Maine senators press for more destroyer funding at Bath Iron Works

Bath Iron Works’ next workload may determine more than how many destroyers it builds. It may decide whether roughly 6,800 workers in Bath and the supplier shops around Sagadahoc County see steady paychecks, regular training and a backlog that gives the shipyard time to hold onto skilled welders, mechanics and engineers.

That was the message as U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King came to the shipyard on April 9 with Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle to press for more destroyer money in the federal budget. The senators argued that the Trump administration’s plan, which would fund only one BIW ship next year, would undercut both national security and one of Maine’s largest employers. Collins said the United States cannot afford to fall behind as China expands its fleet. King said the DDG-51 destroyer is the Navy’s workhorse and warned that stop-and-start construction schedules can take years to recover from.

The fight now centers on how many Arleigh Burke-class destroyers Congress will back after a year in which lawmakers included funding for two DDG-51 ships in fiscal 2024, including one intended for Bath. In August 2025, the Navy also exercised an option to add another DDG-51 to BIW’s multiyear contract awarded in 2023, showing how closely the yard’s workload has depended on long-term procurement decisions and follow-on options. BIW later won a new destroyer contract in 2025 for DDG-148, which will be named for Medal of Honor recipient Kyle Carpenter.

For Bath, the stakes run through the workforce pipeline. King said if a welder leaves because work dries up for a couple of months, the yard may never get that worker back. Collins argued that multiyear contracts give the yard predictability and stability, while King said longer contracts can also lower the unit cost for taxpayers. BIW’s careers materials say the shipyard hires in manufacturing, engineering, business support and other trades, roles that are hard to rebuild once they scatter.

The senators’ visit also doubled as a showcase for federal dollars already at work on the waterfront. They cut a ribbon for BIW’s new Pier Support Center, a four-story, roughly 60,000-square-foot building next to Pier 2 that is intended to house mechanic space, workshops, lockers, bathrooms and a centralized lunchroom for pier-side trades. The project cost about $40 million, and Collins secured $12 million in federal funding for it.

That mix of infrastructure, contracts and labor is why BIW still matters so deeply in Bath. The company says it has delivered more than 260 military ships and won more than 430 shipbuilding contracts since its history began in 1884, and the current budget fight will help determine whether that legacy continues with steady work or another round of costly uncertainty.