LessWrong (30+ Karma) “why america can’t build ships” by bhauth
Dec 6, 2025
The cancellation of the Constellation-class frigate sheds light on America's shipbuilding challenges. Leadership decisions lead to vague safety standards and design bloating. Critiques of labor costs connect to systemic high expenses and ongoing failures of past projects. Contrasting American and Asian investment approaches reveals long-term cultural issues. The discussion also highlights how automation may disrupt union power, alongside insights into corporate governance flaws. Lastly, Nippon Steel's acquisition hints at better management practices.
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Survivability Requirements Drove Design Bloat
- US design changes for survivability transformed the Constellation from 85% commonality to ~15% with the FREMM parent design.
- Small rule-like documents and leadership risk aversion drove judgment calls that caused major design bloat.
US Shipbuilding Is Far Costlier Per Pound
- US shipbuilding costs are enormously higher per pound than foreign peers, driven partly by process inefficiencies.
- The podcast highlights that Korean and Japanese yards produce far more output per worker than U.S. yards.
Korean Block-Building Beats Small-Lift U.S. Methods
- Modern Korean shipyards build large pre-assembled blocks indoors using big cranes and large dry docks to speed construction.
- U.S. yards often use smaller lifts and keep ships long in dry dock, reflecting lower capital investment and different processes.