Wisconsin’s Marinette Marine hiring hundreds

MARINETTE, Wis. — Marinette Marine Corp. says it plans to hire several hundred workers this year to help build U.S. Navy ships.

The northeastern Wisconsin company has $715 million in new Navy contracts. Marinette Marine already has 1,350 shipyard workers building the Navy’s littoral combat ships in Marinette.

The combat ship program has trickled down to hundreds of suppliers, including 120 Wisconsin companies. A key supplier is Fairbanks Morse Engine, which designs and builds the twin diesel engines that power the high speed ships. That work is done in Beloit, where Fairbanks employs about 360 people.

The Journal Sentinel says the Navy wants a fleet of ships that can operate in waters as shallow as 20 feet and reach speeds topping 46 mph. The ships support ground troops and launch unmanned aerial drones.