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NAVSEA
regarding use of the SEACOASTER® technology in Naval Craft. The SEACOASTER®
offers a great advantage over other vessel types for military applications
in that it is beachable. Other military advantages over conventional craft
are that, due to its air cushions, it has a reduced sonar and magnetic
signature and is much less susceptible to damage from underwater ordinance
explosions. It is finding strong interest for the Navy/Marine Corps Sea
Basing Program and the Army Theater Support Vessel (TSV) among others. One
of ARC’s licensees, American Marine Holdings (AMH), Sarasota, FL, has
received a contract to build and extensively test a 31 Meter (102 Foot) 50+
knot SEACOASTER® demonstration boat for the Office of Naval Research (ONR).
That boat is under construction to ABS class at AUSTAL USA, Mobile, AL. AMH
owns Donzi Marine and ProLine Boats and is one of the world’s largest
manufacturers of quality pleasure and small patrol boats. AUSTAL is the
largest builder of high-speed aluminum ferry and military boats in the
world (www.austal.com).
Another licensee of ARC’s patents is Vectorworks Marine, Inc., Titusville,
FL (www.vectorworksmarine.com)
a builder of high tech composite boats.
Another
marine development of Mr. Burg’s relates to patented and patent pending
inventions for improving the efficiency of large ships. His SEACRUISER™
inventions differ from the SEACOASTER® in that they are intended for
displacement hull ships such as large military combatants, high speed
freighters, and the like. The SEACRUISER™ may offer as much as 25 percent
efficiency gains over conventional large high-speed displacement hull ship
designs.
A further marine invention of
Mr. Burg’s is the patented HYDRO-AIR DRIVE® (HAD) enclosed rotor marine
propulsor. This revolutionary new flush inlet waterjet has a half submerged
rotor that runs aerated inside a duct. Tests in a 12-meter hull show
efficiencies better than waterjets, no cavitation, no effect of air
ingestion, and other benefits. The HAD is applicable to all marine
vehicles. It offers particular advantage to air cushioned vessels such as
SEACOASTER® since it is not effected by air entrained in its inlet water
where a standard waterjet performs poorly. The HAD technology is covered by
issued and pending U.S. and international patents.
PRIOR MARINE
EXPERIENCE: Mr. Burg’s prior marine related experience
includes being Project Engineer, Applied Research, Pratt & Whitney
Aircraft (P&WA), West Palm Beach, FL. He directed design, development,
and testing of high-pressure liquid hydrogen/oxygen rocket engine
turbo-machinery. These rocket engine developments led to assignment as
Project Engineer on gas turbine/waterjet propulsion systems, up to 30,000
HP per shaft, for naval use. Included were waterjet inlet design, advanced
marine craft design, mission analysis studies, and technical papers. He was
responsible lead engineer for application of waterjet systems in commercial
and navy marine craft including testing of a ST-6 gas turbine powered
P&WA SEAJET in a test and demonstration boat. Two of the SEAJET units
were very successfully installed in the Navy XR1 SES demonstration vessel
and were used in Navy test programs into the eighties.
PROFESSIONAL
AFFILIATIONS: SNAME (Society of Naval Architects and
Marine Engineers) where he was a Director of SE Section, ASNE (American
Society of Naval Engineers), and the Navy League. He is a member of the
President’s Council of ASNE and was a recipient of the Centennial Award from
SNAME.
PUBLICATIONS:
1) “Experience with the Air-Assisted Catamaran: SEACOASTER” by
Don Burg and Sean Brown, Air Ride Craft, Inc. (ARC) Presented at FERRIES
2003 sponsored by MarineLog magazine, Ft. Lauderdale, Nov. 12-14,
2003, 2) “Air-Assisted Catamaran Concepts for Amphibious Operations” by
Wayne Johnson and Don Burg, Air Ride Craft, USA, presented at the Royal
Institute of Naval Architects International Conference on “Warship 2000”,
London, 3) “The SEACOASTER Air Assisted Catamaran” By D. Burg and W.
Johnson, American Society of Naval Engineers, “ASNE Day 2000”, Washington,
4) “Air Assisted Catamaran, The SEACOASTER Concept” by D. Burg, W. Johnson,
presented at RINA Conference “Hydrodynamics of High Speed Craft, 1999”,
London, Nov. 24-25, 1999, 5) “Building and Operating and Air Assisted
Catamaran for the Great Lakes” by Don Burg, ARC, and Duane Ohly, Island
Express Boat Lines, Sandusky, OH presented at “FERRIES “99”, Nov. 15-16,
1999, sponsored by Marine Log/Passenger Vessel Association, 6) “SEACOASTER
Air Assisted Catamaran and HYDRO-AIR DRIVE Ventilated Waterjet Propulsor”
by Don Burg, presented at MACC Conference, Little Creek, VA, June 22-24,
1999, 7) “The Revolutionary New SEACOASTER Advanced Marine Vehicle” by Don
Burg, President, ARC. Presented at the Eighth Annual International
Boatbuilder’s Exhibition and Conference (IBEX), Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Feb
4-6, 1999, 8) “SEACOASTER: The practical SES ferry” by D. Burg, President,
ARC. Presented at FERRIES ‘96 Conference, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Nov
10-12, 1996. Conference sponsored by The Passenger Ferry Council of
Passenger Vessel Association and MarineLog magazine, 9) SEACOASTER
as an Offshore Gaming Boat” by Don Burg, President, ARC. OFFSHORE GAMING
CONFERENCE, Miami, Nov. 7-8, 1996. Conference sponsored by American Marine
Tourism Conference (AMTC) and Passenger Vessel News magazine, 10)
“Test and Analysis of a Gas Turbine Driven Waterjet Propulsion System” by
D. Burg, Project Engineer, Pratt & Whitney Aircraft. SNAME SE Section
meeting, Miami, 1969.
PATENTS:
Mr. Burg has more than forty U.S. plus international patents
in a variety of fields. These have resulted in a dozen commercially
successful products ranging from sophisticated medical test equipment to
advanced marine vehicles. The majority of his patents are in the marine
field. Some of Mr. Burg’s recent consumer product inventions may be seen
at: www.turbotail.com Information
on his SEACOASTER® inventions may be seen at: www.seacoaster.com
OTHER
EXPERIENCE: Mr. Burg brings a diversity of experience to
the table in his abilities to develop high technology products. These range
from being an engineer on rocket engine development at Rocketdyne, Canoga
Park, CA to his positions as Engineering Manager at Baxter Medical, Miami,
developing cutting edge medical products and Engineering Manager at
RACAL-MILGO, Miami, developing ion particle measuring instruments for
universities and government research centers. He also has extensive
experience in developing consumer products.
EDUCATION:
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, University of Florida (UF),
Gainesville, FL. Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering postgraduate work
UF.
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