US Navy turns to South Korea to keep ships ready for the Pacific

Another U.S. Navy vessel is headed to South Korea for repairs

It will be the second U.S. ship fixed by a South Korean company this year

but the first since the two countries signed a $150 billion agreement

to make American shipbuilding great again. It's no secret shipbuilding in America is in a sorry state

which also means the state of ship repair and maintenance is equally dismal

For the U.S. Department of Defense, that's an issue of national security

The demands on America's maritime force are growing, and if the U.S. finds itself in a

conflict with China in the next couple of years, as many suspect will happen, the U.S. Navy is

going to need all the ships it can muster. So, making sure everything on the water today is as

close to top-notch condition as possible is a fairly important undertaking. Last July

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries signed a Master Ship Repair Agreement with U.S. Naval Systems Command

and the world's largest shipbuilder just won its first maintenance, repair, and overhaul contract

for the USNS Allen Shepard. Work on the 41,000-ton Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship

is scheduled to start in September at HD Hyundai's Meepo Shipyard in Ulsan

Propeller cleaning tank inspection and servicing and a full systems diagnostics are all on the docket And HD Hyundai says it have the ship back to the U Navy in November While not a warship the Allen Shepard makes it possible for warships to do what they do The Shepard performs

replenishments at sea, resupplying warships with much needed items so they can stay on station

longer. The head of H.D. Hyundai Heavy Industries said in a company statement the contract is

quote, highly significant since it's the first to be awarded after Seoul proposed its $150 billion

Make American Shipbuilding Great Again partnership slash investment. Under Mozga, South Koreans will help strengthen U.S. shipbuilding by constructing new yards

training new workers, and assisting in ship maintenance. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries expects

to compete for several more MRO contracts this year. The company also signed a pair of agreements

with American manufacturers to boost productivity and cooperation in shipbuilding technology. The first is with Huntington Ingalls Industries, makers of U.S. submarines, aircraft carriers

amphibious assault ships, and other vessels. The second partnership was with Edison Schwest

Offshore to help in the commercial shipbuilding industry. Now, like we said earlier, the Shepard

is the second Lewis and Clark class dry cargo ship to undergo repairs in a South Korean shipyard

this year. The first was the USNS Wally Shira at Hanwha Oceans Facilities. We reported on that on

our show Weapons and Warfare, so be sure to check out the SAEN website or download the app for that story