ABS Center for Engineering wing named for MMA alum.

IN APRIL, Maine Maritime Academy named a part of the ABS Center for Engineering, Science, and Research the Robert D. Somerville ’65 Wing in honor of Somerville’s tremendous contributions to the world of shipping.

Bob Somerville arrived at the Maine Maritime Academy campus in 1961 from the County. He was raised on maritime tales of his great-grandfather, a ship captain lost at sea, and those tales gave Somerville his own love for the sea. He graduated with a degree in Marine Engineering in 1965 and began his career at Texaco, eventually rising to 1st Engineer. Three years later, he took a position with Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock in the Atomic Power Division, working on the construction of nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers. He joined American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) in 1970 as a field surveyor, and after a 43-year career, retired from ABS and the ABS Group of Companies in 2013.