|
|
Article: Under construction: smarter shipbuilding could help ease Navy's budget troubles.(Shipbuilding)(Cover story)
- Article from:
- National Defense
- Article date:
- May 1, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 National Defense Industrial Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
MARINETTE, Wis. -- When the Navy's first littoral combat ship was in its final construction phase at this shipyard near Lake Michigan, about a quarter of the hull protruded from the end of the 300-foot long indoor facility that shields workers from subzero temperatures.
The 374-foot USS Freedom, which was delivered to the Navy last fall, was Marinette Marine Corp.'s largest and most complex ship construction project. In anticipation of building more of the Navy's newest class of warships, officials here are planning to give the 67-year-old yard a significant makeover so that it can churn out the ...