National Steel and Shipbuilding Company

For other uses, see National Steel (disambiguation).

National Steel and Shipbuilding Company

Type	Subsidiary of General Dynamics
Genre	Shipbuilding
Founded	1959
Founder(s)	George T Duncan
Headquarters	[[San Diego, California] [Norfolk, VA]], USA
Website	www.nassco.com

National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, commonly referred to as NASSCO, is a shipyard in San Diego, California and Norfolk, Virginia and a division of General Dynamics. The shipyard specializes in constructing commercial cargo ships and auxiliary vessels for the US Navy and Military Sealift Command, which it has been producing since 1959. It is the largest new construction shipyard on the West Coast of the United States.^[1]

History

1905: NASSCO starts out as a small machine shop and foundry known as California Iron Works.^[2]

1922: California Iron Works taken over by U.S. National Bank and renamed National Iron Works.

1933: C. Arnholt Smith acquires the company.

1940: Ironworkers organize first union at company.

1944: National Iron Works moves to 28th Street and Harbor Drive.

1949: The company is renamed National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. to reflect expansion into ship construction.

1959: NASSCO acquired by Henry J. Kaiser Company, Morrison Knudsen and two others. Company receives first order to build a commercial cargo ship.

1976: Richard Vortmann joins NASSCO as the Vice President of Finance and Information Systems.

1979: Kaiser Industries sells its 50 percent share in NASSCO to Morrison Knudsen. NASSCO employs more than 7,900 workers.

1984: Vortmann named President. He succeeds C. Larry French as Chairman and Chief Executive when French retires in 1986.

1988: Six unions go on strike but eventually approve a 49-month contract.

1989: An Employee Stock Ownership Plan is used in April to acquire NASSCO from Morrison Knudsen in a management-led buyout. The Exxon Valdez tanker, constructed at NASSCO, returns for repairs^[3].

1992: Workers strike for 25 days, but return to work without a contract.

1993: Navy awards contract to build AOE-10 support ships. Navy awards NASSCO $635 million contract to convert three L-class containerships to strategic sealift ships. Navy awards NASSCO $1.3 billion contract to design and construct six strategic sealift ships.

1996: Workers strike for more than four weeks, but fail to win any concessions. Many return to work.

1998: General Dynamics buys NASSCO in $415 million deal.

1999: NASSCO wins $300 million contract for two TOTE Orca-class trailerships.

2000: General Dynamics begins $135 million upgrade of NASSCO facilities. NASSCO wins multi-year contract for phased maintenance of Navy's San Diego-based USS Ticonderoga (CG-47) and USS Spruance (DD-963) warships. BP later awards NASSCO contracts valued at more than $800 million to build four crude oil tankers for Alaska.

2001: Navy announces NASSCO as the winner of the T-AKE dry cargo/ammunition ship contract, a potential 12-ship program with a contract value of $3.7 billion, the largest order in NASSCO history.

2005: Vortmann announces his retirement as president of NASSCO. Fred Harris, senior VP at General Dynamics Electric Boat Company, is named NASSCO president.

2011: General Dynamics buys out Metro Machine in Norfolk, VA. Renames the company NASSCO - Norfolk.

References

1. ^ Ronald D. White (July 3, 2011). "Full steam ahead for Nassco shipyard in San Diego". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/03/business/la-fi-made-in-california-shipyard-20110703. 
2. ^ [1] "San Diego-based NASSCO's history to date" 29 Nov 2005
3. ^ [2] "Nassco Gets Contract to Fix Valdez's Hull", 13 Jun 1989

External links

• NASSCO website
• NASSCO History

Coordinates: 32°41′25″N 117°08′21″W / 32.690163°N 117.139277°W / 32.690163; -117.139277