(NEWPORT NEWS, Va.) — Mike Petters, president and CEO of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), was honored by the Coast Guard Foundation at the 35th annual Salute to the United States Coast Guard, held Thursday at the Marriott Marquis in New York City.
At the dinner, Petters and HII were recognized for their support of the Coast Guard Foundation and its mission.
“Huntington Ingalls Industries has been a strong supporter of the Coast Guard Foundation for the past 30 years,” said Anne Brengle, the foundation’s president. “They have been there with us all across the country, where Coast Guard members are stationed, and at the Coast Guard Academy, where the future leaders of the Coast Guard are training. They have also answered the call when we and the Coast Guard have needed it the most — in the aftermath of tragedy.”
Serving as HII’s president and CEO since March 2011, Petters is responsible for leading the design, construction and overhaul of U.S. Navy warships and Coast Guard national security cutters.
In his remarks thanking the foundation and the many active-duty members of the Coast Guard present, Petters said he was “touched and honored on behalf of the shipbuilders at HII.” He added that, “To be a shipbuilder is one of the coolest things you could be. But we know that the ships aren’t complete until they get a crew.”
HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division constructs Legend-class national security cutters, the flagships of the Coast Guard. Ingalls has delivered Bertholf (WMSL 750), Waesche (WMSL 751), Stratton (WMSL 752), Hamilton (WMSL 753) and James (WMSL 754). Construction is underway on Munro (WMSL 755), Kimball (WMSL 756) and Midgett (WMSL 757).