NASSCO Lays Keel of First Mobile Landing Platform Ship
General Dynamics NASSCO hosted a keel laying ceremony for the first Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) ship at the company’s shipyard in San Diego. Mrs. Pat Mills was the honoree for the ceremony. She is the wife of U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant General Richard P. Mills, Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration. Mrs. Mills validated the keel laying by welding her initials into the ship’s structure. The steel plate with her initials will be permanently affixed to the ship’s keel, remaining with the vessel throughout its time in service.
Brunswick Buys North Carolina Boat Plant
Brunswick Corporation will expand its manufacturing presence in North Carolina with the purchase of a boat manufacturing facility in Navassa, N.C., near Wilmington, from KCS International, Inc. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The Navassa site will offer Brunswick additional and needed capacity to build larger boats -- a growing market segment -- as well as the ability to manufacture several brands of cruisers at the facility, increasing production flexibility, productivity and efficiency. In a related action, Brunswick will close its Salisbury, Md., plant and transfer cruiser production to the new North Carolina facility.