Avondale Shipyard
Encyclopedia
Avondale Shipyard was an independent shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...

 company, acquired by Litton Industries
Litton Industries
Named after inventor Charles Litton, Sr., Litton Industries was a large defense contractor in the United States, bought by the Northrop Grumman Corporation in 2001.-History:...

, in turn acquired by Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...

 Corporation. Now, along with the former Ingalls Shipbuilding
Ingalls Shipbuilding
Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA, originally established in 1938, and is now part of Huntington Ingalls Industries...

, the yard is part of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding. The yard is located on the West Bank of the Mississippi River, approximately 20 miles (32.2 km) upriver from New Orleans, Louisiana near Westwego, Louisiana
Westwego, Louisiana
Westwego is a city in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and a suburb of New Orleans. The population was 10,763 at the 2000 census. It lies along the west bank of the Mississippi River.-Geography:...

. It was the site of the modernization of the in the early 1980s and also constructed some of the lighter aboard ship
Lighter Aboard Ship
The lighter aboard ship system refers to the practice of loading barges aboard a larger vessel for transport. It was developed in response to a need to transport lighters, a type of unpowered barge, between inland waterways separated by open seas...

s (LASH). At one time, it was the largest employer in the state of Louisiana with about 26,000 employees.

In mid-2010, Northrop Grumman announced its intention to close the Avondale yard by 2013 and consolidate its Gulf coast shipbuilding operations at its Pascagoula, MS yard.
Northrop Grumman did a Spin off of (NGSB) Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding to Huntington Ingalls Inc. effective as of March 31, 2011. The Avondale yard is now Ingalls Shipbuilding Avondale Operation, a division of Huntington Ingalls Inc. Mike Petters the CEO or president of HII said the yard was still poised to close in early 2013 but was working very hard to find an alternative for the Avondale Plant.

Ships built

Ships built by Avondale include:
United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...

 (USCG) cutter and research vessel (1999)s (6 out of 9 ships, 2000-present) including built with steel from the World Trade Center towers destroyed in the 9/11 attacks and built with materials from United Flight 93, also destroyed on 9/11.s (4 out of 4 ships, 1991-97)s (5 last of 8 ships, 1986-90)
  • SS Velma Lykes, now the TS Kennedy
    TS Kennedy
    USTS Kennedy , callsign KVMU, IMO number 6621662, is a troop ship of the United States Navy and training vessel of the United States Maritime Service.-Birth and early years:...

    , training ship for Mass Maritime Academy fleet replenishment oilers (14 out of 16 ships, 1984-96) USCG high endurance cutters (12 out of 12 ships, 1967–72)s (27 out of 46 ships, 1967-74) - USCG river tender

External links

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