Austal USA gives thanks during annual Turkey Toss
MOBILE, Ala. – To continue a tradition of giving back to their employees, the Austal USA leadership team distributed over 2,500 turkeys to the company’s workforce this week. The customary “turkey toss” began over a decade ago when Austal USA had less than 1,000 employees and has since grown to become a major company and community event. In addition to ensuring every member of the Austal USA team receives a turkey, Austal USA also delivers turkeys to local charities, like Prodisee Pantry, Feeding the Gulf Coast and Waterfront Rescue Mission who have come to rely on the donations to support the Thanksgiving meal packages they provide to those in need in our community.
"Every year Austal brings turkeys to Prodisee Pantry to complete the Thanksgiving Feast Boxes we distribute to Baldwin County families in need,” said Prodisee Pantry Executive Director Deann Servos. “It may seem like it's just a turkey but it is so much more to those who receive them. The quiet whispers of Thank You and God Bless You with big smiles and hardy hugs say it all."
“Our Turkey Toss is a sign of our appreciation for our super workforce, and it’s a great feeling of satisfaction to contribute and share in our employee’s holiday celebrations,” commented Austal USA President Rusty Murdaugh. “We’ve had an awesome year, so many successes to celebrate thanks to all of our hard working employees, and this is just one way we’ve found that we can give back to them and to the community that supports us so unconditionally.”
In the last decade, Austal USA’s Mobile manufacturing facility has become one of the most advanced in America through a laser focus on providing highly capable surface ship solutions on-time and on-budget to the U.S. Navy, and now the U.S. Coast Guard.
In 2022, after delivering 17 Navy Littoral Combat Ships and 12 Expeditionary Fast Transports, Austal USA expanded their capability to better meet the demands of the defense shipbuilding industry and added the capability to build steel ships in addition to its aluminum capability. The Mobile manufacturing facility includes a 117,000 square foot steel fabrication facility that houses the latest state-of-the-art computerized and robotic steel processing equipment. Austal USA’s steel panel line is fully operational producing modules for the first of three defense shipbuilding contracts: the Navy’s Navajo-class Towing, Salvage and Rescue ships. Combined with the Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock Medium, and the Coast Guard’s Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutter program, the addition of steel capability has added 20 steel ships to its production line.
Austal USA has also begun work supporting other shipyards on critical Navy programs. The Austal USA workforce will soon begin manufacturing modules for the Navy’s Virginia and Columbia-class submarine programs and aircraft elevators for the Ford-class aircraft carrier program.
Further diversifying, Austal USA entered into the autonomous vessel market, successfully testing and analyzing the autonomous capability the company was commissioned to add to the USNS Apalachicola (EPF 13), the largest Navy unmanned surface vessel. In an effort to advance autonomous capability, Austal USA is also partnered with L3Harris on the machinery control system upgrade of Overlord vessel Vanguard (OUSV 4), and construction of Mariner (OUSV 3) and with Saildrone, Inc., on the manufacture of Surveyor unmanned surface vehicles.
To support recent growth, the company is hiring new employees to increase its workforce by 1,200 within the next 18 months. Austal USA is actively recruiting for all production trades, engineers, naval architects, and its proven U.S. Department of Labor-certified apprenticeship program which will begin a new class in early 2023. Interested individuals can apply online to any one of the many open positions at www.austaljobs.com.
