Edenzon talks workforce

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Ingalls Shipbuilding President Irwin F. Edenzon spoke with the Pascagoula Rotary Club Wednesday about the long-term future of the Pascagoula shipyard and workforce development. While the Pascagoula shipyard has a list of big contracts into 2016, officials with Huntington Ingalls Industries are in constant contact with the Pentagon hashing out the kinds of ships and the numbers of ships in the Navy's long-range plan. Edenzon said the shipyard is ramping up to a workforce of about 13,000 in Pascagoula, so developing the next generation of shipbuilders is crucial to future success. (Source: Mississippi Press, 08/28/13)

LCS 4 completes acceptance trials

MOBILE, Ala. -- The future USS Coronado (LCS 4) successfully concluded acceptance trials after completing a series of graded in-port and underway demonstrations for the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV). Acceptance trials are the last significant milestone before delivery of the ship later this fall. During the four-day trial, the Navy conducted tests intended to demonstrate the performance of the propulsion plant, ship handling and auxiliary systems. While underway, the ship successfully performed launch and recovery operations with both the 7-meter and 11-meter rigid hull inflatable boats, a four-hour full power run, surface and air self defense detect-to-engage exercises, and demonstrated the ship's tremendous maneuverability performing tight turns and accomplishing speeds in excess of 40 knots. Following commissioning, Coronado will be homeported in San Diego with its sister ships USS Freedom (LCS 1), USS Independence (LCS 2) and USS Fort Worth (LCS 3). The Independence-class LCSs are built in Mobile, Ala., by Austal USA. (Source: NNS, 08/27/13)

Contract: Lockheed, $18.2M

Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training, Moorestown, N.J., is being awarded an $18,175,946 modification to previously awarded contract for cruiser and destroyer modernization testing efforts associated with the Aegis Combat System. Fifteen percent of the work will be done in Pascagoula, Miss. Other work locations are Moorestown, N.J. (40 percent); Bath, Maine (15 percent); Washington, D.C. (12 percent); San Diego, Calif. (7 percent); Norfolk, Va. (7 percent); Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (2 percent); Port Hueneme, Calif. (1 percent); and Syracuse, N.Y. (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by August 2014. Fiscal 2012 shipbuilding and conversion, Navy; fiscal 2013 operations and maintenance, Navy; fiscal 2011 and 2012 other procurement, Navy; fiscal 2013 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $18,175,946 will be obligated at time of award. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 08/19/13)

LPD 25 finishes builder's trials

AVONDALE, La. -- The future USS Somerset, LPD 25, successfully completed builder's trials last week at Ingalls Shipbuilding's Avondale, La., yard. Builder's sea trials are designed to test a ship's major systems, including combat, propulsion, ballasting, communications, navigation and mission systems. The trials let the shipbuilder fix deficiencies prior to Navy acceptance trials this fall. LPD 25 is the ninth ship of the LPD 17-class of amphibious transport dock ships. Somerset is named for the passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93, whose actions disrupted the terrorist hijackers causing Flight 93 to crash in Somerset County, Pa., in September 2001. (Source: Mississippi Press, 08/19/13)

Fourth NSC launched

Ingalls launched Hamilton Aug. 10.
Photo by Steve Blount

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Ingalls Shipbuilding on Saturday launched Hamilton (WMSL 753), the company's fourth Legend-class national security cutter for the U.S. Coast Guard. Ingalls in 2010 received a $480 million contract to build Hamilton, slated to be delivered to the Coast Guard in fall 2014. Hamilton is the fourth of eight planned ships in this new class of technologically advanced multi-mission cutters. Bertholf, Waesche and Stratton have been commissioned and are on duty. Hamilton will be christened Oct. 26 in Pascagoula. (Source: Mississippi Press, 08/12/13) Previous

Navy opts for steel deckhouse

After two Zumwalt-class destroyers were built with composite deckhouses, the Navy is switching to a steel deckhouse for DDG-1002, the future USS Lyndon B. Johnson. The Navy was reportedly unhappy with the costs of the composite structures. In a January solicitation it indicated it might need a steel deckhouse. Earlier this month the Navy and General Dynamics' Bath Iron Works inked a $212 million contract not only for the deckhouse, but the hangar and aft peripheral vertical launching system (PVLS) modules for the ship. Zumwalt-class ships were originally designed to replace the DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class ships as the Navy's primary destroyer force, but the Navy opted to build just three. The composite deckhouses were built by Ingalls Shipbuilding's composite center in Gulfport, Miss. The move raises questions about the use of composites for large-scale ship sections. (Sources: PRNewswire, Aviation Week, Marine Log, 08/05/13) Previous

LPD 27 keel authenticated

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- The keel of Ingalls Shipbuilding’s 11th amphibious transport dock ship Portland (LPD 27) was authenticated Friday at the company's shipyard. Bonnie Amos, wife of Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos, authenticated the keel of Ingalls' latest San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock. Portland is now about seven percent complete and is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in 2017. (Sources: Sun Herald, Mississippi Press, 08/02/13)