The Navy has been investigating nonconvential ship hull materials for several years. Composites, high strength steels and non-magnetic stainless steels have been evaluated for various future hull forms such as hybrids, advanced mono and double hulls and fast ships. Composites and super stainless steel alloys, such as the AL6XN and Nitronic 50, have received the most attention for their influence on magnetic signature and cost savings. The use of stainless type alloys in shipbuilding has taken on increased concern due to the undesirable emission of chromium fumes (carcinogen) during welding fabrication of ships and the costs to control same. At Northrop Grumman Newport News our R&D program has attempted to introduce foreign technology regarding non-magnetic steels to the US shipbuilding community. Plate purchased from a foreign source has demonstrated excellent mechanical and non-magnetic properties, similar to the super stainless alloys. This alloy is an austenitic manganese steel of the hadfield type. The composition is 17Mn3Al. Initial testing has confirmed the capability of ship hull type plate thickness to perform. Currently, we are evaluating US rolled ½” plate produced in research quantities from two 400 lb. ingots also cast here in the US. It is planned to determine quality, properties and weldability of this plate and then move up in scale to larger heat size and plate dimensions in order to do a structural performance assessment which will lead eventually to naval qualification