The U.S. Navy’s plan to award lucrative shallow-water warship contracts to shipyards in both Mobile and Wisconsin cleared an important hurdle Thursday, military analysts said, when U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor introduced legislation to approve the purchases. Analysts said the bill, which has been sent to the House Armed Services Committee, gives the dual-buy plan a clearer path to congressional approval before the Dec. 14 deadline imposed by the Navy. If Congress signs off, Mobile’s Austal USA and a team led by Lockheed Martin Corp. will each get contracts to build 10 littoral combat ships, estimated to be worth about $5...