A Cleveland based company is moving forward with part of its plan to build "capability and capacity in America's submarine industrial base."
Last August, News 5 told you about a proposal to build two Navy submarine component repair centers in Lorain and Lordstown.
We don’t just report the initial story—we follow through to its conclusion. Read and watch our previous reporting on this story below and see more stories that we've followed through on here.
Bartlett Maritime Corporation has announced the first step in its proposal has been given the go-ahead. The question being raised now is whether it could make way for more developments in the future.
Bartlett Maritime said a non-profit, BlueForge Alliance, that supports U.S. Navy initiatives has awarded them an initial $3 million contract to start providing a "rotational workforce of skilled laborers to support Navy shipbuilding and repair projects."
The proposal means the company will provide trained welders who would travel elsewhere to work for a few weeks and come back home.
It's the first part of their proposal to get the go-ahead. The other parts of the proposal include repair facilities in Northeast Ohio as well as an option to build a new public naval shipyard in Charleston, S.C.
In a statement sent to Good Morning Cleveland Anchor, Tiffany Tarpley, the company said, "We are confident this contract represents just the first step in BMC delivering solutions to meet the many pressing demands of the fleet."
The company also said it is eager to work with the non-profit to expand staffing and capacity.
