General Dynamic News

U.S. shipyards are making improvements to building ships for the Navy and Coast Guard today and in the future. In some cases, it means phasing out one class of ship and getting ready for the next. Or, it can be a drastic make-over.The yards include mid-tier yards all the way up to very large facilities devoted exclusively to warships. The ships range from the 353-ton Fast Response Cutter to the 100,000-ton nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Wisconsin…

As the novel coronavirus and its impacts continue to spread across America, U.S. shipbuilders, by and large, continue to build. While most yards have been deemed essential to marine transportation and/or national security and have been able to maintain operations, the situation at and around every shipyard is different, and there are several builders across the country that have had to temporarily suspend activity. In either scenario, it’s far from business as usual for America’s…

Shipbuilder General Dynamics National Steel & Shipbuilding Co. – NASSCO – will christen the USNS Lewis B. Puller (MLP 3 AFSB) Saturday, February 7, 2015 in San Diego. General Dynamic’s NASSCO arguably has the most diverse and enviable shipbuilding backlog in the U.S., with its navy and commercial orderbook stretching out for three years. Its new ship, the USNS Lewis B. Puller, is the third vessel of the Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) class, the first of which to be configured as an Afloat Forward Staging Base (AFSB). NASSCO balances a newbuild and repair workload with the U.S.

General Dynamic’s NASSCO in San Diego arguably has the most diverse and enviable shipbuilding backlog in the U.S., with its navy and commercial orderbook stretching out for three years. With the yard humming at record pace, we sat down with Kevin Graney, VP & GM in San Diego to discuss how he and his team intend to keep the momentum rolling forward. General Dynamics National Steel & Shipbuilding Co. – NASSCO – has quietly become the face of U.S. shipbuilding, deftly balancing a newbuild and repair workload with the U.S.

Private equity firm Avista Capital Partners informs it has invested in a newly-formed joint venture (J/V) with SEACOR Tankers Inc., a subsidiary of SEACOR Holdings Inc. that operates a fleet of 7 U.S.-flag Jones Act vessels (5 owned and 2 chartered-in) in the U.S. coastwise trade transporting crude oil, petroleum and specialty chemical products. Under the terms of the joint venture, ACP III Tankers LLC, a wholly owned entity of Avista, will fund a portion of the equity required for the design and construction of three 50,000 deadweight ton product carriers, each with 330,000 barrel cargo capacity, which SEACOR has contracted to build at General Dynamic's National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) shipyard in San Diego…

U.S. Department of Defense awards a firm-price-fixed modification contract to General Dynamic for  maintenance & modernization of the submarine. General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Conn., is being awarded a $9,504,885 firm-fixed-priced modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-12-C-4301) for the execution work necessary to prepare and accomplish maintenance and modernization work of the fiscal 2013 dry-docking selected restricted availability of the submarine USS Hartford (SSN 768). This scope of work encompasses required maintenance activities necessary to maintain full unrestricted operation of the submarine, as well as upgrades and modernization efforts required to ensure the submarine is operating at full technical capacity.

Completion of this transaction expands General Dynamic's capabilities in ship-repair market. General Dynamics has completed its acquisition of the Ship Repair and Coatings Division of Earl Industries, a leading East Coast ship-repair company that supports the U.S. Navy fleet in Norfolk, Va., and Mayport, Fl. The acquisition is expected to be accretive to General Dynamics' earnings in 2013. The Ship Repair and Coatings Division of Earl Industries is a prime contractor for nuclear aircraft carrier (CVN) multi-ship, multi-option (MSMO) contracts. MSMO contracts provide for maintenance, modernization and repair to all ships of a class in specific homeport areas. The company also provides maintenance and repair services to frigates and other classes of naval ships.

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced Feb. 10 that the next variant littoral combat ship (LCS) will be named USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10). The selection of Gabrielle Giffords, designated LCS 10, honors the former congresswoman from who is known for supporting the military and veterans, advocating for renewable energy and championing border security. Giffords recently resigned from Congress to recover from wounds she sustained in an assassination attempt in 2011. "The Navy motto is Semper Fortis, Always Courageous," said Mabus during a ceremony held in the Pentagon Courtyard.

After completing sea trials off the southern California coast, dry cargo/ammunition ship USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE 2) was delivered to the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command (MSC) on Feb. 27. The ship, designated T-AKE, is the second in a new class of combat logistics force ships and is able to deliver ammunition, provisions, stores, spare parts, potable water, and petroleum products to the Navy’s carrier and expeditionary strike groups and other Naval forces. Designed to operate independently for extended periods at sea while providing underway replenishment services, Sacagawea will directly contribute to the Navy’s ability to maintain a forward presence.

On August 31, General Dynamics Corp. announced that its subsidiary General Dynamic Boat has received a contract worth $13.7m from the U.S. Navy. As per the agreement, Electric Boat would provide design agent, planning yard, engineering and technical support for nuclear submarines and would provide design and installation activities for shore-support facilities. The company said that 94 percent of the work will be performed at Groton; 3 percent at Bangor, Wash.; and 3 percent at Kings Bay. (Source: www.tradingmarkets.com)

The Virginia Class North Carolina (SSN 777) on August 31 saw the completion of its pressure hull. This marked the completion of final welds that join sections of the cigar-shaped hull into a single unit that protects the crew and equipment from sea pressure. General Dynamic’s Electric Boat (GDEB) and Northrop Grumman Newport News (NGNN) jointly build Virginia Class submarines. Each shipbuilder constructs sections of the ship, while final assembly, outfitting, test and delivery are alternated between them. GDEB has already delivered USS Virginia (SSN 774) under the co-production arrangement and will deliver Hawaii (SSN 776) this coming winter.

Anteon International Corporation, an information technology, systems integration and engineering services company, has entered into a definitive agreement for Anteon to be acquired by General Dynamics for $55.50 in cash for each outstanding Anteon share. The total value of the transaction, including General Dynamic's assumption of Anteon's debt, is expected to be approximately $2.2 billion at closing. Anteon expects the transaction to close by the end of the second quarter in 2006. The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors of each company and is subject to approval by Anteon shareholders, customary regulatory reviews and other closing conditions contained in the transaction agreement.

The fate of New England's shipbuilding industry and thousands of jobs will depend on a series of top-level discussions that began yesterday at the Defense Department, where Navy officials are scrambling to salvage long-term plans to buy new warships and submarines built at shipyards in Maine and Connecticut. The region narrowly escaped the closure last summer of its two largest naval facilities, in Kittery, Maine, and Groton, Conn., but its multibillion-dollar ship manufacturing sector remains in jeopardy, according to defense officials and lawmakers. The Pentagon is seeking major budget cuts to help reduce the federal deficit and finance the priorities of the war on terrorism -- $7 billion worth next year alone -- and is considering further reductions in the size of the naval fleet…

The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $51 million contract modification for nuclear-submarine work. Electric Boat is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamic The contract was initially awarded in May 1999 and could be worth more than $742 million over five years if all options are exercised and funded. Under the terms of the modification, Electric Boat will provide design, engineering, material and logistics support for the Trident program, the Trident U.K. program, the two operational Seawolf-class submarines, NR-1, and efforts supporting Los Angeles-class ships. Electric Boat will also provide planning, scheduling and technical support for submarine maintenance activities.