Gibbs & Cox

Gibbs & Cox

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Naval architecture, ship design
Founded	1922 (1922) in New York City, U.S.
Founder	William Francis Gibbs, Frederic H. Gibbs
Headquarters	Arlington, Virginia , United States
Area served	United States and international navies
Products	Surface warship designs, naval architecture services
Parent	Leidos
Website	www.gibbscox.com

Gibbs & Cox is a U.S.-based firm specializing in naval architecture with a focus on designing surface warships. Established in 1922 in New York City, the company currently has its main headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, along with branch offices located in New York City, Washington, D.C., Newport News, Virginia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and New Orleans, LA.

By the year 2003, Gibbs & Cox had designed more than 150 warships that were actively serving across nearly 20 different navies, accounting for 60 percent of the U.S. Navy’s surface combatant vessels.

History

Originally founded as "Gibbs Brothers" by the self-educated naval architect William Francis Gibbs and his brother Frederic H. Gibbs, the company adopted its current name after architect Daniel H. Cox joined the partnership in 1929.

In 1931, the firm was responsible for designing the luxury yacht MV Savarona. During World War II, over 70 percent of the total U.S. ship tonnage launched was based on designs created by Gibbs & Cox, including destroyers, LST landing crafts, minesweepers, tankers, cruisers, and Liberty Ships.

The company also designed the , launched in 1950 as the largest and fastest ocean liner ever constructed in the United States.

On May 7, 2021, Gibbs & Cox was acquired by Leidos for $380 million and now functions as a fully owned subsidiary integrated within Leidos’ maritime systems division.

In March 2025, amid rising trade tensions, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce added Gibbs & Cox to its export control list, thereby limiting exports of dual-use commodities to the company.

Ships designed

Gibbs & Cox has been responsible for designing a wide range of ship classes such as the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, Captain-class frigate, EC2-S-C1-class transport vessels (commonly known as "Liberty ships"), Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship, Gleaves-class destroyer, Mahan-class destroyer, Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, Cheng Kung-class frigate, Tacoma-class frigate, and Wind-class icebreaker.

Among notable individual vessels designed by the firm are SS America, MV Chinook, SS Malolo, SS Santa Paula, SS Santa Rosa, and SS United States.

Model shop

Between 1939 and 1962, Gibbs & Cox maintained a model shop that produced exceptionally detailed ship models considered some of the finest steel ship representations. The most intricate piece was a 1/24-scale cutaway model of , measuring over 16 feet in length and illustrating both interior and exterior features with great detail.

Another prominent model is a 1/48-scale replica of as it appeared during Japan’s surrender on September 2, 1945. This model required approximately 77,000 man-hours to complete and is currently exhibited at the Navy Museum located within Washington Navy Yard.

Recent contracts

• CG(X): Awarded a multi-year contract by Naval Sea Systems Command to provide program management, technical assistance, ship design services, and engineering support in collaboration with Alion Science and Technology.
• Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship: Delivered design expertise and ongoing support for USS Freedom (LCS-1) along with subsequent vessels.
• Constellation-class frigate: On April 30, 2020, Fincantieri Marinette Marine received a $795 million contract covering detailed design and construction of the lead FREMM multipurpose frigate with options for nine additional ships.
• DDG(X): Secured a contract in 2022 to provide design and engineering support services.

External links

• Official website of Gibbs & Cox