Page 23: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 1985)

If only it were this simple.

A shipyard is not a fire hose. It can t be enclosed in glass, frozen in readiness, until a national emergency reminds us of its importance. When a shipyard is shut down, its assets disperse. Equipment is disposed of. and skilled workers find new jobs in more stable industries.

In the past eight years, 30 private shipyards have closed. Commercial shipbuilding in the U.S. is virtually non-existent today, with no immediate improvement forecast for the near future. As more work is lost to foreign yards, still more American

Circle 140 on Reader shipyards will be forced to shut down.

An adequate shipbuilding and repair industrial base is vital to America's defense planning. Foreign yards cannot be counted on to support our navy or our merchant marine.

There is no simple answer to the problem. V^k

What must first be ^mLAAP^^ realized is that we have a problem. \\\®

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