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Job Description

Overview

The Shipfitter 1st Class is responsible for performing ship fitting tasks with a focus on safety, quality, and professionalism. This role requires significant experience and knowledge of shipfitting practices and standards.

Responsibilities

  • Ensure that the tank/compartment has an updated safe for hot work ticket and that all requirements are met.
  • Verify that conditions of the tank/compartment have not changed since the ticket was issued.
  • Ensure a Work Authorization Form (WAF) is present on the job site for the specific task.
  • Comply with all safety issues related to the job being performed.
  • Confirm that you and your team are trained or qualified for the assigned work.
  • Maintain safety and productivity while ensuring quality control.
  • Leave the job site in a safe and clean condition before departure.
  • Provide personnel with the necessary work package, drawings, and technical manuals.

Requirements

  • High School diploma or equivalent education.
  • Minimum 5 years of experience working on ships.
  • Dependable transportation is required.
  • Access to local bases is necessary.
  • Knowledge of 1st and 2nd class Shipfitter requirements.
  • Ability to safely operate a torch and plasma in all positions.
  • Capability to bevel plate edges and TAOs using correct joint design.
  • Ability to complete work with little to no guidance from a supervisor.
  • Basic knowledge of standard items and shop equipment.
  • Knowledge of Work Authorization Forms (WAFs).
  • Ability to read and interpret NAVSEA drawings and blueprints.

Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • PTO
  • 401k

Additional Information

  • Regular, reliable attendance on-site is essential.
  • Weekend work and/or extended hours may be required.
  • Must be able to access all work locations, including government and private shipyards.
  • Willingness to travel if needed.

Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
PTO
401k
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How this job compares in Bremerton, WA

Pay in context

At roughly $37/hr, this posting sits about 12% above the $33/hr median for welding jobs across Washington — toward the top of a $28–$40/hr middle band drawn from 73 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 64% of the comparable postings we have wage data for. Pay that far above local median usually comes attached to something: a harder cert requirement, travel, night shift, or overtime that isn't really optional. Worth establishing which before you accept.

The local market in Bremerton, WA

Bremerton, WA currently has 4 other active welding openings besides this one, spread across 3 employers. None of them were added in the last week, so this is a slower-moving market. Across Washington as a whole we're tracking 99 other active welding openings from 59 employers. That's enough local activity to be worth comparing two or three offers before committing. Browse every welding job in Bremerton, or widen the search to Washington.

The most active employers in Washington at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Welding Shop in Seattle, WA (17), Loenbro (6), and Parker Hannifin (3). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within Washington, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Arlington at $55/hr, Seattle at $30/hr, and Redmond at $28/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

Certifications this posting mentions

  • NAVSEA — the Naval Sea Systems Command welding standards used on US Navy shipbuilding and repair. Qualification is yard-specific and typically comes with a background check.

Read straight from this posting's text. Confirm the exact qualification the employer wants before you test — requirements vary by shop even under the same code.

Similar openings near Bremerton, WA

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Shipfitter 1st Class figures were last recalculated when this page was built.