The U.S. Navy wants to build 15 nuclear-powered battleships  

Five-year plan would add more than 80 autonomous vessels 

The aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy is shown at Newport News shipyard in 2019. (Photo: U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Adam Ferrero)

The Navy outlined a 30-year plan to order 15 battleships from domestic shipyards by 2055, and more than 80 robot vessels within the next five years.

In the plan released this week, the Navy envisions a 450-ship fleet by 2031, including 299 warships, 68 auxiliary ships, and 83 unmanned vessels.

The larger, more capable fleet would project more global power, Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said in the plan.

Three of 15 new “Trump-class” nuclear-powered battleships are to be ordered within the next five years, at an estimated cost of approximately $43.5 billion.

The plan would distribute orders across multiple domestic builders and extend to foreign shipyards. The U.S. and South Korea this week agreed to a formal shipbuilding partnership.

Read more articles by Stuart Chirls here.

Related coverage:

Houston gains cargo share as volumes soften at West Coast ports 

Trans-Pacific ocean rates remain above pre-war levels despite muted outlook

Lower revenue, higher costs drive Hapag-Lloyd to loss 

U.S. charges ship operators in fatal Baltimore bridge collapse

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Stuart Chirls

Stuart Chirls is a journalist who has covered the full breadth of railroads, intermodal, container shipping, ports, supply chain and logistics for Railway Age, the Journal of Commerce and IANA. He has also staffed at S&P, McGraw-Hill, United Business Media, Advance Media, Tribune Co., The New York Times Co., and worked in supply chain with BASF, the world's largest chemical producer. Reach him at stuartchirls@firecrown.com.