The following is an op-ed, written by Newport News Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson, that was published in the Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot this weekend.

There has never been a more urgent demand for U.S. Navy ships than right now.

If you were to visit Newport News, you would see a community that is dedicated to building the world’s most complex ships – nuclear-powered submarines and nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. And now a Newport News shipbuilder myself, I am proud and humbled to be serving this particular mission, and especially at this moment.

Every day I am reminded of the importance of what we do at Newport News Shipbuilding and how important the mission we serve is to preserving our way of life, our freedoms and all that we hold dear.

This particular week is a solemn reminder of the profound responsibility that comes with being a shipbuilder in support of our nation.

April 10th marks the 62nd anniversary of the tragic sinking of the submarine USS Thresher and the deaths of her 129 officers, crew and civilians during sea trials. An investigation concluded the loss of Thresher was most probably the result of a failed piping joint that flooded the engine room, and subsequent events caused the boat to descend below crush depth where it imploded under the devastating pressure of the ocean.

Although Thresher was not built by Newport News Shipbuilding, we tell her story every year to remember and honor the sacrifice of her crew – and even more importantly to learn from it. While this tragedy marked the first time a nuclear submarine had succumbed to the sea, it also forever transformed the submarine manufacturing industry for the better.

The United States Navy, together with the shipyards and their suppliers, worked very hard to ensure the men lost aboard Thresher did not die in vain. Less than two months after the tragedy, a new and more thorough program emerged to refine the requirements for the design, construction and maintenance of all United States submarines. The program – known as SUBSAFE – is still in use today.

While I have worked in the shipbuilding industry for nearly three decades – serving most of my career at HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding in Mississippi – and was familiar with the legacy of Thresher, it has an even more powerful personal meaning for me today. Being on a team of shipbuilders building submarines is a daunting responsibility, one which we all must, and do, take very seriously.

With our nation’s critical and growing need for ships, especially submarines – we are working with a renewed sense of urgency. But this urgency is not and will never solely be about meeting schedules. We work with purpose, discipline, accountability and urgency, honoring the words of our founding belief: “We shall build good ships here. At a profit if we can. At a loss if we must. But always good ships.”

Shipbuilding doesn’t come easily and it is not for those without the scrappy determination to choose purpose over complacency. It requires us to do better, stand taller, and deliver more – without defect – on schedule. And it still – and will always – require us to do it right every single time, because the men and women of our armed forces who serve aboard our ships trust their lives to the quality and integrity of our work.

Today, and every day since USS Thresher was lost, we are reminded of the importance of quality in shipbuilding. We are also reminded that from something tragic, something positive can emerge. No matter what business or industry you work in, let Thresher serve as a powerful reminder of why doing our best each and every day matters. Help us tell her story and keep Thresher’s legacy alive.

Kari Wilkinson
President, Newport News Shipbuilding