Sarah Sybert
BAE Systems will modernize the U.S. Navy’s guided-missile destroyers USS Carney (DDG 64) and USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) under a potential $211.6 million contract, the company announced Wednesday.
“The modernization work aboard the Carney and Winston S. Churchill are significant for our Jacksonville maritime team and important for the service lives and mission capability of these combatants,†said Tim Spratto, general manager of BAE Systems Jacksonville Ship Repair.
BAE Systems expects the USS Carney to arrive at the company’s shipyard in Jacksonville, Fla., next month to undergo repair and upgrade efforts that could take more than 400 days to complete. The modernization is scheduled to be completed in November 2021.
BAE Systems will also perform work on the Winston S. Churchill, which will undergo a 390-day maintenance period when the ship arrives in June 2021. The modernization of the Winston S. Churchill is scheduled to be completed in July 2022
The shipyard will drydock the ship and perform maintenance of the underwater hull, renovation of crew habitability spaces and upgrades to shipboard systems. The shipyard’s work aboard the 18-year-old ship will include drydocking, replacement of steel structures onboard and support of the electronic systems upgrades.
The contract award will enable BAE Systems’ to increase jobs and has expected to hire workers, including welders, pipefitters, electricians, and painters, over the next two years to work on the two destroyers and for its ongoing repair and modernization work on other ships.
The award of these two ships will also provide work for our team of subcontractor partners and third-party vendors in the port.
“The back-to-back sequencing of work is efficient and beneficial for our employees, our subcontractors and our Navy customer,†added Spratto. The modernization work will be performed sequentially by the company’s shipyard in Jacksonville.
About BAE Systems
BAE Systems is a leading provider of ship repair, maintenance, modernization, conversion, and overhaul services for the Navy, other government agencies, and select commercial customers. The company operates four full-service shipyards in California, Florida, Hawaii and Virginia, and offers a highly skilled, experienced workforce, eight dry docks/marine railways, and significant pier space and ship support services.
