After months of negotiations, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Sean Stackley, called Senator Susan Collins to tell her that the U.S. Navy and General Dynamics-Bath Iron Works (BIW) have reached an agreement for the second and third DDG-1000 that will be built in Bath. Senator Susan Collins, a member of both the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, has always been a stalwart supporter of BIW and has fought to secure appropriate funding for the DDG-1000 program. For many months, she has actively worked to encourage the Navy to finalize these contracts in an effort to secure a steady workload at BIW.
"This is incredibly welcome news for Maine and is a testament to the highly skilled, hard-working men and women at Bath Iron Works," said Senator Collins. "My goal has always been to help ensure a steady work flow at BIW and a strong industrial base for shipbuilding. That is why, despite repeated efforts in the House to cut funding, I fought hard for full funding for all three DDG-1000 ships, and I am delighted that an agreement has been reached.
The DDG-1000 Zumwalt class of ships represents the Navy’s next generation of multi-mission surface combatants with capabilities tailored for land attack and littoral dominance that can defeat current and projected threats. According to the U.S. Navy, DDG-1000 will triple naval surface fires coverage as well as tripling capability against anti-ship cruise missiles. DDG-1000 has a 50-fold radar cross section reduction compared to current destroyers and has 10 times the operating area in shallow water regions against mines. The DDG-1000 also can operate with a significantly smaller crew, saving money in personnel costs.
“With the existing construction contract for the program’s first ship – DDG1000 – which was awarded in 2008, this agreement will bring BIW’s construction contracts for the three DDG-1000 ships to a level that will be more than $3 billion,” Senator Collins continued.