International technical committees kept ABS apprised of technical developments that could aid in Rule development.
Organization and Leadership Changes With global expansion came office expansion and with increasing size came increasing activities. By 1946, ABS had outgrown the offices on Beaver Street that it had taken just before World War II, and moved its New York headquarters to larger premises nearby: the building at 45 Broad Street, which the Bureau held onto into the 1970s. Many organizational initiatives at ABS during the postwar years addressed specific requirements of the various countries in which it was now active. The use of technical committees at home had proven itself, so ABS established similar technical committees internationally. Each was tasked with keeping the Bureau acquainted with technical development overseas that might have an impact in Rule development or revision. The Italian and Belgian Technical Committees, the first to be established, set the pattern by including prominent professionals in the fields of naval architecture and marine engineering. These were
64 • The History of the American Bureau of Shipping: 150th Anniversary Edition
followed in 1954 with the Netherlands Technical Committee and, two years later with the French Technical Committee. ABS also created new special committees and panels to deal with advancing technology. For example, one focused on reinforced plastic vessels, another studied underwater systems and others dealt with welding, single-point mooring, gears and propellers. Like the technical committees, these special groups included many highly respected people in each field and gave them a voice in the creation and revision of the ABS Rules. Luckenbach became ABS Chairman in 1950 and was succeeded as President by Walter L. Green, and the last of the veteran ABS executives began circulating through the top floor at 45 Broad Street. Chief Surveyor David P. Brown succeeded Green as Vice President and then the ABS Presidency went from Green to Brown in 1957.