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| Press Release November 7, 1998 |
Bath, Maine -- On Saturday, November 7, 1998, Bath Iron Works held a Ground-Making Ceremony to mark the start of construction on its shipyard modernization project, the Land-Level Transfer Facility. The project is a critical element in the company’s strategy for the future, and will help preserve shipbuilding jobs in Maine by making this 114-year old company one of the most modern and efficient shipyards in the country.
(from left) Charlie Summers, Representing Senator Olympia Snowe; John Bubier, Bath City Manager; Pete Forster, Chairman & CEO Clark Construction Group; Jim Clark, Chairman & CEO Clark Enterprises; Captain Rick Hepburn, Commanding Officer SupShip Bath; Tom Buffenbarger, International President IAM/AW; State Senator Mary Small; Congressman John Balducci; Allan Cameron, BIW President; Congressman Tom Allen; Nick Chabraja, Chairman & CEO General Dynamics.
Several prominent members of "Team Maine" gave speeches attesting to the importance of the facility modernization project, including, U. S. Congressmen Tom Allen and John Baldacci, Captain Rick Hepburn of the Supervisor of Shipbuilding, State Senator Mary Small, City of Bath Manager John Bubier, and BIW President Allan Cameron. Additionally, other important speakers included Mr. Nick Chabraja, Chairman and CEO of General Dynamics, Mr. Tom Buffenbarger, the International President of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, and Mr. Pete Forster, President and CEO of Clark Construction Group, which is the design/build contractor for the project. The ceremony was well attended by shipyard workers, Navy personnel, Bath residents, and project construction team members.
In his remarks concerning the importance of the modernization project, BIW President Allan Cameron said, "(This is) undoubtedly one of the most important days in the 114-year history of Bath Iron Works . . . a day that we begin to say farewell to an ancient and traditional way of building ships here on the Kennebec River . . . a day where we can look forward to a dramatically more efficient process that will allow us to continue to build ships here for generations to come."
The gates to the shipyard opened at 11:00 a.m., permitting invited guests and the general public to enter and see parts of the shipbuilding process as they walked to the riverfront construction site, which was the location for the ceremony. The ceremony got underway promptly at noon, and lasted just over an hour. Everyone in attendance was invited to remain at the shipyard for another exciting event, the launch of OSCAR AUSTIN (DDG 79), BIW’s seventeenth DDG 51 Class ARLEIGH BURKE Destroyer and the first of the Flight IIA variants.
Bath Iron Works of Bath, Maine, a leader in surface combatant design and construction, employs 7,700 people. It is a subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD), headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia. General Dynamics has leading market positions in shipbuilding and marine systems, land and amphibious combat systems, information systems, and business aviation. The company employs 43,000 people worldwide and has annualized sales of approximately $10 billion. More information about General Dynamics can be found on the worldwide web at www.generaldynamics.com.
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