Strategic investment in shipbuilding, car and aircraft making ultimately becomes cost plus. It won't win any kind of economic bidding model against foreign. Th

Strategic investment in shipbuilding, car and aircraft making ultimately becomes cost plus. It won't win any kind of economic bidding model against foreign. This problem is in Britain and Australia too. Look at AUKUS and the issue around Virginia class subs, future subs and the quoted prices from kokkums and the French and japanese for non nuclear. Shipping and shipbuilding leveraged the TEU like nobody's business. And in turn sucked the lifeblood out of shipbuilding and port locations and ultimately even factories. Why bother making anything when for a low TEU overhead it can be at your door from magic non unionised elves in far off faroffia, Suez canal and red sea permitting. This is a great write up. There are older pieces about the construction shift from Britain to Spain and south Korea, and the rise and fall of the Greek shipping magnates, as well as the emergence of the super large oilcarrier and container ship classes. Boats too big to berth in many locations. The jones act and the subsequent acts are fascinating. A pre 74 oil crisis book by Noel Mostert on supertankers is a sobering read. Also Mark Levison's "the box" on the rise of the TEU and the impact on US docking and freight.