Posted on Aug 18, 2022
Gulf Coast Shipyards Growing Capacity While Navy Shipbuilding Plans Remain Unsettled - USNI News
468
3
1
2
2
0
From the fantail of the 24,000-ton Richard M. McCool, Jr., (LPD-28), one can see the world’s most complex warships coming together, with shipbuilders welding, painting and running cables in the Mississippi sun.
Two Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers – Leah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123) and the first Flight III Burke Jack Lucas (DDG-125) – are under construction and moored nearby. Further down the pier the Coast Guard National Security Cutter Calhoun (WMSL-759) is nearing completion. Towering stories over the pier nearby, still primer white, is the half-way complete Bougainville (LHA-8), the Navy’s next 45,000-ton big deck amphibious ship, designed from the keel up to host Marine F-35B Lighting II Joint Strike Fighters. Just north of McCool is the angular hull of Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyer Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1002), awaiting the start of its combat systems activation before joining the fleet.
While Ingalls Shipbuilding is full of activity now, there’s uncertainty not only for this yard, but for naval shipbuilders around the country as the Navy struggles with its long-range shipbuilding outlook. A few months ago, it wasn’t clear if the Navy would buy many more ships like McCool.
Two Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers – Leah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123) and the first Flight III Burke Jack Lucas (DDG-125) – are under construction and moored nearby. Further down the pier the Coast Guard National Security Cutter Calhoun (WMSL-759) is nearing completion. Towering stories over the pier nearby, still primer white, is the half-way complete Bougainville (LHA-8), the Navy’s next 45,000-ton big deck amphibious ship, designed from the keel up to host Marine F-35B Lighting II Joint Strike Fighters. Just north of McCool is the angular hull of Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyer Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1002), awaiting the start of its combat systems activation before joining the fleet.
While Ingalls Shipbuilding is full of activity now, there’s uncertainty not only for this yard, but for naval shipbuilders around the country as the Navy struggles with its long-range shipbuilding outlook. A few months ago, it wasn’t clear if the Navy would buy many more ships like McCool.
Gulf Coast Shipyards Growing Capacity While Navy Shipbuilding Plans Remain Unsettled - USNI News
Posted from news.usni.org
Pascagoula
Government Contracts
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 1
1
1
0
PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."In addition to the Polar Security Cutter, Halter is considering competing for the Navy’s Light Amphibious Warship. The yard is currently building amphibious tank-landing ships for an unspecified foreign customer and would use the design as a basis for a LAW bid. Halter is also building the latest Pathfinder-class oceanographic survey ship (T-AGS-67) for Military Sealift Command and berthing barges for the Navy.
Halter is also exploring the potential to partner with other companies to provide hulls for autonomous ships as the Navy explores more unmanned vessels for the fleet.
“The base platform is a vessel. It’s a ship. It’ll have propulsion plant. It’ll have a navigation system,” Merchent said. “It’s just the interfaces and some of the physical layout arrangements will be different for the autonomous mission. We’re shipbuilders, we know how to build ships.”
..."In addition to the Polar Security Cutter, Halter is considering competing for the Navy’s Light Amphibious Warship. The yard is currently building amphibious tank-landing ships for an unspecified foreign customer and would use the design as a basis for a LAW bid. Halter is also building the latest Pathfinder-class oceanographic survey ship (T-AGS-67) for Military Sealift Command and berthing barges for the Navy.
Halter is also exploring the potential to partner with other companies to provide hulls for autonomous ships as the Navy explores more unmanned vessels for the fleet.
“The base platform is a vessel. It’s a ship. It’ll have propulsion plant. It’ll have a navigation system,” Merchent said. “It’s just the interfaces and some of the physical layout arrangements will be different for the autonomous mission. We’re shipbuilders, we know how to build ships.”
(1)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google