Below is a Birdon America press release. More money invested in American shipyards is always good news.
Thanks to Lee for bringing this to my attention.
Birdon Strengthens Portfolio with Acquisition of Metal Shark Boats Shipyard
5 February 2024
On 31 January 2023, Birdon America Inc. acquired Metal Shark Boats’ 32-acre shipyard in Bayou La Batre, Alabama. This acquisition brings a fully developed shipyard into Birdon’s growing portfolio of facilities throughout the US and will allow us to provide a further range of shipbuilding and repair services.
The acquisition of this shipyard will ensure the successful delivery of the Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) Program, a vital component of Birdon’s $1.187 billion contract to design and build 27 new vessels for the U.S. Coast Guard.
Birdon Group CEO, Jamie Bruce said, “The investment in this facility will not only ensure we deliver on our promise to the US Coast Guard, but it will also provide an opportunity for our subcontract partners in southern Alabama to build and install all components of these vessels in one location.”
“I am extremely grateful to Metal Shark CEO Chris Allard and his team for collaborating diligently with us, in a short period, to complete this deal,” he said.
As part of the acquisition, Metal Shark’s existing workforce will transfer to Birdon and will continue to execute the current order book of repair work. In the near term, Birdon plans to make significant capital outlays in the shipyard’s infrastructure as a further investment in the future. This will foster job creation, accelerate technological advancement, and provide positive growth to the region’s economy. A direct result will be the creation of 300 new jobs in the area over the next two years.
This is a fully developed shipyard fronting a dredged deepwater inlet. It includes five steel buildings for fully self-contained fabrication and construction work, with over 1,700′ of waterfront, a 660-ton Travelift, multiple cranes, and all required equipment for the construction of steel and aluminum vessels up to 300’ in length and 1,500 tons launch weight. The shipyard is situated just minutes from the Intracoastal Waterway with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico.
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 
https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/4318977/coast-guard-orders-additional-waterways-commerce-cutters/
Sept. 30, 2025Coast Guard orders additional waterways commerce cutters
WASHINGTON—The Coast Guard is moving forward with the acquisition of the new Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) class, designed to replace the legacy fleet of inland tenders and facilitate commerce vital to the nation’s economic security and strategic mobility.
The service has ordered production of the first river buoy tender (WLR) and long lead time material (LLTM) for the second inland construction tender (WLIC), with construction to take place at Birdon America, Inc.’s shipyard in Bayou La Batre, Alabama.
In addition, the Coast Guard has placed an order for three sets of LLTM to support future production. The total value of the production and LLTM orders is approximately $110 million.
Funding includes $51 million provided by Public Law 119-21, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which covers production of the second WLIC and two sets of LLTM. The balance of the order is funded through regular appropriations.
“Our nation’s marine transportation system facilitates over $5.4 trillion in economic activity every year and supports millions of jobs throughout the United States,” said Rear Adm. Mike Campbell, the Coast Guard’s Director of Systems Integration and Chief Acquisition Officer. “Putting new waterways commerce cutters on contract ensures we have the capabilities needed to support the safe and efficient flow of commerce in our inland waterways systems.”
Inland construction tenders play a critical role in constructing, repairing, and maintaining fixed aids to navigation (ATON) along the Eastern Seaboard and Gulf Coast. These cutters are uniquely equipped to drive and remove piles, erect towers, and perform major structural modifications. Construction of the first WLIC, ordered in June 2025, is expected to be completed in 2027.
River buoy tenders service short-range ATON on the Western Rivers, setting, relocating, and recovering buoys to mark navigable channels as water levels fluctuate. They also establish and maintain fixed aids, lights, and daybeacons. Construction of the first WLR is expected to be completed in 2027. Both WLICs and WLRs are being acquired under the same contract due to their substantial design similarities.
The WCCs will replace the legacy inland tender fleet, which has an average vessel age of nearly 60 years, including ships still in service at 81 years old. The Coast Guard inland fleet maintains more than 28,200 marine aids across 12,000 miles of inland waterways, facilitating the movement of approximately 630 million tons of cargo annually.
Modernizing this fleet will bolster the Coast Guard’s capacity to control, secure and defend U.S. ports and waterways, ensuring the safe and efficient flow of commerce vital to the nation’s economic and strategic interests. This modernization is aligned with Force Design 2028, a blueprint introduced by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to transform the Coast Guard into a more agile, capable and responsive fighting force.
So now Cosplay Barbie (Kristie Noem) says she’s going to transform Coast Guard buoy tenders into “a more agile, capable and responsive fighting force.” Her words. Does she have any clue what Waterways Commerce Cutters are used for? What does she expect the buoy tenders to do now, shoot buoys out of the water instead of maintaining them? Does she have any clue what the service she’s in charge of, the U.S. Coast Guard, does day-to-day? Does she even know what ATONs are? Maybe she thinks they’re a type of missile.
It looks like “Force Design 2028” and the “Big Beautiful Bill” have been good for the Coast in bringing forward many projects that were planned or out years and making us more effective in doing the missions we were already doing, but so far I have not seen the increased emphasis on the military mission that I expected after repeat references to the Coast Guard as a fighting force.
There have been no upgrades in weapons. The CG has not taken up the ASW mission again as I think they should.
There has not been public discussion about what the Coast Guard should be doing should armed conflict with China and or Russia appear likely.
There has not been any apparent rethinking about the types of terrorist attacks the Coast Guard might need to respond to and how to equip units to respond.
I do know the CG has been looking at counter UAS systems but they seem to be look at countering on small UAS.