Nation’s largest military shipbuilder closes on Charleston County acquisition

by Hollie Moore – Charleston Regional Business Journal

After announcing the acquisition in December, HII has closed on the purchase and has begun work on the newly named Newport News Shipbuilding – Charleston Operations, according to an HII news release. 

HII, the nation’s largest military shipbuilder, acquired all the assets of Goose Creek-based W International SC LLC and Vivid Empire SC LLC (collectively “W International”) for the deal, according to the release. 

“HII is committed to going where the labor is to increase shipbuilding capacity and increase throughput for our national security customers,” President and CEO Chris Kastner said. “This lets us efficiently add trained talent and state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities to the urgent job of building ships, making it a unique opportunity to immediately accelerate throughout at Newport News Shipbuilding in support of the Navy and AUKUS.” 

Since th acquisition, 99 percent of the legacy workforce have accepted offers to continue to work on site, the release said. NNS projects will include are construction of nuclear-powered submarine modules and aircraft carrier units for the U.S. Navy. 

“This is great news for the South Carolina economy. This investment will allow us to expand our manufacturing footprint more aggressively in the shipbuilding industry,” Sen. Lindsey Graham said. “If you can drive it, fly it, shoot it or float it, South Carolina makes it.” 

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

In addition to trained workforce, HII will provide advanced production facilities with state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment, tooling and infrastructure.  

The facility is on 45-acres with more than 480,000-square-feet of manufacturing space with direct access to barge and rail transportation, according to the release. 

“The expansion of our nation’s largest military shipbuilder in South Carolina underscores the pivotal role our state plays in strengthening America’s national security,” Sen. Tim Scott said. “The dedicated shipbuilders in the Charleston area are part of a highly skilled workforce that will propel our nation forward. This innovation and modernization in our defense industrial base will create jobs and draw resources to our state’s already robust Navy presence.” 

Source: Charleston Regional Business Journal