Newport News Shipbuilding will complete final assembly for initial battleships, US Navy says

The keel for aircraft carrier Enterprise is shown here in Newport News Shipbuilding's Dry Dock 12, where the US wants to assemble proposed battleships. (Michael Fabey)

HII's Newport News Shipbuilding will assemble the proposed US Navy (USN) guided-missile battleship (BBG(X)) at the company's shipyard in Tidewater, Virginia, according to Jason Potter, who is performing the duties of the assistant secretary of the navy for research, development, and acquisition.

“Newport News Shipbuilding will be the final assembly yard for the battleship,” Potter testified on 20 May to members of the House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee hearing.

Potter noted the shipyard's Dry Dock 12, where Newport News Shipbuilding assembles aircraft carriers, can be “partitioned” in a way that would accommodate the assembly of a battleship and an aircraft carrier at the same time in the dock.

Located in a section of Newport News Shipbuilding known as the North Yard, Dry Dock 12 measures 662 m by 76 m, according to the HII.

The USN and the shipyard are now discussing “the way the dry dock can be configured” to accommodate the assembly of a battleship and the sequencing of the assembly of Ford-class aircraft carriers Doris Miller (CVN 81) and William J Clinton (CVN 82), Potter testified.

Shipyard capacity concerns are also being discussed, Potter said.

Virginia Congressman Rob Wittman noted the timing of the combined assembly plan could coincide with current build centres desired for the carriers. “We want to make sure we stay on [the carrier] schedule,” he said.

“HII is collaborating with the navy on the design, engineering, and analysis of the guided-missile battleship,” HII spokesman Danny Hernandez noted to Janes on 20 May after the hearing.