at Pearl Harbor. (U.S.
Navy photo)
Pearl Harbor, restored to the nation’s consciousness by the current motion picture, is also fertile ground for business — in this, the 60th anniversary of the bombing that brought us actively into World War II.
American Insulated Wire, of Pawtucket, is supplying cable and related products to the U.S. Navy in Pearl Harbor where the “Rim of the Pacific” war games are scheduled to begin.
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To accommodate the war games between the different sectors of the military, workers at Pearl Harbor Naval Base are putting the finishing touches on new pier-side facilities. The Pawtucket-based AIW supplied 700,000 feet of cable for the project.
AIW products were used for the project’s shore power systems, which allow visiting warships to dock at Pearl Harbor for the exercises. According to AIW Marketing Communications Manager Jack Christie each pier side assembly contains 12 outlets, each carrying 400 amps of power, for 4,800 amps supplied to each ship. A warship at the dock typically draws about 3,000 amps of power.
Although Christie could not disclose financial details of the project he said it is being called the largest project on the base since World War II. The new facilities provide critical infrastructure for the Rim of the Pacific, also known as RIMPAC, which are held regularly in the waters surrounding Hawaii, and involve more than 50 ships, 200 aircraft and 22,000 military personnel from seven nations.
In addition to the cables that supply power from the utility substation to the electrical switchboard, AIWC supplied about 500,000 feet of 600V XHHW cable for control circuits. This is a cable with a smaller diameter, which allows for smaller conduits to house the conductors, which are less expensive than the larger types.
Not only did AIW save the U.S. Navy money, said AIW independent representative Denny Luce, but space as well. When the project’s general contractor hit a solid bed of coral while attempting to set the piers, a demolition crew had to blast out the coral before work could proceed.
“Space on the island is at a premium and warehousing costs are high,” said Luce. “In this environment it’s nearly as bad for the product to arrive early as to arrive late.”
Christie said synchronizing the delivery was important so the cable could be shipped immediately after it was manufactured, and because of the unforeseen delay caused by the coral rock, it was a good thing the ship arrived when it did.
“It’s almost like the boat became the warehouse,” he said.
As for the timing of the project, Christie said AIW began working on the project last year.
“Then somebody told me there was a new movie about Pearl Harbor,” said Christie, “and they thought we timed it, but we had no idea.”
