WASHINGTON — Bath Iron Works has won a $680 million contract to build a new Arleigh Burke Navy destroyer and triumphed in a competition with a Mississippi shipyard for the right to build another one, according to Maine lawmakers.
The two new DDG-51 destroyers are separate from an up to $2 billion contract finalized earlier this month between the Navy and the General Dynamics-owned BIW to build two more DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class destroyers.
But the twin victories this month for BIW mean assured work for some years ahead for the 5,400 workers there, said GOP Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine and Democratic Reps. Chellie Pingree of the 1st district and Mike Michaud of the 2nd district.
“This has not been an easy year for workers at BIW, with so much up in the air about contracts and funding,” said Pingree, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. “I hope this gives them some more security in knowing there will be enough work to keep them busy.”
BIW finished work on two Burke destroyers this summer, and is finishing work on the larger Zumwalt destroyer, as well. The Zumwalt destroyer program has been limited to a total of three ships by the Navy, with all of them to be built at BIW. Some analysts say nothing is certain in today’s budget climate with looming defense cuts, but the Navy says it intends to keep building Burkes for years to come.
The $680 million contract announced today for a new Burke to be built at Bath had been expected as part of a shipbuilding swap arrangement with the competing Huntington Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss.
However, BIW had been competing with the Huntington Ingalls shipyard for the right to build the second new Burke. BIW’s combined bid to build the two ships together won out, with the Navy awarding Bath an option valued at $665 million to build the second Burke.
The award is for an option, not a contract, because Congress still must allocate that money as part of the 2012 spending bills, Maine lawmakers say.
MaineToday Media Washington Bureau Chief Jonathan Riskind can be contacted at 791-6280 or at: jriskind@mainetoday.com Twitter: Twitter.com/MaineTodayDC.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
