Advancing UK Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space Solutions Worldwide
  • Home
  • /
  • Defence
  • /
  • BAE Systems awarded $125.5m US Navy contract for USS Essex maintenance

Defence

BAE Systems awarded $125.5m US Navy contract for USS Essex maintenance

BAE Systems has received a $125.5 million contract from the US Navy to drydock and provide post-deployment maintenance service aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2).


    
Above: Amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) transits the San Diego Bay in preparation for arrival pierside at Naval Base San Diego.
Courtesy BAE Systems / US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Melvin Fatimehin

The ship recently completed a seven-month deployment to the Western Pacific.

BAE Systems’ San Diego shipyard will begin working aboard the 844-foot-long USS Essex in June. Under the docking selected restricted availability (DSRA) contract awarded, BAE Systems will perform hull, tank, and mechanical work, repair internal and exterior decks and refurbish habitability spaces for the ship’s crew and embarked US Marine Corps troops.

Advertisement
Teledyne

Work on the ship is expected to be completed in September 2023. The contract includes options that, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $148.2 million.

“USS Essex recently returned to San Diego following an extended overseas deployment,” said David M. Thomas, Jr., vice president and general manager of BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair. “I look forward to the BAE Systems-Navy team delivering upon our commitment to restore Essex’s material condition and prepare it for future deployments.”

USS Essex is the fifth US ship named after Essex County, Mass. The ship was commissioned in October 1992 and is homeported in San Diego.

BAE Systems’ San Diego shipyard is currently completing a 22-month DSRA aboard USS Boxer (LHD 4), which is in the same ship class as Essex.

Advertisement
ODU RT

BAE Systems is a leading provider of ship repair, maintenance, modernization, conversion, and overhaul services for the Navy, other government agencies and select commercial customers. The company operates three full-service shipyards in California, Florida, and Virginia, and offers a highly skilled, experienced workforce, seven drydocks and railways, significant pier space and ship support services. The company’s San Diego shipyard has approximately 1,100 employees and works with the Navy and several subcontractor companies to accomplish its ship sustainment work.
 

 

Advertisement
Cranfield University
MoD campaign highlights impact of public interruption to military training

Defence

MoD campaign highlights impact of public interruption to military training

18 July 2025

Soldiers sprinting through a salon, abseiling into gyms and crawling through offices feature in a striking new campaign by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), turning the tables on the issue of public interruptions to military training exercises.

UAS launched munitions set to combat air and ground targets

Defence

UAS launched munitions set to combat air and ground targets

18 July 2025

For the first time, BAE Systems has launched a precision munition from a multi-rotor Uncrewed Air System (UAS) and successfully destroyed both air and ground targets during trials in the US.

UK

Defence

UK's combat air flying demonstrator revealed

17 July 2025

Industry partners, BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and MBDA UK, together with the Ministry of Defence (MoD), have revealed the design of the UK’s flagship Combat Air Flying Demonstrator, as the aircraft reaches a major milestone, with two thirds of its structural weight now in manufacturing.

Scottish defence dividend investment launched

Defence

Scottish defence dividend investment launched

16 July 2025

Scottish Secretary and Minister for Defence Procurement & Industry have visited HMNB Clyde to launch the multidecade, multibillion-pound Clyde 2070 programme.

Advertisement
Teledyne
Captec to showcase next-gen computing at DSEI

Defence Events

Captec to showcase next-gen computing at DSEI

16 July 2025

As the defence landscape continues to evolve at pace, with technological advances reshaping mission requirements and placing increasing demands on deployed computing systems, computing specialist Captec will be showcasing next-generation computing platforms at DSEI 2025 (9th–12th September 2025, Excel London).

SkyShark takes flight

Defence Security

SkyShark takes flight

16 July 2025

MGI Engineering, a company forged in the fast-paced world of Formula 1, has officially unveiled SkyShark, a next-generation military drone platform designed to transform battlefield operations with speed, precision and UK-built sovereignty.

Advertisement
ODU RT