Marinette Marine Corporation JANUARY 10 www. bus- ex. com 19 modules just get loaded aboard and plugged into the common backbone of the ship." On the strength of the success of the USS Freedom, and the fact that Marinette Marine is currently 20 percent into completing the second LCS for the Navy- the USS Fort Worth, scheduled to deliver February 2012- McCreary feels the company is positioned well in vying for a Navy contract to build an additional ten LCSs. " The award would mean that we would become the lead shipyard for the LCS class. This could mean that our company could double in size over the next three years, in terms of revenues and the number of employees." Currently, the company has about 30 buildings on a 65- acre site, and it employs 950 people. It anticipates growing its workforce to about 1,800 people over a three- year period when it receives this contract. With current revenues around $ 250 million annually, the company expects to see close to a half billion dollars annually when awarded the Navy contract. The company is hopeful it will be successful in receiving the contract, scheduled to be awarded in the summer of 2010. The contract will award to the winning bidder the right to construct two ships in 2010, followed by two ships every year up to 2014 for a total of ten ships. The Navy expects to build 55 of these ships, currently budgeted at about $ 460 million each. The company has the experience, capability, facilities and institutional knowledge, which is a distinct advantage in vying for the contract, notes McCreary. He admits that the USS Freedom was a difficult build cycle. " There were a significant number of changes throughout the build cycle, which increased the survivability of the ship," he says. " The best example of how difficult it was is that the USS Fort Worth was bid at a fixed price of For the last three years, Stevens Towing Co., Inc. has provided the marine transportation for the Improved Navy Lightering Systems built by Marinette Marine Corporation in Marinette, Wisconsin to their final destination in Jacksonville, Florida or Little Creek, Virginia. Founded in 1913, Stevens Towing has a vast array of experience. We specialize in project cargo transportation including inland, coastwise and ocean towing. See our advertisement for contact details. Stevens Towing Co., Inc