General Dynamics Bath Iron Works has received funding to build another destroyer for the U.S. Navy.

Sen. Susan Collins announced the funding to build the next DDG-51 Arleigh Burke class destroyer in a news release Wednesday.

“This award is a testament to the highly skilled and hard-working men and women of BIW, and once again shows that ‘Bath Built is Best Built,’” Collins said. 

The new ship, the DDG-149, will be named after Robert R. Ingram, a retired Navy hospital corpsman third class, Vietnam War veteran and Medal of Honor recipient.

It is one of three destroyers the shipyard was hired to build as part of a multiyear contract reached in 2023. Funding was expected to be spread across the 2023, 2024 and 2026 fiscal years, according to a 2023 news release from the Department of Defense.

It is unclear how much money Bath Iron Works has receieved to build the ships, but federal researchers estimate that it currently costs about $2.7 billion to build one destroyer.

The Department of Defense said it would not disclose the value of the multiyear contract because it contained options for BIW to build additional ships, and that information could undermine competition.

“The DDG-149 will strengthen our national security, support good-paying Maine jobs, and help provide long-term stability for the shipyard,” Collins said. “As global threats continue to grow and our adversaries continue to expand their naval fleets, investing in a strong and capable U.S. Navy is essential.”

In a written statement Thursday, BIW spokesperson David Hench said the company is “proud to continue to deliver the most sophisticated surface combatants to the U.S. Navy fleet to protect our nation and our families. We are actively driving our performance to deliver Bath-built quality to the fleet.” 

Editor’s note: This story was updated on May 7 to clarify that the new funding was expected as part of a multiyear contract reached in 2023.

The Times Record Sustaining Sponsor
We believe a community must be informed to thrive. bowdoin.edu