Commandant of Marine Corps touts multi-ship buy in visit to Pascagoula’s Ingalls Shipbuilding

• General Eric Smith congratulated Mississippi U.S. Senator Roger Wicker on his new role as Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee come January.

Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula hosted four-star General Eric Smith, the 39th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for an official visit to the shipyard on Wednesday.

During his visit, General Smith met with Ingalls leadership and toured the facilities as well as reviewed the two amphibious warships currently under construction at Ingalls, Bougainville (LHA 8) and Harrisburg (LPD 30). 

“These vessels are what evacuates Americans out of embassies in harm’s way and what projects power in unforeseen circumstances in uncertain territories,” General Smith told Magnolia Tribune. “These ships are vital to national security.”

The Pascagoula shipbuilder, a division of Huntington Ingalls, was awarded U.S. Navy procurement contracts in September totaling nearly $9.5 billion for the construction of three San Antonio-class amphibious ships and a contract modification for the next America-class large-deck amphibious ship. Ingalls’ shipbuilders will construct LPDs 33, 34, 35 and LHA 10 for the U.S. Navy.

READ MORE: Ingalls awarded $9.5 billion multi-ship U.S. Navy contract

The combined procurement contract is the first of its kind for amphibious ships.

According to Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) at the time of the announcement, by using this multi-ship buy strategy, as authorized by Congress, the Navy is projected to achieve nearly $1 billion in savings as compared to the use of annual contracts.

General Smith said Wednesday that the multi-ship buy, not only saving taxpayer money, but strategically keep the workforce employed, a key factor for Mississippi’s economic development efforts.

“[The multi-ship buy] provides the Marine Corps with the ships that they need to provide the minimum of 31, and Congress is very clear, a minimum of 31 amphibious warships – 10 big decks and 21 LPDs – that’s the minimum,” Smith said. “When you can keep a workforce in place, that brings down costs and it drives quality up, so the ship requires less re-dos cause you have people that move directly from one ship to the next and they’re doing the same job, just on a new ship. You don’t have to relearn what you’re doing.”

Continuing efforts to strengthen U.S. maritime defenses will require congressional attention and action. Mississippi’s senior U.S. Senator Roger Wicker plays a key role in Washington D.C. to this end.

Wicker, who recently won re-election, is in line to become the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. General Smith

“Senator Wicker’s been a good friend to the Marine Corps. He’s been a good friend to the industrial base, and he’s been a good friend to amphibs,” General Smith said of the ranking GOP committee member. “So, we look forward to continuing our good, close relationship with Senator Wicker and we congratulate him on his new role.”

Senator Wicker has previously said that he hopes the multi-ship buy model will be used in the future to save taxpayer dollars and support combat readiness.