South Mississippi News

HII christened Legend-class national security cutter Calhoun on Saturday at its Ingalls Shipbuilding division.Calhoun (WMSL 759) is named to honor Charles L. Calhoun, the first master chief petty officer of the U.S. Coast Guard. Calhoun served in the U.S. Navy for three years during World War II and was honorably discharged in 1946 as a torpedoman second class. He enlisted in the Coast Guard that same year and held varying positions of leadership over the course of his career.“Today’s…

A new bill introduced in the U.S. aims to make available $200 million in grant funding for community and technical colleges offering training programs for maritime industry professions. The legislation H.R. 7456 was introduced by Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia (Texas-29) alongside Rep. Don Young (Alaska-At-Large), Rep. Anthony G. Brown (Md.-04), Rep. Brian Babin (Texas-36), and Rep. Steven Palazzo (Miss.-04).“Maritime industry jobs are a critical part of our nation’s economy. Yet research has shown that there may soon be a shortage of maritime industry workers,” said Congresswoman Garcia.

Waves began to batter parts of the U.S. Gulf Coast on Tuesday as the region felt the first hit of Tropical Storm Gordon, which is expected to become a hurricane before it comes ashore with high winds and heavy rain, forecasters said.The storm also caused a jump in global oil prices after the evacuation of two oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.Gordon was due to come ashore late on Tuesday near the border between Louisiana and Mississippi, and drop as much as 12 inches (30 cm) of rain in areas still recovering from last year's hurricanes…

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (NYSE:HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division hosted Reps. Rob Wittman, R-Va., and Steven Palazzo, R-Miss., on Wednesday for a tour of the shipyard, which included ships under construction at Ingalls. “Today was an informative visit to Ingalls Shipbuilding—one of our nation’s best assets,” said Wittman, who is chairman of the House Armed Services’ Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee. “It is obvious the men and women of Ingalls brandish their skill-sets to build high-quality ships for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard. Wittman and Palazzo met with Ingalls leadership during the tour and had the chance to meet shipbuilders on various ships under construction.

The Mississippi State Port Authority was notified by the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD) that the Port of Gulfport has been designated as a Strategic Seaport by the Commander, Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC). With this designation, America’s military will be able to utilize the Port of Gulfport for cargo and equipment shipments. This announcement adds to South    Mississippi’s extensive military installations and capabilities. This designation is an important step in the Port of Gulfport’s long-range strategy to become one of the country’s top-tier diversified ports. The Port’s revitalization efforts include the $570million restoration and expansion project…

The United States Senate voted 56-40 to pass bill H.R. 83 which funds the federal government for the remainder of the fiscal year. The funding ensures the construction of a 12th LPD-17 amphibious ship at Ingalls shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The ship will maintain more than 3,000 jobs at Ingalls Shipbuilding, and its estimated economic impact to the region could be as much as $2 billion. Congressman Steven Palazzo said in a statement, “The omnibus passed by the House [December 12] is a huge victory for South Mississippi. It provides $1 billion for the LPD-28 amphibious assault ship, built by Ingalls Shipbuilding right here in Pascagoula. Palazzo secured authorization for the LPD-28 in the 2015 Defense Authorization bill, which was appropriated through the legislation.

Huntington Ingalls Industries' (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division has donated $53,640 to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) for the purchase of welding machines to be used at the school's new Transitions Academy. The academy will be housed at MGCCC's West Harrison County Center in Long Beach, Miss. "Ingalls Shipbuilding and MGCCC have a longstanding partnership in workforce development and training," said Brian Cuccias, Ingalls Shipbuilding president. The academy…

Reps. Bradley Byrne, R-Ala., and Steven Palazzo, R-Miss., visited Huntington Ingalls Industries' (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division Wednesday. The congressmen, both members of the House Armed Services Committee, met with shipbuilders and were briefed on the construction processes for the four different classes of military ships built at Ingalls. The Congressmen toured the shipyard and visited various shops where ship units are assembled. They also were given a tour of the amphibious transport dock John P. Murtha (LPD 26), which will launch later this year.

Huntington Ingalls Industries' Ingalls Shipbuilding division apprises it has hosted a visit by Secretary of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.). In the course of their visit the guests toured the shipyard and the Ingalls-built National Security Cutter 'Hamilton'(WMSL 753). "Today was a great opportunity to show Secretary Johnson the quality craftsmanship of our shipbuilders," said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias. "We have…

Huntington Ingalls Industries' (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division delivered the amphibious assault ship America (LHA 6) to the U.S. Navy today. More than 900 crew members marched through the shipyard for a delivery ceremony on the ship's flight deck, where they joined Ingalls shipbuilders and personnel from the U.S. Navy's Supervisor of Shipbuilding-Gulf Coast. "The shipbuilders of Ingalls have worked tirelessly to deliver this awesome, powerful warship to our U.S. Navy customer," said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias. "This took more than just doing a job.

Huntington Ingalls Industries' (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division officially opened the company's brand-new, 70,000 square-foot Haley Reeves Barbour Maritime Training Academy today with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The building, named for the former Mississippi governor, will serve as the training epicenter for Ingalls' apprentice program and will also help bolster the number of students. "Today symbolizes the state's commitment to workforce development and skills training for all of our working people so they can get better, higher-paying jobs," Barbour said.

Huntington Ingalls Industries announced that 10 employees were among those recognized for achievements in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) during the 18th annual Women of Color STEM Conference. 8 award-winners represented the company's Ingalls Shipbuilding division, and 2 represented HII's Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division. Dorothy Shaw, Ingalls' manager of community relations and government affairs, was awarded the Community Service Award…

Volunteers from Huntington Ingalls Industries'  Ingalls Shipbuilding division recently helped freshen up the grounds and interior of the American Red Cross' Pascagoula office. Participants in Ingalls' Legacy Builders Executive Mentoring Program dedicated two weekends in June to the community project. Working both indoors and out, Ingalls' Legacy Builders landscaped and performed ground maintenance in addition to updating the office with shelving, fresh coats of paint and a television installation.

Austal held a keel-laying ceremony for the third Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) – Jackson (LCS 6), one of five Austal-designed 127-m U.S. Navy Independence-variant LCS under contract with the U.S. Navy. Dr. Katherine Holmes Cochran, the ship’s sponsor, was present to weld her initials onto the keel plate as the Keel Authenticator. She was assisted by J.B. Craig, III, who is an “A” Class welder that has been part of the Austal team since November of 2011. Dr. Cochran is the daughter of U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and his wife Rose Clayton Cochran.

"Back in February 2001, Rumsfeld announced his intention to hold a round of base closures. February 2001 was a whole different world than the one we're in now," said Taylor. "On September 11th, 2001, we were attacked. Since then, we've gone to war in Afghanistan and Iraq. We've declared a global war on terrorism. We're closing bases abroad and bringing home thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. But, Rumsfeld is hell-bent on closing our bases, and he seems to ignore long-term considerations for our nation. Taylor, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, cited Rumsfeld's past missteps, saying, "Rumsfeld sent our troops into war without body armor. He hemmed and hawed on up-armoring our military vehicles.

A group of Northrop Grumman Corporation shipbuilders offered their construction skills to support rebuilding efforts in the Gulf Coast communities this week. These employees, who normally perform traditional shipbuilding crafts such as welding, pipefitting and shipfitting, framed doors, nailed floors and hung sheetrock in Jackson County, Mississippi's storm-damaged United Way headquarters. Northrop Grumman. the organization's community impact grant program. $428,686 to United Way for its work in 2006. from Katrina. this week, while visiting the Ship Systems sector on business. helped in the rebuilding of the community's United Way headquarters. Coast. the foreseeable future.