Posted on 07/27/2018 10:21:07 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) - A shipbuilding firm in Mississippi is hiring hundreds of skilled workers after it was awarded several contracts for the U.S. military.
Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula is searching for test engineers, first class welders, pipefitters, pipe welders and shipfitters. Company spokesman Bill Glenn says Ingalls is planning to hire 500 people by the end of the year....
(Excerpt) Read more at wtok.com ...
MAGA, baby.
I worked at INGALLS as a crane mechanic in 1976. They built the entire fleet of Spruance DDs, all of the Tarawa LHAs, and the lead ships of the Ticonderoga CGs. At the time, INGALLS and local support industries employed nearly 30,000 workers. This was more than the entire population of Pascagoula.
Housing was in short supply, and thousands of these workers were itinerant. The police were kept busy since the workers made pretty good money, and drugs and hookers flooded into town. It was a wild and interesting town at that time. I hope they do well this time.
Did people live in campers and motorhomes or what?
As I remember, the locals split up their houses into rooms to let, and often there were 3 or 4 workers sharing a room. The motels were always full. I do not recall that there were many of the motorhomes about. Some of the workers took lodgings in neighbouring towns, and had to commute.
I took a room in a house that was divided up with plywood walls, just a bunk with the toilet down the hall. It was not terribly expensive, however; I think I paid ~$30 per week.
CHEVRON USA was, at the same time, making modifications to their massive Pascagoula refinery, and their were hundreds more workers in town for that project. And, aside from all the newbuilding at INGALLS, they had maintenance and refit contracts for the SSNs that were built there. It was truly a boom town.
I for one could use a new battleship, at least recreationally.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.