L.A. Loses Destroyer Contract

WASHINGTON — The Navy today picked the Bath Iron Works of Maine over two competitors--including Todd Shipyards of Los Angeles--to build a new class of guided-missile destroyer.

The decision was a major victory for Bath, which will reap tens of billions of dollars in constructing dozens of the ships. But it was a major blow to Todd Shipyards, which had waged a major campaign for the Arleigh Burke class destroyer on the argument that it would keep the West Coast shipbuilding business alive. The third competitor was Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, Miss., a division of Litton Industries.