“Fincantieri Marinette Marine Kicks Off Revolutionary Frigate Building Project”
Fincantieri Marinette Marine has officially commenced the assembly of the U.S. Navy’s inaugural Constellation-class guided missile frigate today in Northeast Wisconsin. The future USS Constellation has transitioned into the subsequent phase of development as shipbuilders initiated steel cutting for the vessel with members of the Navy, representatives of elected officials, and community dignitaries witnessing this significant commencement for a new class of ships. Two years prior, the Navy selected FMM to design and develop the Constellation-class frigate, and since that time, the shipyard and its workforce have been exceptionally active. The shipyard has undergone extensive enhancements and received new facilities to adeptly construct these crucial crafts.
“We have allocated over $300 million into our Marinette shipyard to manufacture multiple frigates for the U.S. Navy,” stated Marco Galbiato, CEO of Fincantieri Marine Group. “Leveraging our modern facilities and industry-leading best practices, we are prepared to meet the Navy’s requirement of two frigates annually. The Navy intends to construct at least 20 frigates in the forthcoming years, and Fincantieri aims to be a pivotal player in this surface combatant domain.
“We are diligently collaborating with the Navy’s program office to finalize the first ship design to provide the Navy with the vessel they envision,” remarked Mark Vandroff, CEO of Fincantieri Marinette Marine. “We have achieved more than 80% completion on ship design ahead of construction, in alignment with best practices prevalent in the naval shipbuilding sector.”
Fincantieri Marinette Marine is under contract to fabricate the first three frigates, which the Navy has named Constellation, Chesapeake, and Congress, paying historical homage to three of the original six frigates commissioned by the Navy in the late 1780s. FMM holds contract options with the Navy for an additional seven vessels.
Fincantieri Marinette Marine leveraged the European frigate FREMM as the foundation for their frigate design, enhancing an operationally proven ship currently in service globally to achieve superior performance.
