HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division is marking 140 years of service to the US today, January 28, 2026.On Jan. 28, 1886, Collis P. Huntington, a businessman whose investments enabled completion of the U.S. transcontinental railroad, turned his focus to shipbuilding, establishing what was first chartered as Chesapeake Dry Dock and Construction Co.
The military and Coast Guard budgets are established that will benefit the U.S. ship building and repair sector, but what will stimulate the commercial yards?This author has been scratching his head of late, after a thrilling dive into July’s U.S. Big Beautiful Bill Act, and has asked several colleagues where the funding for support commercial shipbuilding can be found? To answer that
HII announced that its Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division has successfully completed builder’s sea trials of John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), the second Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.Kennedy returned to NNS after testing important ship systems and components at sea for the first time.The sea trials brought together NNS shipbuilders, John F.
Norwegian offshore vessel owner Eidesvik Offshore has secured a contract for its Viking Princess platform supply vessel (PSV).The contract has been signed with operators DNO Norge, Sval Energi, which is another DNO subsidiary, and Wellesley Petroleum covering a campaign with the Deepsea Yantai drilling rig.
HII announced that its Newport News Shipbuilding division has reached a significant construction milestone for Virginia-class submarine Oklahoma (SSN 802).Oklahoma is now “pressure hull complete,” which signifies all of the hull sections have joined to form a single, watertight unit.It is the 29th Virginia-class fast attack submarine, the first of Block V and the 14th to be delivered by NNS.
A joint team from HII, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), and the U.S. Navy’s Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport (NUWC Division Newport) has successfully completed the first recovery of a second-generation REMUS 620 into a Virginia-class submarine torpedo tube and shutterway test fixture at Seneca Lake, New York.
HII announced that Roger Kelly has been promoted to vice president of contracts and pricing at its Newport News Shipbuilding division. Kelly succeeds Matt Mulherin Jr., who has been appointed vice president of supply chain and strategic sourcing at NNS.Kelly will have overall responsibility for contracts, pricing, and export/import licensing and compliance for NNS.
Fincantieri and Princess Cruises celebrated the delivery of Star Princess, the second LNG-powered (liquefied natural gas) cruise ship in Princess Cruises’ Sphere Class, at the Monfalcone shipyard.The ceremony was attended by Gus Antorcha, President of Princess Cruises, Mauro Bordin, President of the Regional Council of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Ester Fedullo, Prefect of the Province of Gorizia
The U.S. Navy’s Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport has honored 42 students who completed its Academic Degree Training Program (ADTP), earning degrees in engineering, cybersecurity and other technical fields.Since the inception of ADTP in 2018, Division Newport has seen a total of 315 graduates in the program which offers financial and other support.
American Cruise Lines christened American Patriot in Newport, Rhode Island last week—celebrating the holiday and simultaneously marking the countdown to the country’s 250th birthday on July 4, 2026. American Patriot is the first ship in the company’s new Patriot Class—a fleet of new 130-passenger ships designed for exclusively cruising the U.S.A.
TM Edison, a consortium of Belgian marine construction companies DEME and Jan De Nul, has installed the first two of a total 23 caissons in the Belgian North Sea, marking the start of construction for the Princess Elisabeth Island, the ‘world’s first’ artificial energy island.Caissons are concrete building blocks that form the outline of the future island.
Seas Geosciences has completed the conversion of the BOS Princess into a multipurpose geotechnical drilling vessel that is now ready to serve the global offshore energy industry.With its 80-metre length and close to 19-metre beam, the BOS Princess is equipped to support Seas’ geotechnical investigations.