Ingalls Shipbuilding successfully completes builder’s trials for Calhoun
MarketScreener
PASCAGOULA, Miss., June 30, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HII’s (NYSE: HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division announced today the successful completion of builder’s sea trials for the U.S. Coast Guard‘s newest national security cutter, Calhoun (WMSL 759). The ship successfully tested propulsion and auxiliary equipment, as well as various ship systems. “Every successful sea trial is a major accomplishment for our shipbuilders, and the NSC team has worked hard to ensure the Coast Guard receives another highly capable and advanced cutter for the fleet,” Ingalls Shipbuilding NSC Program Manager Amanda Whitakersaid. “Our team will continue to prepare NSC 10 for the next set of trials and ensure that this ship will be ready to undertake the most challenging Coast Guard missions.”
Bollinger Shipyards recognized for exceptional safety record
Maritime Executive
Bollinger Shipyards (“Bollinger”) was presented with the 2022 “Award for Excellence in Safety” by the Shipbuilders Council of America (“SCA”) for its exceptional record of safety in the shipyard industry. Bollinger has been the recipient of the prestigious award for Excellence in Safety for 18 consecutive years – an unprecedented streak in the shipbuilding industry. SCA, the national association for the shipyard industry, presented the award to Bollinger’s President and CEO Ben Bordelon at its annual meeting in Washington, D.C. in recognition of the company’s exceptional record of safety, enhancement of operations and promotion of safety and accident prevention over the past year.
Ingalls Shipbuilding delivers First Flight III destroyer to US Navy
G Captain
The US Navy has received its first Flight III destroyer, the USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), from Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division.
The Flight III Destroyers were officially transferred to the Navy on June 27 after conducting a series of trials to demonstrate their readiness. The Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) is the first Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer being built for the U.S. Navy by Ingalls, and includes design modifications that provide enhanced capability. It contains offensive and defensive weapons, such as the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar and the Aegis Baseline 10 Combat System, to support maritime defense needs.
Start Here, Grow Here: Ingalls Spotlight on Training Manager Harron Wise
Ingalls News Room
Ingalls Shipbuilding Product Training Manager Harron Wise left the military in 1984, unsure about the next chapter in his life. With his mother, grandmother and aunts all having worked at Ingalls, it seemed like a natural next step. “When I got out of the military, I really didn’t have a transferable skill,” Wise said. “An opportunity came up to get into the welding apprenticeship and I jumped on it.” Wise excelled in the apprenticeship program, finishing in 1991 as runner up for Apprentice of the Year. Through hard work and perseverance, Wise learned his craft and began helping others, showing leadership skills that helped him advance. He became a welding supervisor, then was offered a position as a training instructor in 1994. Twenty-eight years later, he’s still teaching shipbuilders. Wise now manages the West Bank training school, running upgrade certifications for the entire shipyard.
Murdock named to Oschner health leadership after resigning from Singing River Health
WLOX
NEW ORLEANS (WLOX) – One day after resigning as CEO of Singing River Health System, Tiffany Murdock has a new job. Thursday, Ochsner Health announced Murdock as their new system vice president and chief nursing officer (CNO). In this leadership role, Ochsner says Murdock “will set the strategy and vision for the organization’s nursing practice and lead the organization’s more than 9,000 nurses.” Murdock joins Ochsner’s leadership team after eight years at Singing River Health System, where she spent the last year serving as the organization’s first female chief executive officer (CEO). Her last day there will be Aug. 11, 2023.
Murdock named to Oschner health leadership after resigning from Singing River Health
WLOX
NEW ORLEANS (WLOX) – One day after resigning as CEO of Singing River Health System, Tiffany Murdock has a new job. Thursday, Ochsner Health announced Murdock as their new system vice president and chief nursing officer (CNO). In this leadership role, Ochsner says Murdock “will set the strategy and vision for the organization’s nursing practice and lead the organization’s more than 9,000 nurses.” Murdock joins Ochsner’s leadership team after eight years at Singing River Health System, where she spent the last year serving as the organization’s first female chief executive officer (CEO). Her last day there will be Aug. 11, 2023.
MS Power holds iCan! Girls in Engineering camp
WXXV
These future engineers are going to change the world one day as they participate in Mississippi Power’s iCAN Girls in Engineering event. Members of the Mississippi Power community are teaching young women to say ‘I can’ and are hoping they’ll leave saying ‘I will!” The purpose of the iCAN Girls in Engineering camp is to inspire these school-aged girls that they can be successful in the field of engineering or STEM-related disciplines.
KEEL OF PITTSBURGH (LPD 31) AUTHENTICATED AT HII’S INGALLS SHIPBUILDING
Press Release
PASCAGOULA, Miss. (June 2, 2023) — HII’s (NYSE: HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division has ceremonially authenticated the keel today for the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock Pittsburgh (LPD 31). The keel is the foundation of the ship and the authentication ceremony is the first important milestone in a ship’s life. The ship’s sponsor, Nancy Urban, a resident of Hopewell Township, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was in attendance with her children to declare the keel “truly and fairly laid.” During the ceremony, Larry Stevens, an Ingalls welder, etched the initials of the ship’s sponsor into a ceremonial plate. The metal plates will remain affixed to LPD 31 throughout its life.
Katrina-era regulations dash hopes of reclaiming Pascagoula homes
Mississippi Today
Not because of the home itself, but because of the Hurricane Katrina-era regulations that residents say hang over Pascagoula like a dark cloud. In order for a municipality to take part in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), it has to agree to adopt certain building codes for flood zones recommended by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. That’s where the “50% rule” comes into play.
‘A battle from day one’: How government disaster recovery overlooks Mississippians
Mississippi Today
On the Coast, reporter Sara DiNatale talked to property owners, commuters and local officials in Pascagoula to understand how a federal regulation known as the 50% rule hinders efforts to maintain the city’s housing stock. As a result, the story shows, the city is left with unfulfilled potential to boost its population and economy. In the south Delta, reporter Alex Rozier looked at how disasters considered too small for federal aid are treated in Mississippi, and why rural survivors are often left behind.
Pittsburgh (LPD 31) is taking shape at Ingalls Shipbuilding
WLOX
The keel authentication ceremony, or keel laying, marks the beginning of the journey to build a ship. Friday at Ingalls Shipbuilding, that process started for what will be the Pittsburgh LPD 31. “This is a step stone, a milestone associated with the shipbuilding process. It’s an opportunity to thank the shipbuilders for what they do every day,” said LPD Ship Program Manager Michael Pruitt. They call this ship the Swiss Army knife of vessels. It can carry troops into hostile territories, and it can serve in humanitarian efforts. “I know what it’s like to be in a situation where you call on something, you need it to act right. That’s why we take pride in what we do at Ingalls,” said Larry Stevens, a pipe welder at Ingalls and a military member.
ALDI, TJ Maxx, other big retailers coming to new $21 million MS Coast shopping center
Sun Herald
A mix of popular retail grocery and department stores are on the way to Pascagoula. Ground was broken Wednesday on the site of the old flea market building on U.S. 90. Among the tenants at the $21 million shopping center are an ALDI grocery store, along with clothing retailers TJ Maxx and Burlington, Rack Room Shoes and 5 Below, a store that sells housewares, electronics and other products at low prices. Kevin Jennings and Jamey Flegal of Noon Real Estate, based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, are building the new shopping center.
Pascagoula breaks ground on Hwy 90 retail development
WLOX
Pascagoula continues to make its comeback with more and more economic development in the city, and it even goes beyond downtown revitalization. City leaders joined Noon Real Estate developers at the old K-Mart site to break ground on a new shopping center. “In 9-12 months, you’ll see a brand new Aldi, TJ Maxx, Burlington, Rackroom Shoes and a Five Below,” said real estate president Kevin Jennings. “We’re very excited. A long time in the making, two and a half years to bring this project to Pascagoula.” The project’s investments exceed $20 million. Mayor Jay Willis is proud to see the derelict property transform into a place his citizens will enjoy for years to come.
Keel Authenticated for Future USS Pittsburgh
American Navy
Pascagoula, MS – The keel for the future USS Pittsburgh (LPD 31), a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, was ceremonially laid at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division, June 2. The ship is the fifth Navy vessel to be named for the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and its surrounding region, which play a central role in our national defense infrastructure. The most recent USS Pittsburgh (SSN 720) was a Los Angeles-class submarine, which served the Navy from December 1984 to August 2019.
Southern Rail Commission to announce update on Amtrak passenger service
WLOX
The Southern Rail Commission preparing for a meeting tomorrow ahead of Amtrak’s return to the coast. All aboard! From New Orleans to Mobile, Amtrak’s new passenger services include four Mississippi stops in Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi and Pascagoula. Southern Rail Commission said this will help restore travel across coastal counties. “I think that whenever people start to come in and they want to really go on the train, they’ll come in and get a quick bite get a quick drink and be on their way,” said Fortenberry, a Bay St. Louis resident.
Mississippi health system deploys cloud-based workforce app
Becker’s Hospital Review
Gulf Coast, Miss.-based Singing River Health System deployed Elemeno Health, a cloud-based healthcare workforce app and digital clinician resource hub, at all three of its hospitals. Last year, the health system piloted the application at its Singing River Pascagoula (Miss.) hospital. Singing River Health System aims for the app to help standardize clinician procedures across its hospitals, according to a June 6 Elemeno Health news release provided to Becker’s. The app stores how-to videos and information for clinicians. “We understand the tremendous pressures on today’s nurses,” Tiffany Murdock, CEO of Singing River Health System, said in the release. “Nursing practices are increasingly complex, and our new generation of nurses want support at their fingertips. They have grown up with mobile technology and prefer to learn from bite-sized, multi-media formats. Elemeno delivers this support, customized to our teams.”
New Mexican ice cream shop a hidden gem in South Mississippi
Yahoo! Life
A unique, refreshing and definitely not a mirage ice cream parlor called Heladeria La Frescura on Highway 90 in Pascagoula. Just opened in mid-June, Heladeria La Frescura is a colorful Mexican ice cream shop with a wide variety of heat-escaping offerings. Whether you’re in the mood for ice cream, crepes or a duro preparado plate, this place has you covered.
Key lawmakers flex new positions to bolster shipbuilding industry
Defense News
GULF COAST — On an overcast day in April, Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson hopped off a large gray van to show off the Pascagoula, Mississippi, shipyard. Wilkinson oversees the largest shipbuilder on the Gulf Coast, and during this tour hosted a special set of guests: Senate staffers. The 800-acre yard employs more than 11,000 workers and provides most of the Navy’s surface combatants. The staffers had come to see some of those programs, like the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer and the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock.
Ocean Springs chamber holding 99 days of summer campaign
WXXV
Are you bored this summer at home and absolutely need something to do? Well, Ocean Springs is guaranteed to have something fun for you and the family.The 99 Days of Summer for tourists and locals has begun. The Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce Main Street and Tourism Bureau begins the campaign from Memorial Day and it runs through September.
‘Pelican Pound’ encourages local shopping in Ocean Springs
WXXV
Not sure if you know but there’s a new currency in town in Ocean Springs to help the tourism industry. To encourage locals and tourists to shop downtown the City of Ocean Springs is introducing the Pelican Pound. The coin is worth $5 dollars and is made of wood. The idea is to keep dollars in the local economy. The Pelican Pound was first introduced a decade ago but now the Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce Main Street and Tourism Bureau has decided to bring it back.
Moss Point city leaders focus on being ready for natural disasters
WLOX
Mayor Billy Knight has been working on developing a plan to be prepared when dealing with mother nature. He said, you can’t stop a storm from hitting, but the plans will gear toward helping people after a storm hits. “You must be flexible to change the plans, but you must have some basic plans in place. Therefore, it keeps you from having to react so greatly to what you are about to face,” Knight said.
Moss Point mayor discusses extent of tornado damage
Supertalk MS
During an appearance on MidDays with Gerard Gibert, Knight said 341 homes and businesses were either damaged or destroyed by the tornado, which had winds reach up to 130 miles per hour. “We’re working through that now. We started the debris pick up on Monday,” Knight said. “The Red Cross is here helping to manage our recovery center, and we have out a shelter. We’re working through all that. We’re taking care of our people.”
Gov. Reeves tours storm damage in Moss Point
WXXV
“Together we will rebuild” that was the message Governor Tate Reeves shared with storm victims in Moss Point today. Governor Tate Reeves visited Moss Point assessing the damage and speaking with those impacted by the disaster. The governor met with residents face-to-face before going into a closed-door meeting with city officials.