BATH – Gov. John Baldacci praised the productivity of shipbuilders on Wednesday as Bath Iron Works unveiled the cornerstone for a 66,788-square-foot facility designed to help make the shipyard even more efficient.

Bath Iron Works is building an “Ultra Hall” that will allow shipbuilders to put together larger hull segments in an enclosed, climate-controlled facility.

The building, which is expected to be ready for use by next February, is the latest in a string of shipyard improvements that began six years ago with construction of a $300 million state-of-the-art land level transfer facility.

“Since that time, the men and women of Bath Iron Works have achieved extensive productivity improvements in their shipbuilding processes by coming together and taking advantage of what that facility has to offer,” Baldacci said.

The new facility will build upon earlier efficiencies that allowed 1,400-ton units to be created indoors before being joined together. When the Ultra Hall is completed, the shipyard will be able to create units that weigh 5,000 tons indoors.

Once the units are completed, they’re pieced together outdoors at the land-level transfer facility before the vessel is moved to a dry dock.

The project is viewed as key to construction of the next generation DDG-1000 Zumwalt destroyer. The DDG-1000 will weigh more than 14,500 tons, compared to about 9,200 tons for the latest Arleigh Burke destroyers built in Bath.

“Not only will it strengthen BIW’s ability to compete for new work, it will help to ensure that ships will continue to be constructed along the banks of the Kennebec far into the future,” the governor said.