Manufacturer catalog

Newport News Shipbuilding Co.

Newport News Shipbuilding Co. is HII's Virginia shipyard division and one of the United States' key builders of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines, anchoring the catalog's Nimitz-class carrier entry.

1 weapons

Newport News Shipbuilding traces to 1886, when Collis Potter Huntington founded Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company to support the growing port and ship repair economy in Newport News, Virginia. The modern builder now operates as a Huntington Ingalls Industries division and remains central to U.S. Navy nuclear carrier and submarine production.

For this catalog, the builder matters because the catalog's Nimitz-class aircraft carrier record resolves to the Newport News Shipbuilding lineage. The profile keeps the company history visible while leaving conflict-use detail to the individual weapon record.

Nuclear-powered aircraft carriersNuclear-powered submarinesShip refueling and overhaulNaval shipbuilding

Notable Systems

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, Naval Systems

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier

Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier

HII says Newport News Shipbuilding designs, builds, and refuels U.S. Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carriers; the catalog's Nimitz-class entry attaches to that builder line.

Sources: manufacturer, background

Virginia-class submarine

Northrop Grumman's 2001 filing identifies Newport News Shipbuilding as one of two U.S. companies capable of designing and building nuclear-powered submarines and as a Virginia-class co-builder.

Sources: manufacturer, background

Manufacturer History

  1. Newport News Shipbuilding is founded

    HII's history page says Collis Potter Huntington founded Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in 1886.

    Sources: HII history

  2. Northrop Grumman acquires Newport News Shipbuilding

    Northrop Grumman's 2001 filing says it acquired Newport News Shipbuilding, bringing the yard into its shipbuilding portfolio.

    Sources: Northrop Grumman 2001 filing

  3. HII is formed as a spin-off

    HII says it formed as an independently traded company on March 31, 2011, when the legacy shipyards spun off from Northrop Grumman.

    Sources: HII history

  4. Kari Wilkinson becomes president

    HII announced in 2025 that Kari Wilkinson would lead Newport News Shipbuilding as division president.

    Sources: Kari Wilkinson named president

Website links
Newport News ShipbuildingNewport News Shipbuilding careersHII historyKari Wilkinson named president

Public references vary between Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, and Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company; aliases consolidate those spellings under the catalog facet name.

Manufacturer Sources

  • Newport News ShipbuildingPublisher: HII | Note: Supports the division's official name, Virginia address, and its role in designing, building, and refueling nuclear-powered aircraft carriers while supporting nuclear-powered submarine work. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Newport News Shipbuilding careersPublisher: HII | Note: Supports the headquarters statement, the division's Newport News location, and its carrier and submarine production role. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • HII historyPublisher: HII | Note: Supports the 1886 founding of Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company and the broader HII corporate history that leads to the current division. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Northrop Grumman 2001 filingPublisher: Northrop Grumman | Note: Supports the 2001 acquisition of Newport News Shipbuilding and the company's nuclear-powered carrier and submarine builder role. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Newport News Shipbuilding aerial viewPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain reuse context for the aerial photograph of the Newport News Shipbuilding shipyard. | Accessed: 2026-06-21

Produced weapons

Category

Naval Systems

Warships, submarines, unmanned surface vessels, naval craft, and maritime combat systems.

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Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, Naval Systems1990 Gulf War, 1999 Kosovo War / Operation Allied Force +4 moreNimitz-class aircraft carrierNuclear-powered aircraft carrierBuilt in: United StatesThe Nimitz class is the U.S. Navy's ten-ship nuclear-powered aircraft-carrier family, built by Newport News Shipbuilding for sustained carrier air warfare, sea control, and forward power projection. The cataloged conflict record spans Desert Storm, Allied Force, Afghanistan, Iraq, 2014 Operation Inherent Resolve, and the 2026 2020 United States-Iran Conflict, where individual Nimitz-class ships served as mobile air bases for strike, electronic-attack, airborne early-warning, and helicopter missions.