A destroyer project is estimated to need about 250 workers at the experienced journeyman or master-trades level, while a larger ship can absorb about 500 per shift. Kaiser and the Liberty-ship yards addressed the shortage by organizing production around much less-skilled labor. Workers hired in 1942 still needed several years of experience, so the earlier expansion associated with 1938 and preceding legislation supplied much of the skilled labor available during the war. A modern electrical apprenticeship provides a comparison: even an accelerated four-year course does not guarantee broad experience across every kind of work. One qualified electrician describes having 20 years in the trade and a master's license while still having gaps in industrial and mechatronics experience. A well-rounded tradesperson who can anticipate problems may take a decade to develop. Years of underinvestment and efforts to limit expensive skilled positions made rapid expansion harder.
Notable Point · 1:22:16-1:26:09
Why wartime shipyards cannot surge skilled labor
American wartime output could mobilize vast numbers of workers, but apprentices still needed years to become rounded tradespeople and yards had spent years minimizing expensive skilled labor.