Naomi Cooper
Fincantieri‘s shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin, has officially commenced construction work on the lead vessel of the U.S. Navy’s new class of guided missile frigates.
The company said Wednesday Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipbuilders have begun cutting steel for the future USS Constellation, which is being built under the Navy’s FFG(X) program.
In a separate announcement, the Navy said the construction comes after the shipyard completed a production readiness review in July.
According to Marco Galbiati, CEO of Fincantieri Marine Group, the company has invested more than $300 million in upgrading and building new facilities in the Marinette shipyard to accommodate the frigate construction.
“Using our new facilities and industry-leading best practices, we stand ready to deliver the two frigates a year the Navy requires,” Galbiati said.
Fincantieri Marinette Marine is contracted to build up to 10 Constellation-class guided missile frigates for the Navy under a potential 15-year, $5.6 billion contract awarded in 2020.
The service branch envisions the multimission warships to support anti-submarine warfare, electronic warfare, air warfare, surface warfare and information operations.
