Reflecting on Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine's History with the Department of Defense

Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine partners with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) by supplying high-performance, MIL-Spec-approved coatings for a variety of platforms such as aircraft carriers, submarines, armored vehicles and aircraft. Through decades of collaboration with Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), public and private naval shipyards and contractors, Sherwin-Williams provides corrosion-resistant technologies, technical service support and reliable global distribution that extends vessel service life and lowers total ownership costs. This partnership reflects a shared commitment to U.S. Navy fleet readiness, technical innovation, and the sailors who rely on these ships to carry out their missions around the world.

The company has over two decades of hands-on collaboration with the U.S. Navy and DoD. Their work includes:

• Advancing marine coatings technologies
• Meeting evolving performance and regulatory requirements
• Supporting modernization of naval operations and maintenance practices

Key Areas of Collaboration 

MIL-Spec Marine Coatings:

• Sherwin-Williams provides high-performance protective coatings for all areas of U.S. Navy vessels, for both new construction and maintenance. Partnering with the Naval Research Lab and the Naval Surface Warfare Centers has led to cost saving innovations such as single-coat, rapid-cure ballast and fuel tank coatings and copper-free (green technology) antifoulants.
• Logistically, Sherwin-Williams has manufacturing, distribution and local warehousing to support the shipyards via just-in-time delivery. Our local facilities deliver coatings in 24-48 hours to the naval shipyards, often direct to the vessel. This minimizes the burden of hazmat and inventory management and highlights a key benefit of the Sherwin-Williams supply chain.
• Starting in the late 1990s, the coating supplier worked with the U.S. Navy to qualify one of the first MIL-Spec ultra-high-solids tank linings. This environmentally friendly, low-solvent-content coating has superior edge retention, minimizing corrosion in complex geometry spaces such as ballast tanks. Leveraging its innovation capabilities and deep subject matter and industry expertise, Sherwin-Williams continues to develop next generation tank linings, polysiloxane freeboard and topside coatings, and mold- and mildew-resistant coatings to keep interior habitability spaces clean and safe for the ships' crews.
• The company provides CARC (Chemical Agent Resistant Coatings) to protect military vehicles and equipment.

NRL Technology Transfer:

• The U.S. Naval Research Lab (NRL) has partnered with Sherwin-Williams to deploy advanced coating technologies, such as patented polysiloxane nonskid coatings.

Army Coating Approval:

• Sherwin-Williams products are approved by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) for protecting ground-based military equipment.

Infrastructure Protection:

• Sherwin-Williams provides coatings used on military bases for structures such as fuel tanks and piping, piers, sheet piling and aircraft hangars.

Recognition & Awards:

• Sherwin-Williams has received recognition, including the DoD's Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) 2015 Project-of-the-Year Award for Weapons Systems and Platforms for its work with CARC (Chemical Agent Resistant Coatings) powder topcoats.
• Sherwin-Williams has received the following industry awards for naval projects:
• The SSPC Military Coatings Project of Excellence Award for:
• 2014: USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) Aircraft Carrier
• 2019: USS George Washington (CVN 73) Aircraft Carrier
• 2020: USNS Millinocket (T-EPF 3) Spearhead-Class Expeditionary Fast Transport
• The AMPP Excellence in Management of a Complex Materials Protection Project Award for:
• 2023: USS John C Stennis (CVN 74) Aircraft Carrier

Evolution and Innovation of Protective Marine Coatings and Linings

Marine vessels are under constant attack from corrosive environments. U.S. Navy ships are exposed to environments ranging from frigid temperatures and ice to hot, humid and UV intensive around the equator.

Coatings are the first line of corrosion defense to protect these national assets and keep them fully mission capable. Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine delivers a complete line of high-performance coatings that combat corrosion, protect commodities, enhance sailor safety and improve the service life and aesthetics of valued marine assets.

Key Technical Capabilities Offered by Sherwin-Williams:

• Rapid return-to-service coatings minimizing drydock maintenance schedules
• Coatings with proven service life in excess of 20 years
• Comprehensive coatings portfolio with the ability to protect from keel to mast
• A variety of underwater hull antifoulant technologies to prevent marine growth such as barnacles, tube worms and grass
• Vessel surveys to aid in planning for dry dock periods
• On-site dedicated company technical service to ensure successful coating application and to train contractors on new technology
• Focused marine sales experts and support team
• Direct-to-market sales and service without distributorship
• National and global fleet contracts

These capabilities assist the Navy in maintaining fleet readiness and lowering total ownership costs.

Navy Vessels Supported by Sherwin-Williams

As a primary supplier of MIL-Spec marine coatings to the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard, Sherwin-Williams provides coatings systems designed to withstand extreme environments and meet stringent naval requirements. Sherwin-Williams coatings are used across the entire U.S. Navy fleet, including:

• Aircraft carriers (Nimitz and Ford Class)
• Destroyers (Arleigh Burke Class)
• Submarines (Los Angeles, Virginia, Ohio and Columbia Class)
• Amphibious assault and transport ships

For the Coast Guard, Sherwin-Williams supports:

• National security cutters
• High- and medium-endurance cutters
• Icebreakers
• Buoy tenders
• Variety of patrol craft

Innovation/Collaboration Example

Prior to the development of ultra-high-solids tank linings, solvent-based polyamide epoxies were used to meet military specifications such as MIL-DTL-24441. Despite their common use in the 1990s, the solvent-based polyamide epoxies life expectancy was estimated to be roughly seven years, and coating breakdown was frequently reported within just three to five years of application. These systems also required several application layers and stripe coats - which led to time-intensive application processes with high associated labor costs. This placed a repeating cost and time-intensive burden on the U.S. Navy fleet.

Success with Fast-Clad ER

In 2004, utilizing state-of-the-art facilities and technology, Sherwin-Williams launched Fast-Clad ER - a polymer resin system optimized for a fast cure without compromising chemical resistance or flexibility, a key requirement for long lining life. Fast-Clad ER is a single coat, edge-retentive, low VOC (solvent content), ultra-high-solids epoxy amine coating engineered for immersion service in fuel/seawater ballast tanks and petroleum storage tanks. This ultra-high-solids lining is suitable for low-temperature applications and cures at 25°F (-3°C).

Opti-Check OAP technology is built into the Fast-Clad ER system to optimize application and to reduce the reliance on high voltage spark testing. This technology is especially beneficial in maintenance applications where pitting is common. Sherwin-Williams was the first supplier to use eye safe deep purple inspection light technology. This technology, when used by experienced technical service representatives, enables a

50-75% faster inspection rate with a higher rate (>25%) of defect detection compared to other visual methods.

Beyond the USS Cleveland

Sherwin-Williams partners with key nations such as Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia to promote lessons learned and share coatings technology for the betterment of the allied fleet.

The Battleship New Jersey, a retired World War Il warship that now serves as a museum, is back up and running after a restoration dry dock period. More than 18 tons of Sherwin-Williams SeaGuard® 5000 HS

Epoxy and SeaGuard Ablative Antifoulant were used to cover 125,000 square feet of the ship's underwater hull.