GULFPORT, Miss. — A large helicopter hangar, built by Ingalls Shipbuilding in Gulfport, is headed for Maine.
WLOX TV reports that the 60-foot-wide structure, made from carbon composites, took nearly two years to construct.
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Proud workers watched it float away on a barge Monday. Their accomplishment is headed for Bath Iron Works in Maine, where it will be attached to the newest Navy destroyer.
“Oh man, it’s a major pat on the back to see this thing go. It’s great. Feels good to see a big accomplishment like this,” said Ingalls worker Bill Mason.
The hangar, wrapped in white, represents thousands of hours of work.
“It took a lot of hard work. Yard wide commitment from everybody. A lot of weekends, not a lot of time off,” said Ingalls worker Marcus Davis “A lot of veterans work out here too. So, we take a lot of pride in our work out here, building stuff for the Navy you know,” said worker Jerry Aubuchon.
A structure even larger than the helo hangar, the ship’s deckhouse, is being built in a large construction bay at the Gulfport facility. Weighing slightly less than 900 tons, it will be delivered later this summer.
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