm was founded by William Francis Gibbs, his brother Frederick H. Gibbs and Daniel Cox, a noted yacht designer. William Francis Gibbs was the inspirational leader of the firm from its inception until his death in 1967. Mr. Gibbs was a lawyer by education but a ship designer by avocation. Prior to forming Gibbs & Cox, Inc., Mr. Gibbs had extensive experience in shipbuilding. During World War I, he was the Assistant to the Chairman of the Shipping Control Committee. In 1922, he and his brother formed Gibbs Brothers, Ind. to convert the liner VATERLAND to the LEVIATHAN. Prior to 1933, the firm was noted primarily for its commercial ships and liners as well as mega-yacht designs. The long association of Gibbs & Cox, Inc. with the U.S. Navy began in 1933 when the U.S. Navy awarded the design of the MAHAN Class Destroyers. Since 1933, the firm has designed every class of destroyers for the U.S. Navy, with only one exception.

During World War II, Gibbs & Cox was a leader in the building of our maritime forces. Over 5400 ships were built to Gibbs & Cox, Inc. design during the War. This represents over 70 percent of the tonnage launched in the United States. These included destroyers, destroyer escorts, light cruisers, landing ships and amphibious assault vessels, liberty ships, minesweepers, icebreakers, tankers, tenders. In addition to the design work, Gibbs & Cox, Inc. was also responsible for the central procurement of all materials and equipment. At its peak, the firm issued 10,000 blueprints a month and 6,700 purchase orders per day.

Following World War II, the firm continued to specialize in the detail design of surface combatants, including the design of six classes of combatants between 1945 and 1970, including the SHERMAN, ADAMS, COONTZ Class Destroyers, the LEAHY and BELKNAP Class Cruisers, and the KNOX Class Frigates. In this period, the firm also designed numerous commercial cargo and container ships as well as tankers.

The firm also designed a number of ocean liners over this period, including its signature ship the SS UNITED STATES. The SS UNITED STATES was the largest merchant ship in the U.S. Fleet when completed in 1952. It established the transatlantic speed record, averaging 35.6 knots in its crossing, winning the Hales Trophy and coveted Blue Ribbon for the fastest crossing. It was designed to be an exceptionally safe ship, and in time of war could be converted to a troopship for 15,000 troops. The ship remained in operation until 1969.

In 1972, Gibbs & Cox, Inc. was awarded the detail design of the FFG 7 OLIVER PERRY Class Frigates. This Class ultimately consisted of 51 ships built for the U.S. Navy and 16 ships built in the U. S. or abroad for the Australian, Spanish and Taiwanese navies. Gibbs & Cox, Inc. produced and maintained the design for the three U.S. yards building the ship, as well as those built internationally. The FFG 7 Program also allowed the firm to grow internationally providing design services and technology transfer of design capability.

In Australia, Gibbs & Cox, Inc. has worked with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) for nearly 40 years. This relationship began with the PERTH Class variant of the U.S. Navy's DDG 2 Class ships and continued with the design of the ADELAIDE Class variant of the FFG 7 Class ships. For the ADELAIDE Class, this included support during construction of the two ships built in country. Most recently, Gibbs & Cox, Inc. worked with the ADI and Lockheed Martin for the RAN FFG Upgrade Program. Gibbs & Cox, Inc. provided the engineering and design for the system upgrades for the ADELAIDE Class ships in the RAN fleet.

In Taiwan, Gibbs & Cox, Inc. developed the design of the Taiwan Navy PFG 2 Class frigates (variants of the FFG 7 Class). This included incorporation of unique Taiwanese combat and ship systems into the class. Gibbs & Cox, Inc. is also currently providing support for upgrades to the class, and has provided training and on-site construction support throughout the construction of the ships. Gibbs & Cox, Inc. also developed, to a contract design level, an Advanced Combat System (ACS) ship for the Taiwan Navy. This design incorporated an early version of the AEGIS SPY IF combat system into a low radar signature, all steel and frigate hull.

In Spain, Gibbs & Cox, Inc. has worked with the Spanish Navy and IZAR (formerly Bazan) for over 30 years. Gibbs & Cox, Inc. also developed the design of their BALEARES Class (variant of FF 1052 Class), SANTA MARIA Class (variant of the FFG 7 Class), and PRINCIPE DE ASTURIAS Aircraft Carrier. In each case, Gibbs & Cox, Inc. incorporated unique Spanish and European combat and ship systems into the design, and provided training and on site support throughout design and construction. Gibbs & Cox, Inc. also provided support to the Spanish Navy's Modernization and Overhaul Program for their BALEARES Class, where the firm assessed the applicability of potential ship alterations, developed the alteration packages for approved changes, and maintained configuration management of the class. Gibbs & Cox, Inc. also supported IZAR on the design of a new AEGIS frigate for Norway.   Gibbs & Cox has also been supporting Navantia shipyard in the upgrade of their F100 class ship for the Australian AWD program.

In 1985, Gibbs & Cox, Inc., teamed with Bath Iron Works, was awarded the contract to be the lead ship design agent for the DDG 51 ARLEIGH BURKE Class AEGIS Guided Missile Destroyer. Gibbs & Cox, Inc. is currently the upgrade design contractor to the U.S. Navy and the class design subcontractor to Bath Iron Works for the follow ships of the class. Four ships were delivered to the Navy in 2003, bringing to 40 the number of ships in commission. Approximately twenty-two additional ships either are under construction or are planned. As part of this effort, Gibbs & Cox, Inc. developed an extensive series of upgrade alternatives for the DDG 51 Class, including the addition of helicopter facilities (incorporated in Flight IIA), additional VLS cells, advanced gun systems, mine hunting capability and electric drive.

During the late 1980's to the present, Gibbs & Cox, Inc. has been a member of industry teams for the major U.S. Navy ship design programs, including: the T-AGM OBSERVATION ISLAND Cobra Judy Conversion with Raytheon; the T-AKR 300 BOB HOPE Class Large Medium-Speed, RO-RO Ships with Avondale Shipyards; ARSENAL Ship with Lockheed Martin, Newport News Shipbuilding and Ingalls Shipbuilding; the U.S. Coast Guard Deepwater Program with SAIC and Marinette Marine; the DD 21/DDX Blue Team with Bath Iron Works and Lockheed Martin; and most recently the Lockheed Martin LCS Team with Lockheed Martin, Marinette Marine and Bollinger Shipyards. Internationally, we have recently supported ADI on the Royal Australian Navy FFG Upgrade Program, and provided support to IZAR on the Norwegian Frigate Program, and China Shipbuilding on the PFG 2 Class construction.

Also, throughout this period we continued to support our Naval customers on major ship design and research development programs in the areas of shock analysis and trials, advanced shock design, advanced hull forms, integrated power systems, commonality, composites, and others. We also continued our ongoing work with the U.S. Navy on the DDG 51 Flight Upgrade Program and with Bath Iron Works on the DDG 51 Class follow ship design.

In the late 1990, we opened up offices in Hampton, Virginia and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in order to broaden our support to the Hampton Roads area Naval community and the NSWC Philadelphia community. In 2005, we reorganized to our current organization with our Washington, New York and Philadelphia Office constituting our Engineering Services Group and our Hampton Office constituting our Design Services Group. These two groups work closely to provide our customers with the full service management, engineering and design services support we offer.

Today, nearly 175 naval vessels now in service or under contract worldwide, including over 80% of our Navy's current surface combatant fleet, are built to our designs. Included in these are the designs of the DDG 51 Class AEGIS Guided Missile Destroyers and the FFG 7 Class Guided Missile Frigates. Gibbs & Cox, Inc. also provides a broad spectrum of support to NAVSEA, NSWC, SUPSHIP, Military Sealift Command and other government agencies, such as the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as well as state and local agencies. We have also been actively involved on industry design and engineering teams, as well as supporting ongoing research and development activities and life cycle programs.

Gibbs & Cox, Inc. is teamed with Lockheed Martin, Marinette Marine, and Bollinger Shipyards on the ongoing design competition for the Littoral Combat Ship design and construction program. The LCS design is a high speed, modular, focused mission combatant ship designed to fight against asymmetrical forces in the littorals. The LCS Program is currently the U.S. Navy's highest priority.

Gibbs & Cox, Inc. currently provides direct technical support to the U.S. Navy, including direct support to the DDG 51 Guided Missile Destroyer program, CG 47 Guided Missile Cruiser modernization program, the LHD 8 and LHA(R) Amphibious Assault Ship programs, as well as a variety of ship system development and future force design programs. This ongoing work includes support to NAVSEA program offices, technical codes and major laboratories.

Gibbs & Cox, Inc. also continues to support owners, shipyards, system integrators, and government clients worldwide on a variety of ship design and ship system development and modernization programs.

Our Design Services Group offers a wide range of design and CAD services to various government and shipyard customers. Our Hampton Office provides direct design and CAD services, as well as waterfront engineering support to government agencies, shipyards and other marine clients, both in the Hampton area, and in concert with other elements of the firm, worldwide.