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30 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • JANUARY 2014 (Cr edit: Gr eg T rauthwein) “It (the production fl ow at Austal) is an evolution of what we envisioned from the start. Everyone knows there is an different expense to do things on land versus in the water. There are certain things that become very expensive to do in the water, but there are certain things that you have to do in the water, such as starting the engines. When you get right down to it this is an assembly line.” It was only three years ago when ground was broken for Phase 2 of the MMF, the second line of the MMF which doubled existing manufacturing fl oor space to 700,000 sq. ft and add 30,000 sq. ft. of offi ce space. As completed, the facility is able to build six large alumi- num vessels such as the Navy’s LCS and/or JHSV per year. Assembly Bay 5, from which the future USS Jackson (LCS 6) recently emerged, features 59,000 sq. ft. of fl oor space, 425 ft. long by 135 ft. wide and is similar to that of the existing Assembly Bays 3 and 4, with the ability to join with the future expansion of Assembly Bay 6. “I’m so proud of our team, especial- ly when you consider how fast we’ve grown over the past few years while still being able to successfully support this very important program with these cut- ting edge, high quality, highly capable yet cost-effective warships,” said Craig Perciavalle, Austal USA President, on the launch of LCS 6. Austal’s growth is not captured solely in buildings and machines. The shipyard has become a prime employer and tech- nical talent developer in the region, add- ing 3,000 employees since November 2009. MMC: Investment in Minds and Matter While Maritime Reporter was not able to tour the physical facilities at Marinette Marine during the recent christening and launch of LCS 5, Francesco Valente, President and CEO of Fincantieri Ma- rine Group, was available for comments on the sidelines of the event that day. Marinette Marine Corporation is a long-tenured member of the U.S. ship- building fraternity, founded in 1942 along the Menominee River in Mari- nette, Wisconsin to meet America’s growing demand for naval construction. From its fi rst contract – a deal to build fi ve wooden barges – MMC has evolved steadily, having designed and built more than 1,500 vessels. Ongoing capital ex- U.S. NAVY - LITTORAL COMBAT SHIPS On an exceptionally cold day in Mari- nette in mid-December ship sponsor Sylvia M. Panetta cracks the traditional champagne across the bow of Milwau- kee (LCS 5). (Cr edit: PRNews Foto/Lockheed Mar tin) MR #1 (26-31).indd 30 1/7/2014 10:43:19 AM
