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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
United Defense Industries, Inc. (NYSE: UDI) announced today the
U.S. Navy’s award to Southwest Marine (SWM) of the advanced
planning segment of the contract for dry docking and pier side
work on the USS LAKE CHAMPLAIN (CG-57), a Ticonderoga-class Aegis
cruiser home-ported in San Diego. Southwest Marine is a member
of United States Marine Repair, Inc. (USMR), which was acquired
by United Defense last month.
The advanced planning segment of the contract is valued at $518,484.
With funded options, the total contract value is in excess of
$12 million. SWM is the prime contractor and has teamed with National
Steel and Shipbuilding Company and Continental Maritime of San
Diego to perform the work. The ship is scheduled to arrive at
SWM on September 18, 2002, and work is expected to be completed
on November 20, 2002.
SWM has performed 31 major repair projects on Aegis ships and
has received three Aegis Excellence Awards and two Aegis Team
Awards. "Combining Southwest Marine’s expertise and
record of outstanding past performance on this class of ships
with the knowledge of our neighboring shipyard workers provides
the Navy with the talent and dedication of the best and brightest
in San Diego. We are proud to play a part in providing support
for America’s defense and military readiness and the men
and women who put their lives on the line on our behalf."
said Monty Dickinson, SWM’s president and general manager.
Major dry docking work includes inspection and repair of shafts
and propellers, rudder work, hull painting, overhaul and repair
of sea valves and inspection of the sonar dome. Over 100 SWM workers
a day are assigned to the ship, and SWM will be hiring additional
workers to fulfill the contract requirements.
The primary mission of the USS LAKE CHAMPLAIN is to operate with
aircraft carrier battle groups in extreme threat environments.
The ship’s crew consists of 37 officers, 45 chief petty
officers and 325 enlisted personnel.
The ship, nicknamed the "CHAMP", recently returned from
an extended deployment to the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman
with the USS JOHN C. STENNIS Battle Group in support of Operation
Enduring Freedom and Southern Watch. In response to the September
11 terrorist attacks, she deployed on November 12, two months
early. While in the Arabian Gulf, the missions of the "CHAMP"
included enforcement of United Nations sanctions against Iraq,
a rescue-at-sea of 24 Pakistani refugees whose boat broke down
in the Gulf of Oman, and 180 inspections of 16 suspected smuggling
vessels. She also took part in coalition operations with ships
and aircraft from fifteen navies.
Southwest Marine is a member of United States Marine Repair (USMR),
a wholly owned subsidiary of United Defense Industries, with facilities
in Norfolk, Va., San Diego, San Pedro and San Francisco, Calif.,
Ingleside, Texas, and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
United Defense is a leader in the design, development and production
of combat vehicles, artillery, naval guns, missile launchers and
precision munitions used by the U.S. Department of Defense and
allies worldwide and is America's largest non-nuclear ship repair,
modernization and conversion company. To learn more about United
Defense, visit www.uniteddefense.com.
Information in this release may involve guidance, expectations,
beliefs, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future.
These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties.
All forward-looking statements included in this release are based
upon information available to United Defense Industries, Inc.,
as of the date of the release, and we assume no obligation to
update any such forward-looking statements. The statements in
this release are not guarantees of future performance and actual
results could differ materially from our current expectations.
Numerous factors could cause or contribute to such differences.
Please refer to the Company's registration statement dated December
13, 2001 on Form S-1 and in our other reports filed from time
to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a further
discussion of the factors and risks associated with our business.
Doug Coffey
United Defense
(703) 312-6121
Jackie Kreisler
Southwest Marine
(619) 557-4289
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