The U.S. Maritime Administration says that private shipbuilding and repair employed 107,240 people nationally in 2011, producing $7.9 billion in labor income and $9.8 billion in gross domestic product. There were 8,100 workers in California, more than half of whom worked at San Diego’s three main yards. NASSCO had 3,000 workers, BAE San Diego Ship Repair had about 1,360 and Continental Maritime had 200.
California lagged behind Connecticut, which is home to General Dynamics Electric Boat, which builds and repairs submarines. But NASSCO announced in May that an affiliate of American Petroleum Tankers (APT) has hired the company to build four 50,000-ton product carriers, with an option for four more ships. NASSCO also is building Mobile Landing Platform ships for the Navy, and it is currently doing more than $100 million in upgrades and repairs on the Essex, a Navy amphibious assault ship. BAE is working on the destroyer Milius and the cruiser Bunker Hill, while Continental works on the amphibious ship Comstock.
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