HII marks first year

Huntington Ingalls Industries marked its first year of operations after its spinoff from Northrop Grumman, with CEO Mike Petters ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday. Huntington Ingalls has two sectors: a Newport News facility in Virginia and Ingalls Shipbuilding on the Gulf Coast, which oversees the Pascagoula, Miss., yard, a composite yard in Gulfport, Miss., and an Avondale, La., yard that will close next year. The Pascagoula yard warships for the Navy and Coast Guard and is one of the state's largest private employers. HII finished four ships, started construction on two, received new construction contracts on three and is at the halfway point on structural work for the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford. (Sources: Sun Herald, 03/29/12, Mississippi Press, 03/30/12)