MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - City, county and military leaders gathered at Austal USA to mark the opening of phase one of Module Manufacturing Facility Three, a milestone the company says strengthens its partnership with the United States Navy.
“We recognize that submarine manufacturing is one of the nation’s highest priorities and we’re just very excited to be supporting our country in increasing that manufacturing capability. They’re critical capabilities,” said Gene Miller, president of Austal USA.
Phase two is still under construction, but Miller said phase one is expected to bring up to 1,000 jobs to the Mobile area within the next year, opening up several job possibilities for locals.
“Phase one is going to have production space for fabrication work so welding, ship fitting, building the module structurally. It’ll have space for the outfitting of the module, electrical work, pipe fitting. We’ll be able to paint modules,” Miller said.
The new facility is a win for the United States Navy, which aims to have one Columbia class ballistic missile submarine plus two Virginia class fast attack submarines per year. But the Navy says that pace won’t be enough. They’ll need to move faster to chip away at a growing backlog.
“We need Americans building high quality ships and submarines to ensure peace through strength and keep our oceans free and open,” said Vice Admiral Robert Gaucher, director of the U.S. Navy submarine program.
Gaucher left Austal with a bold challenge for their new facility.
“I know you’ve committed to me at least 660,000 hours of production by the end of this year, but what I really want is for you to exceed that and hit the target of 880,000 in 2026 and more than double that in 2027,” Gaucher said.
https://www.fox10tv.com/2026/06/04/austal-usa-expands-submarine-manufacturing-capabilities-with-phase-one-new-facility/
