Keel-Laying Ceremony at Marinette Marine
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USS Milwaukee is expected to bring thousands of jobs to Wisconsin. Video by nbc26.com
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Construction kicking off for the USS Milwaukee with a keel-laying ceremony in Marinette.
Keel is typically the first part of a ship's hull to be built and laying the keel is often marked with a commemorative event.
The future USS Milwaukee will be the fifth ship in history named after the city. Bringing with it jobs to help give Wisconsin's economy a boost.
"It's the resurrection of ship building on the Great Lakes right here in Marinette. That means thousands of jobs here and across the state for suppliers," said U.S. State Senator Herb Kohl.
Senator Kohl has been pushing for this day for years. The project is expected to double the union workforce over the next two years.
"A lot of the applicants we're getting right now are local. As far south as Green Bay," said Joe North, Vice President of littoral ship systems. "I think as you see more ships are awarded other people will move back to the area to boost it as well."
The USS Milwaukee will be delivered to the Navy in 2014.
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