Many shipyard workers say private management drove the company into the ground.
The Government said jobs for the 11,000 shipyard workers would be found at other enterprises in the region.
Also on board were 300 shipyard workers and 40 civilian employees.
In Seattle, 35,000 shipyard workers went on strike for a pay increase.
The shipyard workers were also seeking more money and easier working conditions.
But the stakes are significantly greater than for just those former shipyard workers or their families.
Simultaneously, a company town was constructed to house and serve the shipyard workers.
Housing the shipyard workers, provided a new building boom, which continued on through the Post war years.
The shipyard workers reminded us of this fact a week ago in Brussels.
He'll talk about the shipyard workers, of course, and point out that he once headed his own union.