Welcome! The Cleveland, Ohio-based Bartlett Maritime Corporation (BMC) wants to create a rotating workforce and broaden its industrial base to overcome the problems associated with submarine maintenance.

Rotational Workforce Project

Bartlett Maritime Corporation (BMC) was given a $3 million contract by BlueForge Alliance to supply a skilled labor pool on a rotating basis for Navy shipbuilding and maintenance projects. Trained welders are part of the contract and are sent to specific shipyards. BMC is dedicated to expanding the underwater industrial base and showcasing quick, reasonably priced, and efficient capability. There is a backlog of subs that are not currently in service due to shortages in the Great Lakes region and building delays. The business wants to build a new public navy shipyard in Charleston, South Carolina, and component maintenance facilities in Northeast Ohio.

Component Repair Center Project

In addition to its current rotating crew, Bartlett Maritime (BMC) is planning to build and run component repair facilities in Northeast Ohio. The Lordstown plant will house material stocking and kitting, as well as a rotating pool of components and equipment, while the Lorain facility will handle component overhaul, repair, remanufacturing, and testing. Within six months of the contract award, the creation and management of these facilities will eliminate 100 days of submarine maintenance deficits. Within two years, the facilities will reach full capacity, and shipyards on the east and west coasts will benefit from their strategic location. BMC's concept is reasonably priced and incorporates a novel public-private collaboration that is permitted by current laws.

Impact On Lorain

Senator Sherrod Brown has requested President Joe Biden to support Bartlett Maritime Corp.'s plan to build submarine component repair facilities in Lorain and Lordstown using National Security Supplemental funds. The facility would create 500 to 1,000 employment opportunities in repairing, overhauling,
manufacturing, and testing military ship components. Another facility would be established at Lordstown for building ship components and material stocking.

The firm will offer a group of skilled welders for deployment to certain shipyards. Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley expressed his happiness with the deal, noting that he hopes to train individuals from the city for these positions. The business will wait until it gets the $3 million before starting its recruitment efforts. The proposal also includes a fifth naval facility in Charleston, South Carolina. Brown believes investing in these Ohio facilities would ensure critical maintenance capacity for the Navy's national security strategy and optimize its readiness. House Resolution 815, signed by Biden, covers humanitarian aid to Gaza and support for Israel, Ukraine, and other Indo-Pacific partners. Bartlett Maritime has been awarded a pilot program for its rotational workforce strategy, aiming to minimize the Navy's maintenance backlog and develop a rotational workforce. CEO Capt. Edward Bartlett Jr. praised Brown's demand for the Navy to proceed with the company's plan.

“Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley also welcomed Brown’s continued support. Brown, as well as U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, former U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Cincinnati, U.S. Reps. Shontel Brown, D-Cleveland, and Tim Ryan, D-Niles, alongside the Ohio Mayors Alliance and local and state labor unions, backed Bartlett’s original drydock proposal in 2022.”, The Chronicle Telegram.

“As everyone knows, these types of projects move slowly, but this is an indication that we have the support of our Sen. Sherrod Brown for this project,” Bradley said.

In the interview with Chronicle Telegram Mayor Bradley said “I know I’ve been accused of dreaming and not doing any economic development, but people should realize it’s a slow and steady process. Whenever I make a trip to Washington, D.C., I always promote economic development in the city and certainly Sherrod Brown has been a vital partner in this process.”

Marine Highway Plan Rally

Over 0.6 aircraft carriers and 3.4 submarines have been unexpectedly sidelined in delayed maintenance over the previous ten years because of the US Navy's four Naval Shipyards' struggles to finish maintenance on aircraft carriers and submarines. President Biden applying the Defense Production Act to the Navy's Virginia Class submarine program in December 2021 because of this industrial base issue. To expand the industrial basis for nuclear-powered ship building and maintenance, Bartlett Maritime Corporation created the Bartlett Maritime Plan.

The Bartlett Maritime Plan, which focuses on nuclear-powered ship maintenance and submarine building, seeks to leverage on Ohio's long history of aiding the U.S. Navy. Thousands of new hardhat jobs along the North Coast will be created under the proposal, which is based on Lorain and Lordstown, Ohio. This will improve the state's national security and strengthen the Navy's industrial base.