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www.marinelink.com 51says. ?But we?re continually looking for skilled people.? McCreary says there is stiff competi- tion for welders all along the Gulf Coast. ?The average age of a welder is 55 years old. They are extremely hard to Þ nd. We have to grow our own,? McCreary says.?It?s important to maintain consistent work load to be able continue to employ same group of people, so you don?t have those gaps, or devote time a resources to training replacements,? he says.BAE Systems is proud of its training programs, and is committed to giving its workers new and better skills and certiÞ -cations. But, McCreary says, sometime jobs must be segmented where someone is trained for a speciÞ c task only. ?It?s not the most efÞ cient cover, but it can help cover the skill gaps.But he says, the two yards enjoy sig-niÞ cant advantages because of the parent company?s stability and the continued investment into capability and capacity. ?Mobile and Jacksonville are two of the best capitalized second-tier yards in the country.? BAE Systems also does commercial work in San Francisco, as well as Navy repair and modernization in Norfolk, Mayport, San Diego and Pearl Harbor. While the yards are busy, McCreary says the company is ?actively engaged in extending our backlog. We?re diver- sifying our portfolio.?BAE Systems Ship RepairNorfolk Employees: 2,200Dry Docks (2): 52,500-ton & 14,000-ton Piers: Four Cranes: 16 Acres: 109 San DiegoEmployees: 1,750 Dry Dock: 26,000-ton Piers: Four Cranes: 24 Acres: 20Mayport Employees: 250Cranes: ThreeAcres: 2.5Hawaii Employees: 250 Graving Dock Piers: ThreeCranes: Access to shipyard cranes Acres: 2.5Jacksonvill Employees: 550Dry Dock: 13,500-ton Piers/Wharf: Three/OneCranes: 42MobileEmployees: 900Dry Docks (2): 46,400-ton & 12,000-ton Piers: Four Cranes: 61 San Francisco Employees: 250Dry Docks (2): 54,800-ton & 14,500-ton Piers: Two Cranes: 9MR #8 (50-57).indd 51MR #8 (50-57).indd 518/11/2014 4:02:38 PM8/11/2014 4:02:38 PM