Fred
Harris, president of Bath Iron Works, said, "This announcement
allows us to continue efforts associated with planning and construction
of DDG 122. We appreciate the leadership of Senators Collins and King
and the strong support of our entire delegation in matters of national
defense. We are grateful for their recognition of the contributions
made by the people of BIW to the U.S. Navy's important shipbuilding
programs."
There are currently three DDG 51 destroyers in production at Bath Iron
Works, Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) and Daniel
Inouye (DDG 118). The shipyard began fabrication on DDG 115 in November
2011, and delivery to the Navy is scheduled for 2016. Fabrication on
DDG 116 began in November 2012, and that ship is scheduled to be delivered
to the Navy in 2017. Fabrication has just begun on DDG 118, the first
ship of the 2013 multi-ship award.
Bath Iron Works is also building the three ships in the planned three-vessel
Zumwalt-class of destroyers, Zumwalt (DDG 1000), Michael Monsoor (DDG
1001) and Lyndon Johnson (DDG 1002).
The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is a multi-mission combatant that
offers defense against a wide range of threats, including ballistic
missiles. It operates in support of carrier battle groups, surface action
groups, amphibious groups and replenishment groups, providing a complete
array of anti-submarine (ASW), anti-air (AAW) and anti-surface (ASUW)
capabilities. Designed for survivability, the ships incorporate all-steel
construction and have gas turbine propulsion. The combination of the
ships' AEGIS combat system, the Vertical Launching System, an advanced
ASW system, two embarked SH-60 helicopters, advanced anti-aircraft missiles
and Tomahawk anti-ship and land-attack missiles make the Arleigh Burke
class the most powerful surface combatant ever put to sea.
Bath Iron Works currently employs roughly 5,600 people. |
