Shipfitter Jobs in Pascagoula, MS
Lay out, cut, fit, and align steel plate and structure for the welders.
Shipfitters in the Pascagoula market
Pascagoula is the single biggest shipbuilding cluster on the Gulf Coast — Ingalls Shipbuilding is the largest manufacturing employer in Mississippi, building destroyers and amphibious ships, with Bollinger's Mississippi yards next door in Moss Point and Escatawpa. AMS has crews working the Pascagoula market now.
The shipfitter's job around Pascagoula is blueprint layout, cutting & fit-up, bracing & tacking — the layout that has to be right before a welder ever strikes an arc on work staged through yards like Ingalls Shipbuilding (HII). Get the fit wrong and the weld cannot save it.
- Ingalls Shipbuilding (HII)
- Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding (Pascagoula & Moss Point)
Named as public-record market activity — where marine work happens in this area, not a statement of AMS contracts.
- City population
- 21,812
- Median household income
- $43,286
- Average commute
- 19 min
Source: U.S. Census ACS 5-year. Figures are for Pascagoula city, Mississippi, not the wider metro area.
What a shipfitter does in Pascagoula
Shipfitters turn plans into steel — reading blueprints, laying out and cutting plate and structural members, then fitting, bracing, and tacking them into alignment so the welders can finish the joint. It's the layout and fit-up craft at the front of every structural job, on new construction and repair alike, and it demands a sharp eye for tolerance and a feel for how a hull goes together.
Why Pascagoula needs shipfitters right now
Every hull starts as plate on a layout floor, and Pascagoula's book of serial destroyer and amphibious construction — workload projected into the early 2030s — keeps layout and fit-up running continuously, with the Coast Guard's Polar Security Cutter planned for production here on top. The training investment tells you the demand is real: the Ingalls Apprentice School pays apprentices across 14 crafts with college credit through MGCCC, and a $5.706 million Department of Labor grant funds shipbuilding training in Jackson County. That kind of money only shows up where the work is outrunning the workforce.
Statewide, structural metal fabricators and fitters — the closest published trade to shipfitting — earn a Mississippi median of about $42,550 a year (BLS, May 2025). AMS pays shipfitters $35–$40 an hour plus overtime, which annualizes far above that number before OT is even counted. AMS crews are working this market now, so the job is local if you are; travel and per-diem assignments across the Gulf are there if you'd rather chase them. Résumé optional — the application asks what you can fit, not where you went to school.
If you've laid out and cut plate from blueprints, tacked and braced structure through a yard's accuracy checks, or fit units on a government hull, that's exactly the eye serial construction in Pascagoula demands. Defense-adjacent work adds weld qualification, screening, and often TWIC eligibility — none of which will be new to you. Experienced shipfitters are among the hardest roles in the industry to fill, because fit-up judgment only comes from years on real steel. AMS pays $35–$40 an hour for that experience instead of starting you over.
Bring your experience to AMSShipfitter jobs in Pascagoula — FAQ
Does AMS hire shipfitters in Pascagoula?
Yes. AMS has crews working the Pascagoula market and hires shipfitters for shipbuilding and ship repair. Apply through our Employment / Job Application page and tell us your trade and experience.
What do I need to get hired as a shipfitter in Pascagoula?
For shipfitters, AMS looks first at blueprint layout and cutting & fit-up. Every role also requires passing a shipyard safety orientation and a drug screen, and a TWIC card is usually needed for yard access at Ingalls Shipbuilding (HII) and similar facilities. Bring your certifications — apply and an AMS representative will go over the specifics.
What is the commute like for Pascagoula yard work?
Workers in Pascagoula city, Mississippi report an average commute of about 19 minutes (U.S. Census ACS). Yard start times are early, so most crews plan the drive around shift change rather than rush hour. If you would rather travel to the work than commute to it, AMS runs per-diem assignments across the Gulf Coast.
Ready to work as a shipfitter in Pascagoula?
Tell us your trade and experience — an AMS representative will follow up. Résumé optional.