William E. Collins

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution announces with great sorrow the unexpected death June 26, 1995 of William E. Collins. Bill, on-site project manager for WHOI’s new research vessel Atlantis (AGOR-25), had an apparent heart attack while at work at Halter Marine in Moss Point, Mississippi. He was 51.

Bill joined the WHOI staff in 1993. As Project Manager for the AGOR-25, he had responsibility as WHOI’s representative for the acquisition of the new Navy-owned vessel and served as the on-site technical representative at Halter Marine. His many duties included monitoring the daily progress of ship construction and serving as liaison with regulatory bodies such as the U.S. Coast Guard, American Bureau of Ships and the Federal Communications Commission.

A resident of Mobile, Alabama, Bill worked for the past 15 years for Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co., Inc of Mobile. He began as an estimator, advancing to senior estimator performing detailed conceptual cost estimates for new marine construction, conversions and ship repairs. After seven years he was promoted to contract/project administrator, overseeing ship conversions and repair projects, and three years later was named to his current position as project manager, with responsibilities for managing major ship conversions and repair projects.

Prior to his employment with Bender he worked for Kaiser Industries Companies from October 1974 to February 1979 as an engineering supervisor at Kaiser Fabricators in Mobile and as senior project scheduler in Clarksville, TN. Among his responsibilities were resolving subcontractor and procurement problems, restructuring and coordinating the plant master construction and start-up schedule, and coordinating government and client reviews. From February 1964 to October 1974 he worked in progressively more challenging positions in engineering, construction and the aerospace industries including design/drafting, computer aided design, scheduling and estimating, computer programming, and troubleshooting.

Bill is survived by his wife, Sharon, of Mobile, AL; a son, Keith, of Mobile, AL; a daughter, Christie, of Iowa; and four grandchildren. A memorial service will be held Friday, June 30, at 11:00 a.m. at the Pine Crest Funeral Home, 1939 Dauphin Island Parkway, in Mobile. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Bill’s memory to the American Heart Association or the American Diabetes Association.