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Linda Williams Aucoin, 84, a resident of Gibson, died Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025.
She is survived by children, Ruby Fuller, Thomas Aucoin and Keith Aucoin; seven grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; brother, James Williams; and sister, Diane Hanks.
She was preceded in death by her husband, parents and four siblings.
Visitation will be Monday, 6-9 p.m., at Hargrave Funeral Home. Visitation will resume Tuesday at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Amelia at 8:30 a.m. with a Rosary at 10:15 a.m., and a Mass at 11 a.m. Bur-ial will follow in church cemetery.
Hargrave Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Morgan City Mayor Lee Dragna, left, and Berwick Mayor Duval Arthur sign proclamations inviting residents to celebrate the 90th Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival by wearing festival t-shirts Friday, Aug. 29. Standing from left are Assistant Director Katie Case, board Vice President Nathalie Weber, board member Rodney Grow and Executive Director Hailee Thomas, all of the festival organization.

Shrimp & Petroleum Festival photo

FRANKLIN – Saronic, the Texas-based company that acquired the Gulf Craft shipyard in April, formally introduced itself to St. Mary Parish on Friday.

The event was a keel-laying for a new autonomous surface vessel, described as a bridge to the future of surface vessels as well as a much-needed boost for St. Mary’s economy.

“Our focus has been to bring the advanced technology to bear on shipbuilding,” said Rob Lehman, a Saronic co-founder and chief commercial officer.

The shipyard will build Saronic’s Marauder, a 150-foot autonomous vessel capable of carrying two 40-foot cargo containers 4,000 miles at 18 knots or more, according to the company’s website.

Saronic, a 3-year-old company based in Austin, already builds 6-, 14- and 24-foot autonomous vessels and has worked on U.S. defense projects. A spokeswoman at Friday’s event said the company doesn’t talk about its contracts, but that the company’s vessels have commercial as well as military applications.

Friday’s event had the feel of a security-conscious operation. Visitors were checked off against an RSVP list as they entered and escorted around the site. Photos and video were prohibited.

The U.S. Navy has set a 2027 target for creating a hybrid fleet of conventional as well autonomous vessels, and Saronic has positioned itself to be part of the transition.

The three smaller autonomous vessels each went from the drawing board to the water within six months. Saronic was created “to redefine maritime superiority for the United States and its allies by rapidly producing ASVs at a volume that could deliver asymmetric military advantage and address gaps in our maritime industrial base,” according to the Saronic website.

Nearby Metal Shark and Swift Ships in Morgan City have also been involved in developing advanced unmanned vessels.

“We didn’t end up here by accident,” Lehman said.

He described Gulf Craft’s reputation in the industry as “impeccable.”

“It’s been a positive experience,” he said.

Since Saronic’s acquisition of Gulf Craft in April, employment has grown to 70 from 30. The company has announced plans to hire 500 people over the next three to four years and to invest $250 million at the site.

That’s welcome news in St. Mary, where ship- and boatbuilding employment has fallen from 1,608 in 2014 to 764 last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The company has access to 100 acres at the St. Mary site for expansion.

As Saronic continues its move into the shipyard, it is also considering possible sites for what it calls “Port Alpha.”

The company’s website defines the concept as “a next-generation shipyard capable of delivering new classes of medium and large autonomous ships at unprecedented speed and scale.”

In Morgan City on Friday, leaders of the Corps of Engineers and the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority signed an agreement to begin planning the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet Ecosystem Restoration Project.

Col. Scotty Autin, 66th Commander of the US Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, and CPRA Chairman Gordon “Gordy” Dove signed a formal agreement to initiate the design phase. The signing came during the final stop on the Corps’ 2025 Low Water Inspection Tour of sites along the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers.

“This agreement marks a major step forward in restoring areas that have suffered from erosion, saltwater intrusion, and storm damage tied to the MRGO for far too long,” said Dove. “We are grateful for our strong partnership with the Corps and the federal commitment to fully fund this work.”

Congress first authorized the MRGO Ecosystem Restoration Project in the Water Resources Development Act of 2007, which directed Corps to restore habitat and repair ecological damage. Since then, the Corps has published the MRGO Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Report, which identifies Tier 1 restoration features.

The report highlights Tier 1 restoration features, including approximately 41 miles of shoreline protection, 14 miles of foreshore protection and repairs, large-scale marsh restoration and nourishment, repairs to about two miles of existing retention dikes, and the development of new recreation facilities.

“We look forward to closely working with CPRA in delivering a project that will restore more than 57,000 acres of wetland and coastal habitat,” said Autin. “Today’s agreement positions us to begin design of the initial project features as soon as funding becomes available.”

The Corps will manage the design phase in close coordination with CPRA. Once complete, construction will begin on large-scale restoration projects that are expected to improve coastal resilience, enhance fisheries, and restore critical habitat across the MRGO ecosystem.

CPRA has identified Tier 1 design priorities that focus on protecting vulnerable shorelines in Orleans and St. Bernard Parishes. These efforts will add more than 35 miles of new shoreline and foreshore protection, stretching from Bayou Dupre around Proctor Point, along the southeast shore of Lake Borgne, and from Lake Pontchartrain to Bayou Chevee. Additional protection will also be built along Lake Borgne between Alligator Point and The Rigolets, helping restore natural defenses, slow erosion, and strengthen storm resilience for coastal communities.

“Today’s signing marks a long-awaited step forward," said CPRA Executive Director Michael Hare. “The communities impacted by the MRGO have endured decades of damage. Now it’s time to get to work protecting our coast and restoring vital ecosystems.”

CPRA has allocated funding for data collection to support the start of engineering and design work on Tier 1 priority projects, while USACE works to secure federal funding for construction.