WASHINGTON – The Navy’s award Tuesday of a $71.7 million contract to Bath Iron Works for engineering work on DDG 51 Aegis-class destroyers will sustain hundreds of shipyard jobs, according to U.S. Sens. Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins.

The $71,767,045 award for “lead yard class services” will extend through November 2004 and provide technical services for the detailed design work performed by BIW. Two years after the Navy selected BIW to produce the first DDG 51 in fiscal year 1985, BIW gained the lead yard class services designation for the entire program.

“Lead yard services” cover engineering and design work that BIW provides for the fleet of Arleigh Burke-class destroyers built by Bath and Northrup Grumman Ship Systems-Ingalls based in Pascagoula, Miss. The contract covers work that will be performed at Bath and is expected to be completed by November 2004. The contract decision will support several hundred high-skill jobs among BIW’s engineering team of about 1,000 employees, according to the senators.