When America needed it most, the Puget Sound produced ships. During WWI, Seattle’s shipbuilding accounted for 20% of the nation’s wartime tonnage. In WWII, the Todd-Pacific Shipyards in Tacoma were a center of military shipbuilding, employing more than 28,000 people at peak production. With a renewed push for shipbuilding in the United States, the Puget Sound should answer the call once again.
Our region has many advantages, including an established industry with a skilled workforce from both the private sector and the defense industry, such as the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton. Additionally, our strong connection with the Republic of Korea, which maintains a consulate in Seattle and is the world’s second-largest commercial shipbuilding nation, has expressed interest in shipbuilding cooperation as part of its tariff negotiations.
Now is the time for Washington’s government to be proactive, building on its established industry, skilled workforce and leveraging international partnerships to make it easier for domestic shipbuilders and global partners to invest, expand and succeed. If we meet this moment as we have before, it will not be long before we look out across the Sound and see ships built here in Washington once again transporting goods across the globe.
Sam Henkels, Seattle