MOBILE, Ala. — Austal, a global defense contractor, designer, and manufacturer of defense and commercial ships, delivered their third Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) built at their Mobile shipyard to the U.S. Navy on Wednesday.
This milestone marks the first LCS ship built by Austal as the prime contractor as part of a 10-ship, $3.5 billion block-buy contract.
Austal USA President Craig Perciavalle was part of a ceremony held aboard the future USS Jackson to celebrate the event. “To deliver our first LCS as prime contractor is a major milestone for our company,” said Perciavalle. “I can’t express enough how proud I am to be part of this team of amazing men and women who made this accomplishment possible through their hard work and dedication. This truly is an extraordinary ship built by extraordinary people.”
After the delivery of the Jackson, six Independence-variant LCS remain under construction at Austal’s Alabama shipyard. The Montgomery is being prepared for trials later this year. The Gabrielle Giffords was recently christened, while the Omaha is being prepared for launch in the fall, and assembly is underway on the Manchester.
“The program continues to mature very well here, and each ship continues to improve as lessons-learned are incorporated real time,” said Perciavalle of the Mobile manufacturing center. “The momentum gained on this program is great to see and will position us well in the future.”
Previously, Perciavalle has raved about the advantages of doing business in the state of Alabama. Austal employs approximately 4,000 Alabamians in the Mobile area. He said the state will likely continue to attract international companies who are looking for a low-tax, business-friendly place to do business in America.
But there were two specific things Austal’s president mentioned that make Alabama an especially attractive place to locate. One of them is Alabama’s status as a right-to-work state.
“That’s probably the second leading attractive part of being in the state of Alabama — a right-to-work state,” Perciavalle said. “At the end of the day, we focus on treating our employees right and creating a very good work environment for them.”
In addition to the LCS program, Austal is also under contract to build 10 joint high speed vessels (JHSVs) for the U.S. Navy. Five JHSVs have been delivered while an additional three are in various stages of construction.
