European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 31, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday july 31. 1937 the stars and stripes Page 5 mine sweeper program Falls behind plagued by Cost overruns design problems . Washington not the Navy has fallen years behind schedule in rebuilding its obsolete of Eccl of mine sweepers and is hundreds of millions of dollars Over budget according to government officials. The question of the Navy s mine sweeping capability has become critical in recent weeks because of Inci dents involving mines in the persian Gulf including a july 24 explosion that damaged a land or flying the american Flag and under . Navy escort. Because of a two year delay in a si.5 billion pro Gram to build oceangoing mine sweepers the first of the new Avenger class of such vessels is still under going sea trials and won t be commissioned until sep tember. By now. Five of the 14 ships in the class were supposed 10 have been delivered. Last year the Navy cancelled a separate program to build i coastal mine Hunters and is now arranging to buy ships designed in Italy instead. The mine sweeper programs  generated More Gray hair than any other program in the Navy one government official said. There have been difficulties in the two programs for years but the problems Are receiving additional Atten Tion now because the Navy finds itself with limited ability to Clear mines from shipping lanes in the per Sian Gulf where five merchant vessels have struck mines since May 17. The vessel damaged in the july 24 explosion the supertanker Bridgeton had been preregistered under the american Flag and was sailing in the first Convoy of kuwaiti vessels to be escorted through t Gulf by american warships. Pentagon officials said tuesday hat seven More mines had been discovered in the area where the Brid Goclon struck the mine officials have said that because the Navy has Only three very old mine sweepers in Active service it is unlikely to use its own ships Loelar the Gulf shipping lanes. Instead helicopters and other unspecified Mea sures must be used perhaps with the assistance of saudi arabian mine sweepers or ships obtained from America s european allies. Officials have refused to say whether such requests have been made. As Early As 198, government officials warned that the Navy s ability to counter mines was dwindling. The Reagan administration moved to Correct the problem with a program to build 31 mine Hunters and mine sweepers ii did so amid repealed warnings by naval experts hat strategic Waters including those of the persian Gulf a arc especially vulnerable to being closed by mining. But the two programs ran into problems from the outset. The wooden hulled oceangoing mine sweepers built by Peterson builders of Sturgeon Bay wis. And Mann the Marine corp. Of Marin Elic wis., suffered from repeated design changes and engineering flaws. The first of them will be delivered at $53 million above the original Cost of $100 million. The second also late will Cost $37 million above the amount Origi Nally budgeted an official said. The rest of the nine ships ordered so far Are running 10 percent to 20 per cent above the targeted Cost. The program to build a fibreglass hulled mine Hunter which would detect mines using sonar equipment fared no belter. In april Navy Secretary James Webb said in a letter to the House appropriations commit tee that the program had to be cancelled after nearly two years of design work because of the complexity of the construction techniques and the inexperience of the build or text Ron Marine systems of new Orleans officials said that when a prototype of the Hull was subjected to Shock tests simulating the nearby Deto nation Ofa mine is layers Peel it apart. The Navy now plans to have ships built in the United states loan italian design. The first will Cost an estimated si20 million far More than originally planned officials said. Navy experts on mine sweepers have said that if Modem ships and trained Crews were available in the persian Gulf they could be of real assistance in the operation to escort tankers to Kuhail. But they added that mines would still be a serious danger. Because mine sweepers operate no spec is of Only about five Knols and Cut a relatively narrow Swath of safely through mined Waters they Are not often used to sweep ahead of convoys. Instead they troll through Waters where mines might be a danger and Mark Chan Nels Hal arc Safe for ships to use. The mines that have been found in Ilic Kuwait area and the one Hal hit the Bridgeton arc of a variety that is moored 10 the sea Honor by a Cable allowing it to Floal just below the water s surface. They detonate Only when struck by a passing ship. Mine sweepers Are equipped with Cable cutters to Delach the mines which arc destroyed with gunfire or explosives when they Boblo he surface. The sight of riflemen watching for mines from the Bow of the Navy s escort ships in the persian Gulf seemed incongruous to some. Bui they a arc executing e Standard operation used by ships moving through mine Fields whether or not in the company of a mine sweeper. More sophisticated mines arc designed to lie on the sea Bottom or below the water s surface and to Duclo Nate when triggered by the noise magnetic influence or water pressure Given off by a passing ship it is not known if Iran possesses such sophisticated mines. Huge qu/7f dramatizes Impact of aids in . San Francisco a the names of Rock Hudson Liberace and thousands of other aids victims have been emblazoned on multicoloured fabric panels and Are being sewn into a giant Quitt to dramatize the startling statistics of the fatal disease. There s a tremendous amount of Cour age love and strength being shown by peo ple facing this epidemic not Only hos who have died but also their relatives friends and lovers says sevc Jones cock Dinalo of the names project. That s what we Hope All this  Cay activists will first display the quilt at an oct. 11 rally in Washington. Organizers say it will cover at least four Square blocks on Capitol mall viewers will be Able to wander among the names on the quilt placing Flowers or other me mentos for those they knew. About 1,000 panels have been contrib Sands of Lime Fulcd already and several thousand More from nearly every slate have been prom ised. The panels arc being sewn into 12 foot by 12-foot blocks adding Bunting with Metal ringed holes to the edges so pieces can be laced into different configurations. Most of the panels Are done in Bright cheerful colors. Liberace s panel for example features rhinestones in the shape of a grand piano. On its Back it reads the world May be a sadder place but heaven has More  Joanne Melody from Redwood City calif., said she donated a panel because it is in keeping with the spirit of traditional quilting  much of the straight comm Nily has looked away from this disease Melody said. This can t be done anymore. This is a wonderful Opportunity to look Saultis Dis ease again with a Little More  in the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. July 31, 1947 India and Australia formally re queued .  in the dutch indonesian conflict. 30 years ago today. ,. July 31, 1957 the civil aeronautics Board Lold the military services that they must Slop grabbing air space needed by commercial airlines. The order revoked the military s Ngallo declare vast areas off limits to commercial air traffic and made airspace restrictions subject to cab approval i Rcpt Dunn an enemy attack. 20 years ago today. July 31, 1967 burning through willed wreckage. Navy rescuers searched beneath the decks of the  aircraft earner of Rramal for missing crewmen As the death toll in the Cip Losion off the Vietnam coast Rose i 71 with 112 still missing. To years ago today. July Al. 1477 the i s. In \ a Jim irl cult in Kim Iron Iii us expected Lort turn after a in Jimr a Send i in1 i i Iii Ali Iliani Art ski Furuli a in unit during if i limit