Lott says Navy to blame for shipyard’s sluggish recovery

The Sun Herald, 7/11/7

Sen. Trent Lott said Wednesday that the Navy is to blame, not Northrop Grumman, for the sluggish recovery of the company’s three Gulf Coast shipyards.

Lott, who plans to discuss the situation with Secretary of the Navy Don Winter, took issue with a letter Winter sent to Northrop on June 22 questioning the contractor’s ability to build and deliver adequate ships, especially in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.