“Fred Harris of NASSCO is the most progressive shipbuilder in the country. He and NASSCO are doing more than anyone else to get the cost out of ships.”
Vice Adm. Kevin McCoy,
San Diego Military Advisory Council Breakfast, June 2011
“For the last two years I’ve been talking about acquisition excellence, which is just a fancy way of saying we need to get more ships, cheaper, for the Navy. I’ve been talking about the need to do things right, to get the contracts right, about the yards taking ownership of projects, learning lessons while ships are being built, and bringing in every ship of a class cheaper and faster than the ship before it. NASSCO has done that. NASSCO has been a tremendous partner, and every single shipfitter and steelworker here deserves a lot of credit. You do things right. And because of that, because of what you do, you make our Navy stronger and America more secure.”
Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy,
T-AKE 14 Naming Ceremony, May 2011
“It’s good to know we’ve got two solid ships coming to work for us. As a U.S.-built and U.S.-flagged ship, the Empire State provides jobs for U.S. merchant mariners and increased capabilities for Military Sealift Command and the Navy. The U.S. shipbuilding industry is crucial and I commend the General Dynamics NASSCO team for building such a mighty and impressive ship – a ship for the 21st century.”
Rear Adm. Mark Buzby, Commander of MSC,
Empire State Christening, August 2010
“To the General Dynamics NASSCO team, on behalf of the Navy, I thank you for your impressive work. The artisans in this shipyard are second to none, and your reputation for building fine ships for the Navy and the nation is simply unmatched. This team is truly a national treasure.”
Rear Admiral Richard J. O’Hanlon, Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic,
T-AKE 11 Christening, September 2010
“Industry has to work with us in terms of making sure things come in under budget and ahead of time. I do have to say, and this is not a plug for any particular company, but I did go to the shipyard here, and our T AKEs, the oilers and supply ships that are being delivered to the Navy today, every ship is cheaper than the one before, and they’ve all been ahead of schedule recently. And that’s what we’re looking for. We have a stable design. We didn’t keep changing things. And in exchange the shipyard made the investment, has done the training, has done the things that it has taken to bring cost and time down.”
Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy,
San Diego Fleet Week Breakfast, October 2009
“NASSCO’s T-AKE Program is an effective and efficient building program.”
Rear Adm. Frank C. Pandolfe, Director of Navy’s Surface Warfare Division
“With [the current Federal] fiscal situation we have to get the right price and fair value for our shipbuilding dollars. And that’s what we get from NASSCO. The Navy and America are getting truly great, incredible ships.”
Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy
Christening and Naming Ceremony, USNS Medgar Evers, November 12, 2011
