Electric Boat to hire 450 at RI facility

NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (AP) - Officials with submarine maker Electric Boat say the company will add 450 jobs at its Rhode Island facility over the next five years, and spend more than $55 million on new infrastructure as part of the expansion of the Virginia-class nuclear submarine program.

Electric Boat president John Casey said Monday that this year alone the General Dynamics Corp. subsidiary will hire about 100 welders, pipefitters, electricians and sheet-metal workers.

State Department of Labor and Training Director Sandra Powell tells The Providence Journal that the news is the "most significant" job creation by a single company in Rhode Island since the recession began three years ago.

Electric Boat on Monday unveiled a renovated $5 million, 65,000-square-foot warehouse to support the submarine construction schedule.

---

Information from: The Providence Journal, http://www.projo.com/