Newport News Shipbuilding: Permanent Work on the Virginia Class

Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia is the largest shipbuilding facility in the United States and one of the most significant defense industrial sites in the country. HII — formerly Huntington Ingalls Industries — operates the yard. The work is building Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines and Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers. The program is funded, the contracts are long-term, and the employment is Permanent. This is not a project job. Boilermakers Local 193 has the primary agreement for heavy mechanical and pressure vessel work at the yard. Per diem runs at $162/day. Newport News and the broader Hampton Roads area is a major metropolitan region with a complete range of housing and services. Cost of living is moderate for the East Coast. Members who are considering this as a long-term placement will find the housing market workable compared to other major coastal areas. Shipyard work is specialized and the learning environment at Newport News is serious. The nuclear submarine program in particular involves extraordinary quality standards — the work you do on a submarine will operate 300 feet below the surface of the ocean carrying a nuclear reactor and a crew of 130. That context drives the quality culture on the yard floor. Members who understand and embrace that standard do well in this environment. HII and Newport News Shipbuilding have a long history of labor relations with the trades. The yard is a generational employer — it is not uncommon to find members whose parents and grandparents worked there. For members who want to build a career in one place with steady, meaningful work at a level of craft significance that is genuinely rare, Newport News is one of the best options in American industrial employment.