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Bath, ME – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King hosted Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Admiral Michael Gilday at Bath Iron Works (BIW) to tour the shipyard’s manufacturing areas and training facilities and meet with workers.

 The visit included tours of several manufacturing areas, the main shipyard, and the kitting terminal.  Additionally, Admiral Gilday with Senators Collins and King boarded and toured the USS Carl M. Levin (DDG 120).

Today’s visit marked Admiral Gilday’s third trip to BIW.  

“It was a pleasure to welcome back Admiral Gilday to Bath Iron Works, where he had the opportunity to see firsthand the tremendous skill and dedication of employees who are building the Navy’s most capable ships. It is reassuring to know that the brave men and women of the Navy will crew a ship built by the world’s best shipbuilders,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. “The value of our naval assets and shipyards to our national security has never been greater. We are committed to continuing to work to ensure that BIW has the resources it needs to support our Navy.”

“Our partnership with industry is critical to our Navy and our national security… we must continue to build ships, submarines and aircraft to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow,” said Admiral Mike Gilday. “I’m grateful for the work and the improvements being made at Bath Iron Works to ensure our warfighters continue to receive cutting edge capabilities and extraordinary ships.”  

Senator Collins is the Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, and the Ranking Member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.  Senator King is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The Senators have consistently pushed for the construction of destroyers, the workhorses of the fleet, by restoring funding for a DDG-51 that was cut from the Navy’s budget in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Defense Appropriations bill and adding a third DDG-51 in the FY 2023 Defense Appropriations bill.

The Pentagon’s annual assessment of China’s military power reports that the Chinese Navy is now the largest in the world with about 340 ships, and China is expected to have a 400-ship fleet in 2025.  Today, the United States Navy has 296 battle force ships, a fleet that many military experts consider to be too small given global threats.