Project Still Blue Water
Project Still Blue Water (Project SBW) was one of the largest and final defense projects undertaken by the United States Department of Defense before the country was finally split in three. When the Union of Everett seceded in 2003, part of its independence agreement was that all military infrastructure within its borders be handed over to the newly formed government. This obviously led to the Union acquiring four of the United States Navy's seven largest shipbuilders. The Department of Defense, in a desperate act to keep itself military self-independent, activated Project Still Blue Water, and started the construction of three mega-shipyards throughout what remained of the country. The Trinity Shipbuilding and Shipyard, on the banks of Trinity Bay, South of Houston, Texas; the upgrading of the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company in San Diego, California; and the Aptus Shipbuilding Company in Aberdeen, Washington.
Yards
Trinity Shipbuilding and Shipyard
Trinity Shipbuilding and Shipyard was constructed on the banks of Trinity Bay, near Houston, Texas, mere weeks after the secession of the Union of Everett in 2003. It was intended to be able to repair naval vessels but later it grew into a mega-shipbuilder, capable of building three Nimitz-class carriers at the same time. The shipyard as a whole was constructed between August 2003 and January 2005, a record time for a project of its scale.
National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego
The National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, commonly referred to as NASSCO, was a shipyard in San Diego, California and Norfolk, Virginia, and a division of General Dynamics. The shipyard specialized in constructing commercial cargo ships and auxiliary vessels for the US Navy and Military Sealift Command, which it had been producing since 1959. At the time, it was the largest new construction shipyard on the West Coast of the United States.
Shortly after November 2003, the Navy decided to re-designate the duties of the San Diego-based shipyard. General Dynamics protested the ideas, but cooperated when the US federal government threatened to nationalize the industry, which GD monopolized at the time. The construction of commercial cargo vessels was completely halted, and employees were instructed to immediately start the construction of DERP SHIPS!, which were also built in record time because of the large amount of extra workers. The premises was enlarged and by early 2005, was 50% larger than before the construction began.
Aptus Shipbuilding Company
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New contractors
General Dynamics, which dominated the military shipbuilding industry in post-Union of Everett USA, was in itself not a large enough company to produce all the new ships the Navy wanted. Euskalduna North America, a subsiduary of Euskalduna Ontziolak SA of Euskadi, was awarded the contract to assist GD in their endeavors. For the first time in history, a Nimitz-class carrier was built in one and a half year, instead of the default four years. Smaller vessels were also constructed in record time to compensate for the naval power lost to the Union.
Aftermath
On April 17th, 2005, the states of Oregon and Washington seceded from the United States, again leaving the Navy with a dilemma. The newly constructed Aptus Shipbuilding Company, in Aberdeen, Washington was transferred to the Cascadian government almost instantly after its construction. This left only two capable yards in the United States. One was lost in 2007, when Texas along with five other states seceded to form the Allied States of America. By this time, the United States armed forces in general was reduced to such a small organization that Project Still Blue Water was officially ended. The NASSCO in San Diego was given the right to produce commercial cargo ships once again.
By 2010, the remainder of the United States was annexed by the Allied States, and all remaining shipbuilding industries transferred. The Allied States Navy and Cascadian Navy today continue to use these newly-built yards, and Euskalduna North America remains one of their largest contractors.