If Pentagon cancels third Zumwalt destroyer, ‘a lot of work lost’ at BIW

The Pentagon is considering whether to cancel construction of one of the next-generation destroyers being built at Bath Iron Works, a move that would imperil jobs at Maine’s fifth-largest private employer.

Several reports said the Defense Department is trying to decide whether to complete construction of the USS Lyndon B. Johnson, the last of three Zumwalt-class destroyers, even though the vessel already is more than 40 percent complete.

It’s a topic “to be reviewed in the next few weeks” by teams formed by the Pentagon’s independent cost-assessment office, according to a report by Bloomberg News that cited an Aug. 25 Defense Department briefing document.

Read more