HII authenticates keel of Coast Guard's cutter Midgett

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (NYSE:HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division on January 27 2017 authenticated the keel of the eighth U.S. Coast Guard National Security Cutter, Midgett (WMSL 757), the shipbuilding company said in a press release.

The ship is named to honor John Allen Midgett, who was awarded the silver cup by the U.K. Board of Trade in 1918 for the renowned rescue of 42 British sailors aboard the British tanker Mirlo after it was torpedoed by a German U-boat off the coast of North Carolina. He was also awarded the Gold Lifesaving Medal by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1924. Midgett was a senior enlisted member of the U.S. Lifesaving Service when it merged with the U.S. Lighthouse Service and U.S. Revenue Cutter Service to become today’s U.S. Coast Guard.

Jazania O’Neal, Midgett’s granddaughter and the ship’s sponsor, spoke today, proclaiming Midgett’s keel to be “truly and fairly laid.” O’Neal’s initials were welded onto a keel plate by Jack Beard, a structural welder at Ingalls.

Ingalls has delivered six NSCs to the U.S. Coast Guard, and two more are currently under construction. In addition to Midgett, the seventh NSC, Kimball (WMSL 756), is scheduled to deliver in 2018. In December 2016, Ingalls received a $486 million fixed-price incentive contract from the U.S. Coast Guard to build a ninth National Security Cutter.

Legend-Class National Security Cutters are the flagships of the U.S. Coast Guard. They are the most technologically advanced ships in the Coast Guard’s fleet, with capabilities for maritime homeland security, law enforcement and national security missions. NSCs are 418 feet long with a 54-foot beam and displace 4,500 tons with a full load. They have a top speed of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 miles, an endurance of 60 days and a crew of 120. The Legend class of cutters plays an important role in enhancing the Coast Guard’s operational readiness, capacity and effectiveness.

About Huntington Ingalls Industries
Huntington Ingalls Industries is America’s largest military shipbuilding company and a provider of professional services to partners in government and industry. For more than a century, HII’s Newport News and Ingalls shipbuilding divisions in Virginia and Mississippi have built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder. HII’s Technical Solutions division provides a wide range of professional services through its Fleet Support, Integrated Missions Solutions, Nuclear and Environmental, and Oil and Gas groups. Headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, HII employs nearly 37,000 people operating both domestically and internationally.