In Memoriam: Harrison T. Loeser ‘43


Webb Institute is sorry to report the passing of Webb’s oldest living alumni, Harrison T. Loeser ’43. He passed away in Waterford, CT at the age of 98, on Wednesday, January 17, 2018.

Loeser wrote a book about his life and career as a naval architect and marine engineer in a book entitled, Tales of an Engineer. The book is available free online, thanks to Webb Institute. The 60-page softcover, perfect bound book can be obtained by sending a check for $10.00 plus $2.50 shipping and handling to The Proper Exposure at P.O. Box 1070, New London, CT 06320.

About Harrison T. Loeser ’43: 

He graduated from Bayside High School and then attended Webb Institute of Naval Architecture. He married Grace (Molwitz) Loeser upon graduation, then after a brief stint at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, he shipped out to Pearl Harbor where he was involved in the repair of ships damaged in the Pacific theater. He served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserve from 1943-46.

After the war, he joined Bethlehem Steel Corporation where he worked on the design of Naval and Merchant ships, including supertankers, the C-4 Mariner Class cargo vessels, passenger liners, the SS Independence and SS Constitution, as well as dry docks and drill platforms.

In 1953, he joined the Electric Boat (EB) Division of General Dynamics. The company gave him the opportunity to earn his master’s in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at MIT. There he received training in nuclear engineering which he used on the design of the power plant on the first nuclear-powered submarine – the USS Nautilus. Next, he was made an engineer on several nuclear projects, including the USS Skate (the first watercraft to surface at the North Pole), the USS Triton and the USS Seawolf.

He became a supervisor in the new research and development department where his projects included the submarine – test and research (STAR) series of one-man submarines, as well as work on the General Dynamics-deep submergence research vessel (GD-DSRV) project. He went on to a position as director of marine systems at the General Dynamics corporate office in New York. Before leaving EB, he became the chief Naval architect of advance engineering and program development at Bethlehem Steel Shipyard in Quincy,Mass. While working at EB, he was awarded several patents involving arrays and radiation processing.

In 1968, he accepted a position at the Naval Underwater Systems Center in New London (now the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, R.I.). While employed there, he helped select and locate acoustic arrays on the Trident class submarines. He also attended the Naval War College in Newport and was appointed science advisor to the U.S. Navy’s Second Fleet operating in the North Atlantic and Norwegian Sea. He worked again on the USS Nautilus, this time heading up the installation of the marine acoustic communications sonar (MACS) arrays that tested long distance sonar transmission. He was also responsible for installing research equipment on submarines for polar research.He retired in 1984, but continued his acoustics work, writing the Sonar Engineering Handbook (1992) and the Fundamentals of Ship Acoustics (1996) .In his senior years, he penned short stories of events that occurred to him over the course of his career which were published this fall as The Tales of an Engineer.In his retirement he thoroughly enjoyed sailing the waters off southeastern Connecticut.

He volunteered in the community as a deacon, Sunday school teacher, Boy Scout commissioner, treasurer of the West Farms Land Trust,ethics commissioner, charter revision commissioner, and as a Friend of Harkness Memorial Park.His wife Grace died in 2015. He is survived by a sister; children, Christopher Loeser (Christine), Jane Loeser Clukay (Robert) of Groton, and Douglas Loeser(Amy Horne); three grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, two nieces and a nephew. A celebration of his life will be held at a later date.

Donations in his name can be made to the Friends of Harkness Memorial State Park, Box 10, Waterford, CT 06385 or Webb Institute, 298 Crescent Beach Road, Glen Cove, NY 11542.

Webb Institute Featured in Princeton Review Book, “Colleges That Pay You Back: 2018 Edition”


Colleges that pay you back Webb Institute is one of the nation’s best colleges for students seeking a superb education with great career preparation and at an affordable price according to The Princeton Review.

The education services company profiles Webb Institute in the just-published 2018 edition of its annual guide, Colleges That Pay You Back: The 200 Schools That Give You the Best Bang for Your Tuition Buck (Penguin Random House / Princeton Review Books, $22.99, January 16, 2018).

Information on the book, its school profiles, and its seven categories of ranking lists are accessible for free on The Princeton Review’s website at https://www.princetonreview.com/colleges-pay-you-back.

The Princeton Review chose the schools based data it collected in 2016-17 from its surveys of administrators at more than 650 colleges. The company also factored in data from its surveys of students attending the schools and surveys of school alumni that PayScale.com conducted through April 2017.

In all, The Princeton Review crunched more than 40 data points to tally ROI (return on investment) ratings of the colleges that determined its selection of the 200 schools for the book. Topics covered everything from academics, cost, and financial aid to graduation rates, student debt, alumni salaries, and job satisfaction.

“We salute Webb Institute and all of our Colleges That Pay You Back schools.  They stand out for their outstanding academics and their affordability via generous financial aid to students with need and/or comparatively low sticker prices,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s Editor-in-Chief and lead author of the book. “Students at these colleges also have access to extraordinary career services from their freshman year on, plus a lifetime of valuable alumni support.”

In the book’s profile of Webb Institute, The Princeton Review editors praise the school for its phenomenal job prospects, unrivaled reputation in the marine industry, and real-world experience. A quote from a Webb student the company surveyed described Webb as, “THE college for Naval Architecture, and job offers are basically guaranteed after graduating.”  PayScale.com figures report Webb Institute graduates with at least a bachelor’s degree have a median starting salary of $70,800 and median mid-career salary of $138,200.

Webb Institute was also featured in Princeton Review’s 2018 edition of “The Best 382 Colleges,” which was published in August.

Winter Work Blogs 2018


Read Student First-Hand Experiences

Ioana, Maggie and Lina

Lina Tenenbaum ’21, Maggie Maguire ’21 & Ioana Mirica ’21

Westport 2018

Lina, Maggie, and Ioana are documenting their journey traveling to and working for Westport Yachts, LLC, in Washington.

Matt and Grant

Matthew Migliozzi ’20 & Grant Dixon ’20

Matt and Grant Lost at Sea

Matt and Grant are documenting their experiences aboard the Stolt Sincerity.

Mara and Nick

Mara DuVernois ’20 & Nicholas Yarka ’20

Antarctica Trip 2018

Read about Mara and Nick’s Winter Work term experiences as they travel aboard the Maersk PEARY to Antarctica.

Jonathan Hale '18

Jonathan Hale ’18

Winter Work: A D.C.* Story

Jonathan Hale ’18 is documenting his last winter work experience working for Gibbs & Cox in Arlington, VA.

Ben Hunt '21

Benjamin Hunt ’21

A Webb Winter 

Ben is documenting ’21 is documenting his experience living on campus and working for Brewers Marine.

Winter Work Term 2018


Our Winter Work term is a mandatory program for all students that takes place every January and February where our students spread out across the globe to gain real life working experience.

Freshmen work alongside ship fitters and welders in shipyards. Sophomores serve as student observers aboard ocean going ships to gain hands-on understanding and appreciation for the relationships between the marine environment, the shipping industry, the ship’s operators, and the ship’s design. Juniors and seniors network and apply themselves in design and engineering offices around the world.

Student blogs will be available soon!

See where our Webbies are this Winter Work Term! 

Please note the class of 2020 are on ships and can be tracked below.

List of Winter Work term companies and their locations:

Class of 2018

Austal USA Mobile AL
BMT Designers & Planners Alexandria VA
Clear Blue Sea San Diego CA
Donald L. Blount Associates, Inc. Chesapeake VA
Dougherty Manufacturing Edgewater FL
Eagle Bulk Shipping Stamford CT
Excelerate Energy Houston TX
Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding Sturgeon Bay WI
General Dynamics NASSCO San Diego CA
Gibbs and Cox, Inc. Arlington VA
Glosten, Inc. Seattle WA
Herbert Engineering Corp. Alameda CA
HII Newport News Shipbuilding Newport News VA
Maran Gas Maritime, Inc. Athens Greece
Navatek LTD S. Kingston RI
Ockerman Automation Consulting, Inc. Anacortes WA
Resolve Marine Group Ft. Lauderdale FL
Stolt-Nielsen Holdings B.V. Rotterdam The Netherlands
Vard Marine, Inc. Houston TX

Class of 2019

General Dynamics Bath Iron Works Bath ME
General Dynamics Electric Boat Groton CT
Gilbert Associates, Inc. Braintree MA
Great Lakes Shipyard Cleveland OH
Metal Shark Aluminum Boats, LLC Jeanerette LA
Philly Shipyard Philadelphia PA
Shipwright LLC Ft. Lauderdale FL
Vigor Industrial Seattle WA
Westport Yachts, LLC Port Angeles WA

Class of 2020 (On ocean-bound ships)

Crowley AMERICAN PRIDE – find the ship!
Crowley CHARLESTON EXPRESS – find the ship!
Crowley ST. LOUIS EXPRESS – find the ship!
Crowley SUNSHINE STATE – find the ship!
Crowley WASHINGTON EXPRESS – find the ship!
Eagle Bulk MADISON EAGLE – find the ship!
Eagle Bulk STONINGTON EAGLE – find the ship!
Maersk PEARY
Maran Gas PERICLES – find the ship!
Maran Gas SPARTA
Maran Gas WOODSIDE – find the ship!
Pasha MARJORIE C – find the ship!
Resolve Marine Group LANA ROSE – find the ship!
Stolt SINCERITY – find the ship!

Class of 2021

Austal USA Mobile AL
Brewers Marine Glen Cove NY
HII Newport News Shipbuilding Newport News VA
M. Rybovich & Sons Palm Beach Gardens FL
Metal Shark Aluminum Boats Franklin LA
New England Boatworks Portsmouth RI
Vigor Alaska Ketchikan AK
Westport Yachts, LLC Port Angeles WA
Westport Yachts, LLC Westport WA

Alumna Vicky Dlugokecki ’88 Named ASNE Member of the Month


Congratulations to Webb Alumna Vicky Dlugokecki ’88, P.E., for being named the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE) Member of the Month for December 2017! Vicky is an ASNE Council Member and an engineering consultant with over 25 years of experience in ship design and construction, and an employment background in shipyards, design offices and a regulatory agency.

See below what Vicky had to say to ASNE Membership and Graphic Design Manager Michelle Redmon:

Michelle: What got you into Naval Engineering? (What specific event or moment).

Vicky: Our industry recently lost a titan – Ron Kiss. During my time at Webb Institute, he was at the Pentagon as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Ship Programs ASN for Research, Development, and Acquisition at the Department of the Navy… To me, as a student and a budding naval architect and marine engineer, that had to be one of the most prestigious positions that I’d ever heard of. It was during my time at Webb that I actually got to meet him in person, and that really started my interest in Naval Engineering.

Michelle: What is a fun fact most people don’t know about you?

Vicky: I’ve got ten years of classical piano lessons under my belt. It was when I was young, but I’ve recently rekindled my piano playing.

Michelle: What is one engineer/scientist/ or mathematician dead or alive would you like to meet?

Vicky: It would have to be Albert Einstein, especially after watching the recent TV mini-series “Genius” based on his life.

Michelle: If you could engineer your perfect concession stand/food truck, what would it be?

Vicky: I think I would base it my heritage… a combination Italian and Polish food truck. For those who wanted Italian food, I would have some hot and cold heroes, maybe meatball parm, chicken parm, or italian cold-cut heroes. From my Polish side, I’d go with my top three – kielbasa, pierogies, and golabki (stuffed cabbage). Of course, Italian ices and chrusciki for dessert.

Michelle: Why are you a member of ASNE?

Vicky: I’ve been a member of ASNE ever since joining in college, and have never thought of ending my relationship with the society, even though quite a few of my jobs throughout my career weren’t focused on Naval Engineering. ASNE is a great organization for networking, it has great technical programs for professional development, and I enjoy its premier publication, the Naval Engineering Journal.

Michelle: What does “Naval Engineering” mean to you?

Vicky: Naval Engineering is the collection of skills necessary to design and build the most sophisticated ships in the world.

SOURCE: ASNE