Trump administration officials descended on the Hanwha Philly Shipyard on Friday, joining Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon and local shipyard brass to christen the T.S. Lone Star State, a new training vessel built in South Philadelphia. The ceremony was not just about smashing a bottle of champagne: officials also used the moment to tout fresh defense work, saying the yard has been tapped to build missile-tracking ships tied to the administration's Golden Dome program, while company leaders repeated plans for multibillion-dollar yard upgrades and a hiring push.
As reported by WHYY, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told the crowd, "He who controls the seas, controls the world," and his wife, Fox News contributor Rachel Campos-Duffy, served as the vessel's sponsor during the christening. Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought took the stage to announce that the yard had won an award for a new Missile Range Instrumentation Vessel, which he said will support the administration's Golden Dome missile-defense network.
Golden Defender Contract Announced
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Vought's announcement covers two "Golden Defender" missile-tracking ships and represents roughly $1.4 billion in federal work. Officials said the hulls will be built in Philadelphia, with Tote Services overseeing construction management. Local leaders pitched the award as a way to keep the yard's production line busy and to showcase a faster, commercially managed approach to shipbuilding.
The T.S. Lone Star State itself is the fourth National Security Multi-Mission Vessel finished at the yard. At 524 feet long and 89 feet wide, it can berth about 760 people and carry roughly 600 cadets, with two command bridges, classrooms, living quarters and a helicopter pad, according to WHYY. The ship is slated to head to the Texas A&M Maritime Academy for training cruises that are part of state maritime programs nationwide.
Jobs, Investment And Local Stakes
Hanwha, which acquired the shipyard in 2024, has laid out a $5 billion infrastructure plan to add drydocks, quays and block-assembly facilities and to scale up production. The company has billed the pledge as a strategy to turn the site into a next-generation shipbuilding hub. In a company release, Hanwha framed the investment as part of a broader effort to transfer technology and build a high-skill workforce in Philadelphia.
The July wave of orders also lined up with announcements at the Pennsylvania defense summit, where Rhoads Industries and General Dynamics Electric Boat rolled out a 10-year, $2.5 billion strategic manufacturing agreement to expand submarine work at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and JPMorganChase pledged financing to support local suppliers, WITF reported. Officials said the package is meant to tie together private capital, federal procurement and workforce training in order to sustain longer production runs.
Congresswoman Scanlon, whose district includes the shipyard, has long backed the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel program and worked with federal officials to secure an early $630 million contract that helped restart production in Philadelphia, her office notes. Local leaders say that groundwork helped position the yard to lock in the new defense work and the private investments now coming in.
Officials from Tote and Hanwha argue that the commercially managed Vessel Construction Manager model has delivered ships on schedule and under budget, a track record they say is crucial if the yard is going to move from training vessels into more complex defense builds. The Inquirer highlighted those production claims as a key selling point for bringing more Navy and defense work to Philadelphia, while noting that observers still see permitting, supply chain risks and the sheer scale of the planned expansion as major hurdles.
