SAN DIEGO — General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), today began construction of the future USNS William McLean, the twelfth ship of the U.S. Navy’s T-AKE program. The William McLean is named in honor of the Navy physicist who conceived and developed the heat-seeking Sidewinder missile. The ship is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in the third quarter of 2011.
The T-AKE ship incorporates international marine technologies and commercial ship-design features, including an integrated electric-drive propulsion system to minimize operating costs over its projected 40-year service life. The primary mission of T-AKE ships is to deliver as much as 10,000 tons of food, ammunition, fuel and other provisions to combat ships at sea. NASSCO has delivered the first eight T-AKEs, which are also known as Lewis and Clark-class ships. The shipyard also has construction contracts for four additional T-AKEs and long-lead material contracts for two more ships for a total class of 14 ships.
General Dynamics NASSCO employs more than 4,500 people and is the only major ship construction yard on the West Coast of the United States. In addition to T-AKE construction, the San Diego shipyard is also building three commercial product carriers for American Petroleum Tankers, a shipbuilding joint venture led by the Blackstone Financial Group. More information about NASSCO can be found at www.nassco.com.
General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employs approximately 92,000 people worldwide. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies. More information about General Dynamics is available online at www.gd.com.
