American Shipbuilding Association

The 2007 recipient of the Herbert H. Bateman Award is Senator Susan Collins (R-ME).  Senator Collins was elected to the United States Senate in 1996.  She is the Ranking Member and former Chairwoman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, in addition to serving on the Armed Services Committee.   Senator Collins is a dedicated advocate for larger shipbuilding budgets to rebuild the U.S. Navy Fleet, and diligently works to maintain a strong shipbuilding industrial base.  She was a leader in defeating the Navy’s “One Shipyard” acquisition approach for the DDG-1000 program ensuring that America maintains two surface combatant shipyards.  The Senator is a proponent of alternative financing for naval ships to enable more ships to be contracted annually.  She is leading the fight in the Senate to close loopholes in Department of Defense acquisition laws that allow for the de facto purchase of foreign-built ships to meet this country’s dedicated military sealift needs.  Senator Collins also works to promote U.S. commercial shipbuilding through her support for funding the Title XI ship loan guarantee program and maintaining the Jones Act.

2000 - Representative Herbert H. Bateman (R-VA)