Maine shipyard wins contract for 5th Navy destroyer

BATH, Maine (AP) - Maine’s Bath Iron Works is going to be building another Arleigh Burke-class destroyer for the U.S. Navy.

The company and three members of Maine’s congressional delegation announced Friday that the Navy is exercising its option to build a fifth destroyer in Bath.

The Navy had already committed to building four of the destroyers in Maine, one each year from 2019 through 2022.

Bath Iron Works President Dirk Lesko says the shipyard “is privileged to continue producing state-of-the-art surface combatants” for the Navy.

In a joint statement, U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, a Republican and Democrat Angus King, and Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree say Bath workers “can now spend the holidays with their families knowing that this additional ship will help keep the workload stable in the months and years ahead.”