I'm curious... why have the shipbuilding costs gone up so much, so fast?
Many businesses that quoted metal stud and drywall projects closed doors. Bidding on some projects are a year to a year and a half before actual installation. If they never locked in a project quote with a manufacturer they were left at the tip of the waterfall with no-place to go but over the falls, head first.
Lots of new electronics on these ships.
I'll take that question. The reason that costs have skyrocketed is that our shipbuilding industry have been destroyed by competition from shipbuilders outside of this country. Those nations who have stolen our industry received generous subsidies from their nations to undercut our industry.
So now it is time to pay the pieper for all this silly "free-trade". We can't even build the navy we want anymore.
A lot of it is probably due to the price of raw materials. Most folks are aware that oil has recently doubled in price. But all of the other commodities are up significantly also.