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Post by Northern Exploration on May 8, 2008 7:58:49 GMT -8
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Post by In Washington on May 8, 2008 8:20:15 GMT -8
As a thirty one year Union Member I also would like to see all WSF boats built in Union Yards. It is hard to straddle the "cost effective" vs. "Build Union" fence. We want to see our politicians spend our money wisely which means getting the best price and the best product. Maybe that is why I drive an American built truck and watch the Union ads telling which companies to avoid. That is my choice for myself. Let's just get some new ferries going! As for the discussion about Navy ships: History shows that the Navy gets ships built as money and needs appear. The issue is not about Navy combat ships so much as U.S. hulls to haul the materials needed in a timeof war. World War II saw more Merchant Marine ships sunk than Navy Combat ships. The Merchant Marine supplied our Armed Services and or Allies with much needed supplies. That is one of the things the Merchant Marine Act of 1920 addressed when it comes to ship building. The Navy has no shortage of combat ships. Look into U.S. flagged cargo ships and you will see we are a little low in that area. Actually WSF does play a role in supporting the Armed Services which is one of the reasons we get Federal $$. I can just see the Hiyu bristling with anti-aircraft guns and maybe some missiles...
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Post by SS Shasta on May 8, 2008 14:48:25 GMT -8
As a thirty one year Union Member I also would like to see all WSF boats built in Union Yards. It is hard to straddle the "cost effective" vs. "Build Union" fence. We want to see our politicians spend our money wisely which means getting the best price and the best product. Maybe that is why I drive an American built truck and watch the Union ads telling which companies to avoid. That is my choice for myself. Let's just get some new ferries going! AGREE!!
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Post by guestinthemidwest on May 16, 2008 2:12:26 GMT -8
As a thirty one year Union Member I also would like to see all WSF boats built in Union Yards. It is hard to straddle the "cost effective" vs. "Build Union" fence. We want to see our politicians spend our money wisely which means getting the best price and the best product. Maybe that is why I drive an American built truck and watch the Union ads telling which companies to avoid. That is my choice for myself. Let's just get some new ferries going! As for the discussion about Navy ships: History shows that the Navy gets ships built as money and needs appear. The issue is not about Navy combat ships so much as U.S. hulls to haul the materials needed in a timeof war. World War II saw more Merchant Marine ships sunk than Navy Combat ships. The Merchant Marine supplied our Armed Services and or Allies with much needed supplies. That is one of the things the Merchant Marine Act of 1920 addressed when it comes to ship building. The Navy has no shortage of combat ships. Look into U.S. flagged cargo ships and you will see we are a little low in that area. Actually WSF does play a role in supporting the Armed Services which is one of the reasons we get Federal $$. I can just see the Hiyu bristling with anti-aircraft guns and maybe some missiles... Well put But on a lighter note, the jones act was written, and is still in effect, for good reason. A lot of the talk here, if actually to be done, has more of an effect than for wartime and whatnot, but will put good American workers out of a job, where is the benefit in that? – and the talk about boycotting US built ships because we only use American from port to port local? That’s insane too, as Barnicle brought up to start with, who else is buying, but even more what kind of guy are you to want to turn your back on the very freedoms and liberties, and JOBS selling said boats would create if they were being sold out of country? Sounds…. Sad.
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Post by ruddernut on May 19, 2008 17:01:22 GMT -8
That’s insane too, as Barnicle brought up to start with, who else is buying, but even more what kind of guy are you to want to turn your back on the very freedoms and liberties, and JOBS selling said boats would create if they were being sold out of country? Sounds…. Sad. Freedoms and liberties of the free market? Wasn't there once a time when those who interfered with it excessively were referred to as "The Evil Empire"? If not for the meddling legislators, isn't it possible that you could have a thriving and competitive shipbuilding industry, with orders from all over the world, and the maritime equivalent of Boeing?
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Post by shipchandler on Jun 19, 2008 19:25:49 GMT -8
Halter Marine would be a good choice but I would think they would need a SeaWise or similar heavy lift ship to deliver it because I don't think they could even handle the seas the Coastals have faced coming up the west coast. Either that or build the modules there prestuffed and assemble them in Washington. Oops considering the troubles of the 787 never mind . Bath in Maine and other shipyards are going full out to keep up with the ships on order for the Navy. Norfolk and Electric Boat are both cooperating on the latest Sub. Norfolk has the next generation of Carrier in the works. The much *delayed next gen Coast Guard ships are being built by Northrop-Gruman in Mississippi with the first on sea trials. There appears to be plenty of capacity for the largest ships but how much ramp up there would be to replace major losses of Naval vessels would I guess be the key question. Todays warships are so complex I don't see the shipyards that are appropriate for ferries all of a sudden be given the task of building a replacement Arleigh Burke destroyer. I think this is where the Jones Act falls down. It treats all shipyards as a national security requirement. In the airliner field it would be saying Cessna is the same as Lockheed Martin or Boeing. If you need bombers all of a sudden Cessna ain't gonna be doing them. I am all for supporting local industries but the costs of doing so have to be weighed carefully. Canada has missed the boat on shipyards long ago and needs to make the best of where we are at now. The US is the other extreme and now are "missing the boats" in another sense. UNIFLITE who`s yard used to be in Bellingham built the now famous U.S.NAVY PBR`S [patrol boat river] seen in so many vietnam flicks ,so it can be done on a huge scale locally ,and as far as CANADA`S shipbuilding capabilities, they are alive and well BACK EAST!!!! the west coast yards[and for that matter the west coast] just never got a fair shake from OTTAWA..........
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