Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA, originally established in 1938, and is now part of Huntington Ingalls Industries. It is a leading producer of ships for the US Navy, and at 10,900 employees, the largest private employer in Mississippi.
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In 1938, Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation was founded by Robert Ingalls of Birmingham, AL, on the East Bank of the Pascagoula River in Mississippi.[1] Ingalls was located where the Pascagoula River runs into the Gulf of Mexico. It started out building commercial ships including one of the first Liberty ships SS African Planet on Liberty Fleet Day 27 September 1941. In the 1950s Ingalls started bidding on Navy work, winning a contract in 1957 to build 12 nuclear-powered attack submarines.
Litton Industries acquired Ingalls in 1961, and in 1968 expanded its facilities to the other side of the river. Ingalls reached a high point of employment in 1977, with 25,000 workers. In April 2001, Litton was acquired by Northrop Grumman Corporation.[2]
On 29 August 2005, Ingalls facilities were damaged by Hurricane Katrina; most of the ships in dock and construction escaped serious harm. While shipbuilding was halted for a while due to the destruction of many buildings, most vehicles and the large overhead cranes, the facility continues to run today, partly in recovery mode.[3]
On March 31, 2011, Northrop Grumman spun off its shipbuilding sector (including Ingalls Shipbuilding) into a new corporation, Huntington Ingalls Industries.
Ingalls' primary product has been naval ships, although it also produces offshore drilling rigs and cruise ships, and has done naval projects for Egypt, Israel, and Venezuela. In the 1950s, Ingalls attempted to enter the diesel locomotive market. They catalogued an extensive product line, but only one example, known as the model 4-S, was produced. It was sold to the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad. Ingalls also manufactured covered hopper railroad cars in the early 1980s, producing around 4,000 units, primarily for the lease market via North American Car.
Ships built by Ingalls include:
Pride of America- Partially built in Mississippi then towed to Germany