Photo Caption: NAVAL BASE GUAM (April 14, 2025) Sailors assigned to the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Minnesota (SSN 783) prepares to moor alongside the submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) onboard Naval Base Guam, April 14, 2025. USS Minnesota was built and delivered to the U.S. Navy by HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. James Caliva)

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April 18, 2025

HII’s Weekly News Digest is compiled every Friday by the Corporate Communications team to summarize and highlight news stories of significance to the company.

Navy Secretary Visits Newport News Shipbuilding: The Virginian-Pilot reported on Thursday that Secretary of the Navy John Phelan visited several sites in Hampton Roads on Wednesday, including a stop at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division. WAVY reported on Wednesday that while at NNS, Phelan visited Ford-class aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) where he met workers and watched firsthand a demonstration of the ship’s electromagnetic aircraft launch system. Speaking to media at Norfolk Naval Shipyard later in the day, Phelan emphasized the need for new investment in shipbuilding to meet the demands of the moment, calling it a “national emergency.” 13NewsNow reported on Wednesday that Phelan hopes to have a workforce shortage affecting shipyards resolved within his first 100 days on duty, which he says will help accelerate the shipbuilding process.

UAW Members At Electric Boat Authorize Strike: USNI News reported on Wednesday that a group of roughly 2,500 submarine workers is threatening to walk off the job over a contract dispute with General Dynamics Electric Boat. The Marine Draftsmen’s Association-United Auto Workers of America (UAW) Local 571, which covers the shipyard workers who create technical drawings for General Dynamics’ Electric Boat, met with Electric Boat’s representatives at the negotiating table Tuesday following the union’s authorization of a strike. Defense Daily reported on Tuesday that more than two-thirds of the local members voted to allow a potential strike. The last five-year contract for Local 571 expired on April 4. While the company has offered a 5.4% wage increase in the first year and 4% each for the following four years, the union said the company refused to consider discussing other union complaints about cost of living adjustments given increased housing costs, profit sharing, and pensions for all employees.

South Korea Angles For Shipbuilding Alliances: The New York Times reported on Thursday that South Korean politicians are utilizing the country’s shipbuilding industry to appeal to President Donald Trump as the two countries prepare for trade talks next week. South Korea is the world’s second-largest shipbuilder after China, which is a chip negotiators from Seoul will use to convince Trump to mitigate the 25% tariff the U.S. president plans to impose on South Korean exports. The War Zone reported on Friday, April 11, that Trump said he may look to foreign companies to produce vessels for the U.S. South Korea and Japan are building vessels now that are related to Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. This puts both countries in a unique position to build U.S.-spec destroyers, or at least substantial parts of them. 13NewsNow reported on Wednesday that Secretary of the Navy John Phelan is visiting U.S. shipbuilding facilities before making any recommendations to the president about increasing the country’s shipbuilding capacity.

Saronic Acquires Gulf Coast Shipyard For Autonomous Fleet: Inside Defense reported on Wednesday that Saronic has acquired Louisiana-based shipbuilder Gulf Craft. Saronic plans to spend $250 million to rework Gulf Craft’s Franklin, Louisiana, shipyard to scale prototyping and production of its medium unmanned surface vessel fleet. Axios reported on Wednesday that Saronic plans to use a facility to construct a new unmanned warship, Marauder. Saronic CEO Dino Mavrooka said Marauder will be released within the next 12 months. The Louisiana yard is separate from Port Alpha, the massive facility Saronic teased in February and is still scouting locations for. The 150-foot Marauder is being developed “ahead of government contracting,” Mavrookas said. The vessel is expected to have a payload capacity of 40 metric tons and be able to travel up to 3,500 nautical miles.

Coast Guard Opens Ice Breaker Competition to Domestic, Foreign Builders: USNI News reported on Wednesday that the Coast Guard has issued a call to domestic and international shipbuilders to quickly build a new class of icebreaker. Shipbuilders have until April 25 to answer the Coast Guard’s request for information to deliver the first arctic security cutter within three years once a contract is awarded. The Coast Guard said the icebreaker needs to make a path through three feet of ice, have a range of 6,500 nautical miles at 12 knots and operate for more than 60 days. It also would have a flight deck and hangar to accommodate one HH-60 helicopter. The initial funding for the first three hulls is part of the proposed fiscal year 2025 reconciliation bill. Breaking Defense reported on Tuesday that the request for information’s issuance follows numerous calls by President Donald Trump to substantially boost the country’s icebreaker count by dozens of ships. The Coast Guard has said it wants four or five heavy icebreakers from the polar security cutter program and, later, about the same number from the arctic security cutter program.

HII’s Weekly News Digest is produced by HII’s Corporate Communications team and posted to Homeport every Friday.

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