Suddenly, Alabama is in the submarine business. Not just at Austal USA in Mobile, where they’ve been building sections of nuclear subs for a while now, but now in the Shoals area and a new specialized workforce program at community colleges all across the state.
How will all that actually fit together? An Austal executive offers some insight into what’s ahead.
First up is Austal’s Module Manufacturing Facility 3. In 2023, Austal got a $12.8 million contract to fabricate the command and control module for a Columbia-class ballistic missile sub. In September 2024, the shipbuilder announced that it had won a $450 million contract that would enable it to dramatically expand its capacity for such work…