Ingalls Shipbuilding will be reactivating its shipbuilding facilities on the east bank of the Pascagoula River.
The site of the original Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp. was founded in 1938 and was decimated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The reactivation will restore the facility’s ability to support Ingalls’ current ship construction and modernization programs, as well as, help the company better prepare for future work, including next-generation amphibious assault ships and surface combatants.
“We are excited to be bringing the east bank back to life,” said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias. “As we prepare to celebrate our 80th anniversary, what better way to do that than to announce that the original Ingalls facility will become a productive, vibrant part of the Pascagoula landscape once again!”
Work will begin immediately on the project, which is expected to require approximately two years to complete.
The primary component of the project includes the addition of large, covered construction areas for construction of ship assemblies and components as well as the restoration of an outfitting pier.
“We are using proven concepts from our west bank modernization as a guide for our east bank reactivation,” said George Jones, Ingalls’ vice president for operations. “Our employees are the best sources for innovative ideas. With their help, we have improved safety, efficiency and working conditions. We have some of the best shipbuilders in the country, and they deserve the best shipyard in which to work. From more covered work areas and better environmental controls to state-of-the-art tools and technology, Ingalls is leading the way in modern military ship design and construction.”
The east bank reactivation project is the newest element of the company’s modernization efforts to remain a vital element of the nation’s shipbuilding industrial base.
“We are fortunate to operate in an area that supports shipbuilding and our military at the city, county and state levels,” Cuccias said. “Together with the State of Mississippi, we are investing hundreds of millions of dollars to provide our shipbuilders the best tools and equipment and the safest, most efficient work environment possible in which to do the great work they do every single day. Our local leaders support shipbuilding with workforce training programs, economic development incentive policies and by providing good communities in which our employees are able to raise their families—in many cases the follow-on generations of shipbuilders at Ingalls. So when we determined we need additional facilities for our operations, it made perfect sense to do this expansion here in our hometown.”
