MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Gov. Jim Doyle is offering $50 million in incentives to help Marinette Marine\'s parent company land a U.S. Navy contract that would provide economic stability in northeastern Wisconsin.
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri Marine Group hopes to build high-speed Navy combat ships for use in coastal waters. The contract would create more than 1,000 jobs in Marinette and thousands of additional jobs for suppliers and vendors in the region.
The Journal Sentinel says the work would be the largest defense industry project in Wisconsin since World War II, when submarines were built in Manitowoc.
Marinette should find out in July whether it will build 10 littoral combat ships. Each vessel costs several hundred million dollars.
