Citadel Shipworks was founded by two Citadel graduates and long-serving U.S. Air Force officers — Colonel Wes Maxwell and Lieutenant Colonel Franklin Rinaca — to strengthen the American maritime industrial base through veteran-led steel fabrication and shipbuilding support.

Together, we bring over 40 years of combined experience in global logistics, engineering, aerial port operations, and strategic sustainment. Our military careers span the Active Duty Air Force, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve, with joint assignments at U.S. Southern Command, U.S. Central Command, Headquarters Air Force, and Air Force Reserve Command.

• Col. Wes Maxwell serves as the Reserve Director of Logistics, Engineering & Contracting for Ninth Air Force (AFCENT), overseeing sustainment across the 21-nation CENTCOM region. He has commanded aerial port squadrons, deployed twice to Afghanistan, and led logistics strategy and policy at SOUTHCOM and the Pentagon. In the civilian sector, he brings over a decade of experience in corporate operations and product strategy, currently serving as a senior operations executive at Red Hat, a global leader in open source software.

• Lt Col. Franklin Rinaca is the Deputy Group Commander of the 315th Mission Support Group at Joint Base Charleston, where he leads over 400 Airmen across five squadrons. He previously commanded the 315th Logistics Readiness Squadron and deployed with the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing in Afghanistan. In the private sector, Franklin is a partner at Division Five, a South Carolina-based fabrication and construction firm specializing in complex commercial and industrial projects — giving him a direct link to the tools, trades, and workforce that power Citadel Shipworks.

Built on a foundation of military precision and private-sector execution, Citadel Shipworks merges defense experience with fabrication expertise. We are committed to serving the Department of Defense and maritime industry through advanced steelwork, infrastructure solutions, and supply chain support that is mission-ready from day one.

Veteran owned. Combat proven. Charleston built.