FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 9, 2022
Release #2207 Point of Contact—Jeffrey Prater (401) 832-2039
Retired NUWC Division Newport employees receive DON Civilian Service Awards
Retired Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport employees Robert McGovern and James “Jim” Manton recently received Department of the Navy (DON) Civilian Service Awards.
McGovern, a resident of Richmond, Rhode Island, received the DON Superior Civilian Service Award, the second highest honorary civilian award bestowed by the U.S. Navy. He retired on Dec. 31, 2020, after a 35-year Navy career. He was the chief analyst for the Sensors and Sonar Systems Department, where he gained wide recognition as an expert in acoustic modeling and simulation.
“His high-level analyses informed senior decision makers and facilitated important decisions regarding trade-offs between operational utility and other practical constraints,” the award states.
“McGovern’s analyses and oversight of sonar performance predictions provided critical inputs to the Columbia-class Program Office and the Operational Navy’s ‘Undersea Influence’ Branch regarding the tactical utility of various sonar suite options intended for the future Columbia-class submarine.”
Manton, a resident of Swansea, Massachusetts, retired June 30, 2021, from the Undersea Warfare Combat Systems Department as a senior platform engineer after a 34-year career at Division Newport. He received the DON Meritorious Civilian Service Award, the third highest honorary civilian award.
“He had a proven track record of leadership and collaboration,” the award states. “As a member of a team focused on construction performance initiatives in 2007, he helped achieve $174.1 million in savings per ship by the end of that year. He worked hand-in-hand with Electric Boat to deliver on the full process for the Virginia-class Program Office’s Integrated Product and Process Development acquisition strategy, defining control room and electronics spaces for all Virginia-class submarines. Manton’s efforts were critical in establishing a combined Virginia- and Columbia-class Non-Propulsion Electronics Systems Platform Engineering Team.”
NUWC Division Newport is a shore command of the U.S. Navy within the Naval Sea Systems Command, which engineers, builds and supports America’s fleet of ships and combat systems. NUWC Newport provides research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, undersea offensive and defensive weapons systems, and countermeasures associated with undersea warfare.
NUWC Newport is the oldest warfare center in the country, tracing its heritage to the Naval Torpedo Station established on Goat Island in Newport Harbor in 1869. Commanded by Capt. Chad Hennings, NUWC Newport maintains major detachments in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Andros Island in the Bahamas, as well as test facilities at Seneca Lake and Fisher's Island, New York, Leesburg, Florida, and Dodge Pond, Connecticut.
Join our team! NUWC Division Newport, one of the 20 largest employers in Rhode Island, employs a diverse, highly trained, educated, and skilled workforce. We are continuously looking for engineers, scientists, and other STEM professionals, as well as talented business, finance, logistics and other support experts who wish to be at the forefront of undersea research and development. Please connect with NUWC Division Newport Recruiting at this site- https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/Warfare-Centers/NUWC-Newport/Career-Opportunities/ and follow us on LinkedIn @NUWC-Newport and on Facebook @NUWCNewport.
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