IMMEDIATELY - FEBRUARY 22, 1999

Thomas M. Kitchen:     (504) 436-5237
Eugene K. Simon, Jr.:  (504) 436-5664

DEPARTMENT  OF  JUSTICE   CLEARS  NEWPORT  NEWS'  ACQUISITION  OF  AVONDALE


NEW  ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - Newport News Shipbuilding (NYSE-NNS) and Avondale
Industries,  Inc.  (Nasdaq/NMS-AVDL)  announced  today  that their proposed
merger has been cleared by the Department of Justice under  the Hart-Scott-
Rodino  Antitrust  Improvements  Act  of  1976.   The  antitrust  clearance
satisfies  an important condition to the closing of the transaction,  which
remains subject  to  the approval of the shareholders of both companies and
to the consent of the  Administrator  of the Maritime Administration of the
Department of Transportation.

Newport News Shipbuilding designs and constructs  nuclear  powered aircraft
carriers  and  submarines  for  the  U.S.  Navy  and  provides  life  cycle
maintenance  services  for  ships  in  the Navy fleet.  The company employs
18,000 people and has annual revenues of approximately $1.8 billion.

Avondale Industries, Inc., headquartered  in  metro  New  Orleans, designs,
builds  and  overhauls  both  military  and commercial ships.  The  Company
employs 6,000 people and has annual revenue of approximately $750 million.



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