Trump wants to 'make America shipbuilding great again,' and he's turning to an ally for help

On an island off its southern coast, South Korea is doing the kind of shipbuilding that President Donald Trump envisions for the United States.

GEOJE, South Korea — On an island off its southern coast, South Korea is doing the kind of shipbuilding that President Donald Trump envisions for the United States.

The Hanwha Ocean shipyard, which covers an area the size of 900 football fields on the island of Geoje, churns out both commercial and military ships at a far faster rate than yards in the United States, aided by the world’s largest dry dock and crane.

During a recent visit by NBC News, it was a hive of clanging and banging as different components were assembled and then lifted into place. Sirens and bursts of music alerted the 30,000 workers when something heavy was being moved among the ships, some of them as long as the Empire State Building is high.

Among them was the USNS Charles Drew, a 14,000-ton cargo ship in the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet that is on site for maintenance.

“It’s a lot more cost-effective for us to stay in the area,” said Danny Beeler, principal port engineer for the ship.