BAE Systems has received USD 202 million (EUR 191 million) in US Navy contracts to provide modernisation and maintenance services for the guided missile destroyer USS Laboon (DDG 58) and the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), the company announced on 18 November 2024.
Work on the two ships will begin in February and March 2025 respectively.
Under the USD 114 million docking selected restricted availability (DSRA) contract for USS Laboon, BAE Systems will dry-dock the ship to perform underwater hull maintenance while repairing the ship’s main propulsion system; preserving internal ballast and fuel tanks, and the external superstructure; and rehabilitating crew berthing and dining compartments. The DSRA contract includes options that, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to USD 117 million.
Under the selected restricted availability (SRA) contract awarded for USS Wasp, BAE Systems will perform mechanical work in the engineering spaces, inspect and repair interior hull structures, and refurbish the habitability spaces for the ship’s crew and embarked US Marines. The SRA contract includes options that, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to USD 104 million. The shipyard previously worked aboard USS Wasp from February 2021 to April 2023.
“The award of these two contracts will provide extensive work for our Norfolk shipyard team,” David M Thomas, Jr, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “We look forward to using our proven experience on recent LHD and DDG work to return these ships to the fleet in the finest condition.”
BAE’s Norfolk shipyard, which has a workforce of around 900, is currently concluding repair availabilities aboard the Wasp-class ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) and the destroyer USS Nitze (DDG 94). The shipyard began working aboard the dock landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50) earlier this year.
