Chairman, ranking member of House subcommittee to visit BIW

BATH, Maine (AP) — The Democratic chairman and ranking Republican on a House Armed Services subcommittee are paying a visit Friday to Navy shipbuilder Bath Iron Works in Maine.

Democratic Rep. Joe Courtney of Connecticut and GOP Rep. Rob Wittman of Virginia from the seapower and projection forces subcommittee are touring the shipyard at the invitation of Democratic Reps. Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden of Maine.

The visit comes several weeks after a leaked memo that outlined an initial Navy proposal to cut shipbuilding.

One of the proposed cuts would reduce the number of Arleigh Burke-class destroyers planned for construction from 12 to seven over the next five years.

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are produced at two shipyards, Maine's Bath Iron Works, a General Dynamics subsidiary, and Ingalls Shipbuilding in Mississippi.