【Is the US shipbuilding industry this bad? It takes 9 years to repair a warship】

It is well known that the efficiency of the US shipbuilding industry is low and it has severely declined, which has even made Trump so desperate that he used tariffs to urge South Korea to help revitalize the US shipbuilding industry. However, recent information disclosed by the US Congress shows that the situation of the US shipbuilding industry is worse than expected. The time it takes to repair an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in a US shipyard is as long as 9 years, accounting for 27% of its entire service life, seriously affecting combat effectiveness.

According to a report by the "Stars and Stripes", the Congressional Budget Office pointed out that the service life of the destroyers is between 30 and 40 years. Now, the average time spent in the shipyard for maintenance is 9 years, which is more than four times the estimated time in the 2012 maintenance plan, and accounts for more than twice the 12% of the entire service life.

The Congressional Budget Office further pointed out that during certain periods, only one-third of the US Navy's ships are operational. If the maintenance time exceeds expectations, the number of deployable ships in the Navy will decrease, further reducing the size of the fleet.

At the same time, the Congressional Budget Office also found that the average maintenance cost per destroyer in 2024 is about $28 million, which has increased three times compared to 2009. The main reasons are the extended overhaul period of the destroyers and the rising labor costs.

Currently, the overhaul time usually exceeds the expected time by 20% to 100%. Especially for older ships, old hulls, unexpected additional work, delayed inspections and contract procedures, as well as the need to wait for parts and materials, will all lead to extended maintenance time. In addition, the way the US Navy contracts encourages shipyards to lower costs rather than deliver on time.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1852199978462215/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.