1423 Powhatan St., Suite 1
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Phone (703) 836-6727
Fax (703) 836-7491
Email: asnehq@navalengineers.org

 

ASNE is the leading professional engineering society for engineers, scientists and allied professionals who conceive, design, develop, test, construct, outfit, operate and maintain complex naval and maritime ships, submarines and aircraft and their associated systems and subsystems.  ASNE also serves the educators who train the professionals, researchers who develop related technology, and students who are preparing for the profession.  Society activities provide support for the U.S. Navy; U.S. Coast Guard; U.S. Marine Corps; U.S. Merchant Marine and U.S. Army.

ASNE is the seventh oldest technical society in the United States.  It was founded in 1888 by a group of naval engineering pioneers, most of them officers of the U.S. Navy's Engineering Corps, who sought a unified approach to their profession in order to make the most of new advances in technology. The purposes of ASNE are:           

  • to advance the knowledge and practice of naval engineering in public and private applications and operations,
  • to enhance the professionalism and well-being of members, and
  • to promote naval engineering as a career field.

For 125 years, the Society’s objectives have been strengthened and preserved to meet the changing needs of a time-honored profession. Today ASNE conducts a variety of technical meetings and symposia, publishes the highly regarded Naval Engineers Journal and a number of other technical proceedings and publications, and fosters professional development and technical information exchange through technical committees, local section activities and cooperative efforts with government organizations and other professional societies.

The Society's annual meeting, ASNE Day, is typically held in February of each year in the Washington, DC, area. The meeting features major addresses by high level industry and government leaders and panel discussions by leading members of the profession.  It also includes presentation and discussion of technical papers on a variety of timely naval engineering topics, presentation of the Society's prestigious annual awards and a large exposition with government and industry exhibits covering the full spectrum of naval engineering technology. ASNE Day is highlighted by the Society’s annual Honors Gala, attended by hundreds of executives and senior managers from both government and industry.

Our website is designed to not only serve our members, but also to support scholars, students and others interested in the varied field of naval engineering.  We welcome your suggestions on ways we can improve your experience. 

RDML James P. Downey


Award: Gold Medal Award
Year: 2016
Recipient:
RDML James P. Downey

Reason:
For his significant contribution to naval engineering as set forth in the following:

CITATION:

Rear Admiral James P. Downey displayed superb technical knowledge, unparalleled leadership and acquisition acumen as Major Program Manager (MPM) of the Navy’s DDG 1000 shipbuilding program, culminating in delivery of the first ship of the class on 20 May 2016. 

Rear Admiral Downey flawlessly managed the execution of DDG 1000's complex shipbuilding contracts valued in excess of $2 billion. He aggressively led an industry and government shipbuilding team - including four major prime contractors, spanning two major shipyards. Through skillful oversight and negotiations, RDML Downey led cost reduction initatives at the two shipyards, saving the government over $37 million, and led a team that increased the level of quality and workload completion resulting in an unheard of first time quality award of 97.7% for a lead ship. 

Rear Admiral Downey showed extraordinary ship production expertise in streamlining and developing a revised schedule for DDG 1000 delivery, producing a delivery strategy that reduced costs, removed redundancies, and improved the overall warfighting readiness of USS Zumwalt and her sister ship. As MPM, RDML Downey drove resolution of technical issues which ensured Zumwalt was prepared for her first underway during the Machinery Trials, successful completion of the Builder's Trials, and the ensuing exceptional performance during the Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) Acceptance Trials, resulting in acceptance and delivery of DDG 1000. 

Rear Admiral Downey’s professional ability, unmatched naval engineering expertise – proven under fire, outstanding leadership, and total devotion to duty were the crucial factors for successful progression to Christening, Launch, completion of an extensive series of test and trials, and ultimately Delivery of the First of Class USS ZUMWALT (DDG 1000). For these significant achievements, Rear Admiral Downey is truly deserving of the American Society of Naval Engineers’ Gold Medal Award for 2016.