January 28, 2026
NEWPORT NEWS, Va., (Jan. 28, 2026) — HII’s (NYSE: HII) Newport News Shipbuilding division is marking 140 years of service to the nation today.
On Jan. 28, 1886, Collis P. Huntington, a businessman whose investments enabled completion of the U.S. transcontinental railroad, turned his focus to shipbuilding, establishing what was first chartered as Chesapeake Dry Dock and Construction Co. and was then renamed Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company.
Several years later, the shipyard delivered its first vessel, the tugboat Dorothy, named for the daughter of William C. Whitney, the 31st Secretary of the Navy. Today, Dorothy sits outside the gates of NNS as a reminder of the shipyard’s humble beginnings.
“For 140 years NNS shipbuilders have answered the call to serve our nation,” NNS President Kari Wilkinson said. “Generations of families have carried forward the noble profession of shipbuilding, proudly maintaining the Newport News Shipbuilding legacy. To this day, we are grateful for all of the shipbuilders who served before us and built what we work so hard today to sustain.”
Since its founding, NNS has delivered more than 800 ships to commercial and military customers. Today, the shipyard designs, builds, maintains, refuels and inactivates nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines for the U.S. Navy.
Spanning 550 acres along two miles of the James River, NNS employs 26,000 shipbuilders and is the largest industrial employer in the commonwealth of Virginia. The shipyard also operates additional locations in Norfolk, Virginia, and Goose Creek, South Carolina, to support production.
HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division is marking 140 years of service to the nation on Jan. 28, 2026. This historic image from April 1889 shows the ceremonial opening of a dry dock in the early days of the shipyard (HII photo).
HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division is marking 140 years of service to the nation on Jan. 28, 2026. This historic image shows the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, Ex-Enterprise (CVN 65), during construction at NNS (HII photo).
HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division is marking 140 years of service to the nation on Jan. 28, 2026. This photo shows Virginia-class submarine Massachusetts (SSN 798) during sea trials in 2025 (Photo by Ashley Cowan/HII).
HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division is marking 140 years of service to the nation on Jan. 28, 2026 (Photo by Ashley Cowan/HII).
HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division is marking 140 years of service to the nation on Jan. 28, 2026 (Photo by Ashley Cowan/HII).
HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division is marking 140 years of service to the nation on Jan. 28, 2026. This photo shows first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), built by NNS, during sea trials (HII photo).
HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division is marking 140 years of service to the nation on Jan. 28, 2026. This photo shows the christening of Virginia-class submarine USS John Warner (SSN 785) on Sept. 6, 2014 (HII photo).
HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division is marking 140 years of service to the nation on Jan. 28, 2026. This undated historic photo shows a NNS shipbuilder working in the Virginia shipyard (HII photo).
HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division is marking 140 years of service to the nation on Jan. 28, 2026. This historic photo shows the Newport News Shipbuilding Apprentice School shortly after it was founded in 1919 (HII photo).
HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division is marking 140 years of service to the nation on Jan. 28, 2026 (Photo by Ashley Cowan/HII).
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HII is a global, all-domain defense provider. HII's mission is to deliver the world's most powerful ships and all-domain solutions in service of the nation, creating the advantage for our customers to protect peace and freedom around the world.
As the nation's largest military shipbuilder, and with a more than 135-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities extending from ships to unmanned systems, cyber, ISR, AI/ML and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII's workforce is 44,000 strong.
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