Ingalls achieves DDG 1001 hangar milestone

APRIL 8, 2013 — Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) reports that its Ingalls Shipbuilding division has achieved a significant milestone in the construction of the composite hangar for the U.S. Navy’s second Zumwalt-class guided missile destroyer, Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001). Recently, the shipbuilders at the company’s Gulfport, Miss., Composite Center of Excellence turned the inverted hangar to an upright position, or ship-shape, an important and necessary stage in the construction schedule of this component.

“We have a strict schedule we follow in the construction of the hangar, and turning it ship-shape allows us to finish the necessary outfitting and integration prior to delivery,” said Ingalls’ DDG 1000 Program Manager Steve Sloan. “Our Gulfport shipbuilders are performing well on our DDG 1001 work, and we have demonstrated a considerable improvement from the first set of class products to the second set. The shipbuilders who specialize in composite work are able to perform a significant amount of outfitting as the hangar is constructed in an inverted position. The 216-ton, 68-foot wide structure is currently 71 percent complete and will be fully outfitted and ready for delivery at the end of September.

Ingalls Shipbuilding is building the hangar, peripheral vertical launch system (PVLS) and composite deckhouse for DDG 1001. The PVLS is under construction at the company’s Pascagoula facility and is expected to be delivered at the end of July. All major units have been stacked on the composite deckhouse, and it is currently 57 percent complete. It is expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2014.

The Ingalls Composite Center of Excellence is home to the world’s largest numerically controlled five-axis saw capable of sawing, drilling and milling very large composite components to highly accurate tolerances.