GlobeNewswire Inc | May 11, 2021 11:30AM EDT

May 11, 2021

PASCAGOULA, Miss., May 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE: HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division announced today the start of fabrication of Legend-class national security cutterFriedman(NSC 11). The start of fabrication signifies the first 100 tons of steel have been cut.

Our workforce has invested more than a decade of effort, creativity and resolve to make the Legend-class national security cutter production line incredibly efficient and strong, Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson said. We are pleased to achieve this milestone and will continue to look for any additional opportunity in our processes and approaches to provide the most affordable and capable ships to our customers.

NSC 11 is named to honor Elizebeth Smith Friedman. Friedman was a code breaker during the Prohibition Era who, as a civilian, intercepted and solved coded messages from racketeers and gangs and delivered them to the Coast Guard. During World War II, she worked against German espionage communications and developed information that was critical to counterintelligence work in the Southern Hemisphere. Friedmans work resulted in hundreds of criminal prosecutions, saved thousands of lives and laid the groundwork for the science of cryptology and the establishment of the modern day National Security Agency.

A photo accompanying this release is available at: https://newsroom.huntingtoningalls.com/file/nsc-11-startfab.

The Legend-class NSC is the most technologically advanced ship in the Coast Guards fleet, which enables it to meet the high demands required for maritime and homeland security, law enforcement, marine safety, environmental protection and national defense missions. NSCs are 418 feet long with a top speed of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 miles, an endurance of 60 days and a crew of 120.

Huntington Ingalls Industries is Americas largest military shipbuilding company and a provider of professional services to partners in government and industry. For more than a century, HIIs Newport News and Ingalls shipbuilding divisions in Virginia and Mississippi have built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder. HIIs Technical Solutions division supports national security missions around the globe with unmanned systems, defense and federal solutions, and nuclear and environmental services. Headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, HII employs more than 41,000 people operating both domestically and internationally. For more information, visit:

-- HII on the web: www.huntingtoningalls.com -- HII on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HuntingtonIngallsIndustries -- HII on Twitter: twitter.com/hiindustries -- HII on YouTube: www.youtube.com/huntingtoningalls -- HII on Instagram: www.instagram.com/huntingtoningalls

Contact:

Teckie Hinkebeinteckie.hinkebein@hii-co.com(228) 935-1323