Northrop Grumman closing Tallulah shipyard

Northrop Grumman Corp. will close its Tallulah shipyard before the end of 2010, ending 95 jobs, and will lay off 110 workers at its Avondale yard, slated for closure in early 2013, the company says. Northrop Grumman says work will conclude around Oct. 29 at Tallulah, followed by total closure of the yard near Dec. 3. The layoffs will involve employees in both union and non-union positions, the company says. No definite layoff date was announced for Avondale. In July Northrop Grumman said it would close both yards as it consolidates military shipbuilding at Pascagoula, Miss. Two ships in the LPD-17 series of Navy amphibious assault ships are currently under construction at Avondale, but that work is expected to be finished in early 2013, leaving the yard without a mission. The final two ships in that series will be built at Pascagoula, and no major Navy shipbuilding project to replace the LPD-17 is in the works now. Avondale has about 4,700 workers, making it Louisiana’s largest manufacturing employer.