Photo caption: ATLANTIC OCEAN (Oct. 3, 2025) – Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers fire type 2 standard missiles while underway as part of the Titans of the Sea Presidential Review. The Titans of the Sea Presidential Review is one of many events taking place throughout the country to showcase maritime capabilities as part of the U.S. Navy’s 250th birthday. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jayden Howard)
Oct. 10, 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.
HII Completes Initial Sea Trials For Massachusetts (SSN 798): Interesting Engineering reported on Wednesday that HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division has completed initial sea trials for Virginia-class submarine Massachusetts (SSN 798), marking a major step before delivery to the U.S. Navy. The 10,200-ton nuclear-powered attack submarine underwent several days of testing at sea, including its first submergence and high-speed maneuvers both on the surface and underwater. Massachusetts is the 25th Virginia-class submarine and the 12th built by NNS. HII President Kari Wilkinson said the milestone demonstrates the shipyards commitment to delivering capability to the fleet. Built jointly by HII and General Dynamics Electric Boat, Virginia-class submarines are designed for versatility in missions ranging from anti-submarine warfare to Tomahawk missile strikes. Each vessel features advanced stealth, mobility, and endurance through nuclear propulsion and modular construction. Following additional evaluations, Massachusetts will join the Navy’s fast-attack fleet, reinforcing America’s undersea advantage for decades to come.
HII Demonstrates Submarine Launch And Recovery Of REMUS 620: ExecutiveBiz reported on Tuesday that HII’s Mission Technologies division, with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the U.S. Navy’s Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport, completed the first recovery of a REMUS 620 unmanned undersea vehicle into a Virginia-class submarine torpedo tube. The test at Seneca Lake, New York, proved submarines can safely launch and recover UUVs, expanding the Navy’s undersea capabilities. The vehicle autonomously docked with a submerged torpedo-tube fixture before performing a reverse swimout launch. Duane Fotheringham, president of unmanned systems at HII’s Mission Technologies, said the milestone reflects years of collaboration and rapid progress. The achievement advances efforts to integrate autonomous systems with future submarine missions.
HII-Built Ships Displayed During Navy’s 250th Birthday Celebration: CBS News reported on Monday that Philadelphia is throwing a “once-in-a-generation” celebration to mark the 250th birthdays of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Starting this week, the city is hosting through Oct. 16 events attracting hundreds of thousands of people. The Associated Press reported on Sunday that President Donald Trump started the celebration early during a stop in Norfolk, Virginia, to salute the Navy as it celebrates its anniversary. The president spoke on a pier at Norfolk Naval Station standing between Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) and Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), which were built by HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding and Ingalls Shipbuilding divisions, respectively. Stars and Stripes reported on Wednesday that a parade of ships participating in the Philadelphia event on Thursday includes the Ingalls-built San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Arlington (LPD 24) and Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Lassen (DDG 82). The celebration comes amidst an ongoing federal government shutdown that has curtailed other events, such as San Francisco Fleet Week, which the Navy and Blue Angels have bowed out of because of a lapse in federal funding.
US Strikes $6.1 Billion Icebreaker Deal With Finland: Reuters reported on Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump and Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb have sealed an agreement for the U.S. Coast Guard to acquire up to 11 icebreaker ships to bolster U.S. national security in the Arctic. The two leaders approved a memorandum of understanding on icebreaker cooperation that is intended to lay the foundation for commercial agreements between the U.S. Coast Guard and Finnish companies. Under the agreement, Finland will build four Arctic security cutters at shipyards in Finland, and then the U.S. will leverage Finnish expertise to construct up to seven new cutters in shipyards located in the United States. Davie Defense will build three at its new Galveston, Texas, shipyard and Bollinger Shipyards will build the other four at its Louisiana facility. Breaking Defense reported on Thursday that two of the Finnish-built icebreakers will be constructed at Rauma Marine Constructions’ shipyard. Fox News reported on Thursday that The Coast Guard’s newest polar icebreaker, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Storis, returned to port in Seattle earlier this week after 112 days at sea. Storis was the first polar ice cutter the Coast Guard had acquired in 25 years when it was purchased in 2024. The service currently only has two others in commission: the 48-year-old Polar Star heavy icebreaker and the medium icebreaker Healy. Coast Guard officials insist they need at least eight polar icebreakers to meet operational needs.
| Social Media Highlight Of The Week
Posted Thursday on Mission Technologies’ LinkedIn page:
“Mission Technologies President Andy Green joined employees and guests Wednesday for HII’s annual Oktoberfest celebration in Dayton, Ohio. The event showcased interactive demos of our advanced technologies, including GRIMM, RFsentry, SWAC, ASTRO-E, SPEED Lab and more, highlighting the innovation driving mission success. Attendees also enjoyed cornhole competitions and a traditional German menu, all in a relaxed setting that honored the mission-critical work happening across the division.” |
Navy Seeks US Shipbuilder To Perform Singapore-Based Maintenance: USNI News reported on Monday that the U.S. Navy wants an American shipbuilder to establish a Singapore-based lead maintenance activity in the Southeast Asian city-state to support the fleet’s regional repair operations. The contract opportunity comes amid a recent expansion of regional yards cleared to support the U.S. Navy’s vessels in the region — including newly certified yards in India, Sri Lanka, Japan and South Korea. The push for in-theater maintenance support is driven by concerns for the fleet’s ability to conduct maintenance in a potential conflict in the Indo-Pacific. Naval Supply Systems Command envisions a continental U.S.-origin contractor with in-theater teaming agreements with shipyards that have either a master ship repair agreement or an agreement for boat repair certifications from the service. Work under the contract would include continuous maintenance availabilities, unscheduled continuous maintenance, voyage repair availabilities, emergent maintenance and voyage repairs.
HII’s Weekly News Digest is produced by HII’s Corporate Communications team and posted to Homeport every Friday.
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