[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 19 (Wednesday, February 6, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S728]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       RECOGNIZING HODGDON YACHTS

 Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, today I commend a Maine business 
that last month unveiled a remarkably sturdy vessel for use by our 
Nation's Navy SEALs, a project for which I was honored to secure 
funding for. Hodgdon Yachts of East Boothbay, a family-owned company 
for five generations, has been a source of pride for Maine's 
boatbuilding industry for nearly 200 years, and its recent 
accomplishment is without a doubt one of its most impressive.
  Hodgdon Yachts began building boats in 1816, when the company 
launched the 42-foot schooner Superb. Since then, Hodgdon Yachts has 
developed a reputation as one of New England's premier shipbuilders, 
persevering through difficult times and continually reevaluating its 
company's methods to be consistently on the cutting edge of the latest 
technologies. Of particular note for the State of Maine is Hodgdon's 
1921 schooner Bowdoin, named for the Brunswick alma mater of Arctic 
explorer Donald MacMillan. The boat proved itself an invaluable tool in 
Arctic research and sailed more than 300,000 miles over 26 icy voyages 
in its career. Prior to the Bowdoin, the company turned its attention 
to building submarine chasers for the military in World War I, and 
continued its defense work by gaining minesweeper and troop transport 
contracts during both World War II and the Korean war.
  By the late 1950s, Hodgdon Yachts returned to building more 
traditional wooden yachts for a variety of customers. By the mid-1980s, 
the company began to modernize its shipbuilding, providing clients with 
yachts of superb quality and strength while employing innovative 
technology in the creation of its boats. Hodgdon Yachts recently began 
using carbon Kevlar deposits to construct its yachts to make the boats 
as strong and secure as possible.
  Hodgdon's proficiency in using Kevlar proved useful when, in May 
2005, the company won a contract from the U.S. Navy's Office of Naval 
Research to build the prototype for a new special operations craft 
using these composites. The ship has a foam core surrounded by multiple 
layers of carbon, and its durability its reinforced by an outer layer 
of Kevlar. On January 11, 2008, the company launched this prototype, 
the 82-foot Mako V.1, named for a shark that frequents the Gulf of 
Maine's waters. It is the first Navy vessel constructed with carbon-
fiber technology and was designed to protect Navy SEALs from injuries 
caused by the harsh conditions of the seas. Hodgdon teamed up with 
Maine Marine Manufacturing and the University of Maine in completing 
the Mako V.1, and I am so proud of the role that each played in 
supporting our nation's armed forces. I look forward to successful 
trials by the Navy and the continued role Hodgdon Yachts will play in 
the production of this fine vessel.
  Throughout its history, Hodgdon Yachts has produced over 400 yachts 
and ships, perhaps none more vital than its latest. The company's work 
to keep shipbuilding alive and well in Maine is well documented, 
including President Tim Hodgdon's involvement in the formation of Maine 
Built Boats, an alliance whose goal is to present Maine's boatbuilding 
industry to a wider global audience. I firmly believe that, given our 
seafaring history and established work ethic, Mainers build the best 
ships, and Hodgdon Yachts only further exemplifies this tradition. I 
commend everyone at Hodgdon Yachts for their remarkable accomplishment 
in the Mako V.1, and wish them well in their future boatbuilding 
endeavors. 

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