In response to the rise of a new superpower rival, America’s shipyards are struggling to support an expanding navy
The vessel, the second aircraft-carrier in a new class named after President Gerald Ford, is due to be completed in 2024, after years of delays and at a cost of $11.9bn. Theis hardly the only concern for Huntington-Ingalls Industries, the shipyard’s operator. Across 550 packed acres, engineers race to assemble nuclear-powered carriers and submarines. In Washington, meanwhile, nervous planners hope that the shipyard will find room to build more.
They are emerging from a long decline. In 1993, at a gathering known in defence circles as “the Last Supper”, the then defence secretary, Les Aspin, warned contractors that an era of fiscal restraint had arrived. The war on terror further distracted attention from ship production and maintenance. Budget battles between President Barack Obama and a Republican-controlled Congress resulted in spending cuts. The industry shrank.
That consistency is essential for shipyards to make long-term investments, which can be extremely large. To improve efficiency, for example, the yard has installed a towering circular suspension system capable of holding the 300-ton hull of the stern of the Columbia-class submarine, which is as heavy as 150 Fordtrucks. The system will also build the successor to the Virginia-class submarine, known as theBut the most urgent need is for labour.
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