Maritime Nation From Keel to Commissioning: How to Build More Ships
Jul 1, 2025
In this captivating discussion, Brian Potter, a Senior Infrastructure Fellow at the Institute for Progress, dives into the pressing challenges of the U.S. shipbuilding industry. He explores economic hurdles compared to competitive shipyards in Japan and Korea, emphasizing the drastic decline since WWII. The conversation highlights necessary modernization, the implications of the Jones Act, and the importance of international partnerships. Potter also discusses the evolution of ship design, stressing the need for skilled engineers and strategic planning to ensure naval superiority.
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WWII Wartime Urgency Revived Shipbuilding
- U.S. shipbuilding boomed during WWII but has declined commercially since the Civil War.
- Wartime emergency urgency has been the only force able to spur large-scale shipbuilding in the U.S.
Liberty Ships Outpaced Submarine Sinkings
- The U.S. built Liberty ships so fast during WWII they replaced sunk vessels faster than Germans could destroy them.
- This overwhelmed German submarine efforts despite heavy losses of transport ships.
U.S. Shipyard Infrastructure Limits Output
- U.S. shipyards are few, older, and smaller compared to massive modern foreign yards.
- They lack modern facilities and heavy cranes, limiting efficient block construction and expansion.