Trump’s GOLDEN fleet and the Rise of K-Shipbuilding
President Donald Trump has unveiled his vision for a “Golden Fleet,” featuring a new class of warships named after himself. If built as planned, these would be the largest surface combatants constructed since World War Ⅱ. While smaller than the historic Iowa-class battleships, they would significantly dwarf the Ticonderoga-class cruisers (10,000 tons) and even the massive Zumwalt-class destroyers (14,500 tons).
This project has garnered significant attention in South Korea after President Trump explicitly mentioned Hanwha Ocean-which recently acquired the Philly shipyard-as a partner in their construction. The prospect of Hanwha building US Navy vessels serves as validation of both its strategic investment in the US and its world-class shipbuilding capabilities.
While the sheer scale promises formidable firepower, the cost remains a major hurdle. The WSJ, citing Navy officials, estimates a cost of around $5 billion per ship. However, experts including researchers at CSIS predict costs could soar past $10 billion. Given the unprecedented displacement and the integration of developmental weaponry, many analysts believe the $10 billion figure is a more realistic estimate.
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