What is SUPSHIP Gulf Coast?

Since 1951, a Navy Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, located at Pascagoula, MS has been administering Navy ship construction and repair contracts at private shipyards along the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle to the Louisiana border. Usually known as SUPSHIP, a similar organization has existed in New Orleans, LA since 1942. In 2003, the two Gulf Coast SUPSHIPs were consolidated into a single SUPSHIP Gulf Coast, with headquarters at Pascagoula. The command is a field activity of the Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC. A separate operating location continues at New Orleans and there are now field offices at Morgan City, LA, Orange, TX, and Marinette, WI, opened in response new Naval Sea Systems Command contracts.

SUPSHIP Gulf Coast’s mission is to efficiently deliver new ships and craft to the U.S. Navy. Combining the two former SUPSHIPs reduced duplication of effort and supported reengineering and cost reduction initiatives. And the single SUPSHIP presents a consistent approach to contract administration when dealing with the same large contractor (Northrop Grumman Ship Systems) at both major operating sites.
Since 1987 SUPSHIP has overseen the construction of ARLEIGH BURKE (DDG 51) Class AEGIS guided missile destroyers. Contracts for 28 DDG 51s have been awarded for construction at Pascagoula for a total value of $10.5 billion. Twenty-four of these ships have been delivered to the Navy and four are under construction. Looking to the next generation of destroyers, design work on the ZUMWALT (DD 1000) is in progress. This destroyer for the future will employ the latest technological advances, including electric motors for propulsion.
Seven WASP (LHD 1) Class amphibious assault ships were built beginning in 1981 and an eighth, MAKIN ISLAND (LHD 8) is nearing completion now. MAKIN ISLAND is a transition ship employing diesels and gas turbines for power instead of steam and will prove new technologies for the next class of “big deck” amphibious assault ships.
MESA VERDE (LPD 19), a SAN ANTONIO (LPD 17) Class landing platform dock, is also nearing completion at Northrop Grumman’s Ingalls Operations yard at Pascagoula and several more will be built here. This first new warship class of the 21st century was designed entirely by computer. Among the ship’s most distinctive external features are its reduced radar cross-section hull and superstructure and two octagonal composite masts fabricated by Northrop Grumman at Gulfport, MS. The Advanced Electronics Mast/Sensor (AEM/S) provides protection for antennas from the harsh ocean environment, improved signals performance and a safer maintenance platform. Fleet Sailors and Marines recommended many of the ship’s design features. Its advanced habitability features include sit-up berths, uni-sex berthing compartments equally assignable for male or female occupancy and a shipboard wide-area fiber-optic network for connecting computers, combat systems and information distribution throughout the ship.
SUPSHIP also oversees the construction of other Navy-contracted ships and craft along the Gulf Coast.

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