HII shows off shipyard

PASCAGOULA, Miss. – Huntington Ingalls Industries gave its first tour of its Shipyard of the Future to editors Wednesday. The initiative means a new dry dock, better-trained employees, easier access to work space and more covered areas to keep workers out of the elements. The yard already has 40 percent more covered area than it did 25 years ago. The program is funded in part with $20 million from Mississippi bonds and $40 million from HII. The company, long known for its heavy manufacturing, has also branched out. This year it bought a company that's building and testing undersea drones out of Panama City, Fla., and HII also now owns an undersea-pipeline design company in Houston working in the oil and gas industry. (Source: Sun Herald, 07/29/15)