CNO Makes First Visit to Ingalls Shipyard

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division hosted Adm. John Richardson Thursday as part of his visit to shipyards in the region. This was his first visit to Ingalls as Chief of Naval Operations. Richardson received updates on Ingalls’ shipbuilding programs and toured the facility.

“We certainly appreciate Admiral Richardson taking the time out of his busy schedule to visit our shipyard to see the significant and high-quality work our shipbuilders are performing on a daily basis,” said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias. “It is difficult to truly understand our capabilities to build complex warships without seeing the facility first-hand. It’s beneficial for Admiral Richardson to tour our ships so he can see and understand the value of the efficient work we are accomplishing for the U.S. Navy.”

Richardson, who took office as CNO last September, received briefs on the four classes of military ships Ingalls is building for the Navy and U.S. Coast Guard before touring the shipyard, including stops on the guided missile destroyer John Finn (DDG 113) and amphibious transport dock John P. Murtha (LPD 26). Ingalls currently has 10 ships in various stages of construction.

“The work done at our private shipyards is critical to our national security,” Richardson said. “This trip allowed me to meet with two key industry partners to better understand how they operate and where we can make improvements together. I especially enjoyed walking the Ingalls shop floors, talking with individual shipbuilders and supervisors about the role they play in building our future fleet.”