NEWPORT – The Naval Undersea Warfare Center broke ground on a new $20.7 million Electromagnetic Sensor Facility Oct. 31.

When built, the 54,000-square-foot building will have six laboratories and a five-story periscope tower. The facility will replace the Warfare Center’s current facility for repairing and certifying periscopes and electronic sensors on Newport Naval Station’s Pier Two. That building is going to be torn down.

The new center will be Newport’s first LEED-certified building for environmentally sustainable design.

The new sensor facility will be built by Suffolk Construction and is scheduled to be completed by September 2013. •