Competition Opens For Second Constellation-Class Shipyard

Competition Opens For Second Constellation-Class Shipyard
USS Constellation FFG-62 frigate
According to a request for information (RFI) posted by NAVSEA and the FFG 62 Constellation Class Frigate Program Office (PMS 515), the U.S. Navy is officially seeking a second shipyard for the FFG 62 program, adding to the capacity of Midwest-based Fincantieri Marinette Marine. A second shipyard, according to the RFI, would need to “demonstrate that they possess the requisite facilities, workforce, and capabilities to perform the work.”

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday and Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro both considered a second shipyard as critically important in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last year. Fincantieri Marinette Marine has also expanded work to two other Fincantieri yards in the region, Fincantieri: Sturgeon Bay, and Fincantieri ACE Marine.

Additional capacity at a second shipyard would allow for the production of four Constellation-class FFGs yearly, doubling the pace of Fincantieri Marinette Marine alone, a yard that has faced difficulty in retaining and hiring a workforce capable of executing FFG 62 deliveries on schedule, while also balancing the end of Freedom-class production which the yard has specialized in for nearly 20 years.

Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Marinette, Wisconsin, in 2019. Credit: Fincantieri Marine Group
Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Marinette, Wisconsin, in 2019. Credit: Fincantieri Marine Group
According to the RFI, PMS 515 specifically “seeks to identify qualified U.S. surface combatant Shipbuilders as sources for future design and/or follow-on construction of the Constellation Class Frigate”. This ranges from material procurement to post-delivery shakedown trial support.

Fincantieri Marinette Marine currently has six ships awarded, FFG 62 through FFG 67. The latest two ships were awarded in mid-2024. The lead ship of the class, USS Constellation (FFG 62), was laid down on April 12, 2024. Naval Station Everett, Everett, Washington, will be the home of the first twelve ships according to the U.S. Navy.

The U.S. Navy intends to field 20 Constellation-class FFGs initially, with the possibility of additional ships further in the future as the industrial base stabilizes, unit prices decrease, and a second shipyard begins production of the class.

Adding to the U.S. Navy’s interest in a second shipyard, Norway has expressed interest in procuring five or six Constellation-class frigates as a supplement and eventual replacement for the Fridtjof Nansen-class. A second frigate construction yard would increase the chances of the Constellation-class bid in Norway as the Nordic country is rumored to require a quick delivery of the first ship (2029 timeframe). Greece has also expressed interest in co-producing the Constellation-class as a replacement and has signed a letter of interest in producing seven Constellation-class FFGs in Greece.

Part of the keel of USS Constellation (FFG 62) at Fincantieri Marinette Marine.
Part of the keel of USS Constellation (FFG 62) at Fincantieri Marinette Marine. Credit: U.S. Navy
Despite the interest by PMS 515, the request for information submitted does not guarantee that a second shipyard will be selected to begin production of the Constellation-class. According to the RFI, “Respondents will not be notified of the results of this notice. The information obtained from submitted responses may be used in development of an acquisition strategy and a future solicitation.”