BIW wins Navy contract to build 3 more destroyers

File photo Bath Iron Works has received a contract to build three more Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. The USS Daniel Inouye (DDG 118), shown here, is another such ship that was recently built in Bath.

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By Renee Cordes

Bath Iron Works has been awarded a multiyear contract by the Navy to build three more DDG 51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

BIW, part of Reston, Va.-based General Dynamics Corp. (NYSE: GD), received the contract following a “limited competition” with Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc., a shipbuilder based in Newport News, Va., according to a Department of Defense notice.

The dollar value of the contracts, announced Tuesday, was not made public because it is considered "source selection sensitive information," the notice said.

“We appreciate the opportunity to build on our history of providing these highly advanced ships for the U.S. Navy fleet and are honored to do our part to contribute to protecting the nation and our families,” said Chuck Krugh, president of Bath Iron Works.

“Flight III destroyers have significantly increased capability and our skilled shipbuilders are committed to producing ships that meet the quality standards that our Navy sailors deserve.”

There are currently six DDG 51 destroyers in production at Bath Iron Works: John Basilone (DDG 122), the recently christened Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124) and Patrick Gallagher (DDG 127), as well as the Flight III ships Louis H. Wilson Jr. (DDG 126), William Charette (DDG 130) and Quentin Walsh (DDG 132).

Bath Iron Works has 6,600 employees.

Workhorses of the Navy

The contract is part of the Defense Department's fifth multiyear procurement for the Burke-class destroyers, often called the workhorses of the Navy.

The contract also allows BIW to bid on the construction of five ships in the future. BIW has said its goal is to deliver DDG 51s on time and to increase production to 1.5 ships annually in the coming years.

U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, who attended Saturday’s christening of the USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. at BIW, notified members of Maine’s congressional delegation of the latest contract award.

“Today’s award of three DDG-51s is a testament to Navy’s confidence in the hardworking and highly skilled men and women at BIW who have earned the reputation that ‘Bath built is best built,’” according to a joint statement by U.S. Sens. Angus King, I-Maine and Susan Collins, R-Maine, and U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine 1st District, and Jared Golden, D-Maine 2nd District.

"We are pleased that this contract will provide a stable foundation to the shipyard for at least the next five years and ensure our sailors – and country – have the ships they need to keep the nation safe,” they added. “In addition, as BIW continues to work to deliver DDG-51s on time and increase productivity in the coming years, the contract includes the potential for additional ships and more work.”

Collins is vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee as well as the ranking member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, while King serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Pingree is a member of the House Appropriations Committee, and Golden is a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

The appropriations committees are responsible for the allocation of funds for destroyers, while the armed services committees authorize their purchase.

The contract was awarded after the Maine congressional delegation sought funds for the construction of DDG 51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. BIW then competed to receive the contract.