Bath, Ingalls Agree to Navy’s Surface Combatant Plans

USS Stockdale(click to view full) On April 6/09, in his FY 2010 budget preview, American defense secretary Robert M. Gates said that: “…in this request, we will include funds to complete the buy of two navy destroyers in FY10. These plans depend on being able to work out contracts to allow the Navy to efficiently build all three DDG-1000 class ships at Bath Iron Works in Maine and to smoothly restart the DDG-51 Aegis Destroyer program at Northrop Grumman’s Ingalls shipyard in Mississippi. Even if these arrangements work out, the DDG-1000 program would end with the third ship and the DDG-51 would continue to be built in both yards. If our efforts with industry are unsuccessful, the department will likely build only a single prototype DDG-1000 at Bath and then review our options for restarting production of the DDG-51. If the department is left to pursue this alternative, it would unfortunately reduce our overall procurement of ships and cut workload in both shipyards.” Well, that was fast… DDG-1000 concept(click to view full) Agreements have been reached, and must be ratified by Congressional approval. The strong support of Rep. Gene Taylor, who chairs the House Armed Forces Seapower subcommittee, makes that […]