Rolls-Royce, DPA Title III invest in Pascagoula naval facility upgrade

Rolls-Royce and the US Defense Production Act Title III office will invest millions of dollars to upgrade the company’s capability and capacity for US Navy ship propulsion components in its facility in Pascagoula, Mississippi, the engineering company said.

The DPA Title III office has already agreed to invest $22 million for equipment, with Rolls-Royce making an additional investment for building improvements, supplemented with support from Jackson County and the state of Mississippi. 

“This community partnership between the Defense Production Act Title III organization and Rolls-Royce, along with Mississippi and Jackson County officials, is a major success for all involved. Rolls-Royce will improve our capability to serve Navy shipbuilding; the Navy will benefit from our added capacity; and Jackson County will add new, highly skilled jobs and a secure future for local industry,” Daniel Rediger, Rolls-Royce, Head of Naval Operations, said.

As explained, the new investment will only strengthen the company’s ability to manufacture propellers and propulsor components for US Navy ships. Rolls-Royce will build a new 26,000-square-foot building, with new foundry and machining equipment provided by DPA Title III funding, which will support new jobs and workforce development.

Naval components manufactured by Rolls-Royce at Pascagoula include controllable-pitch propeller systems, fixed pitch propellers, and water jets. The components help power the majority of US Navy ships, including aircraft carriers, destroyers and other vessels.

The Rolls-Royce Pascagoula project follows investment in a new 24,000-square-foot building at the company’s Walpole, MA, facility which further demonstrates both the company’s commitment to the naval business and the resilience of its wider Defense business despite difficult economic conditions.

“This DPA Title III investment will protect and create jobs in the Gulf Coast region hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure critical capabilities are retained in support of U.S. Navy operational readiness,” the US Department of Defense said in a recent announcement.