Brown & Root, the oilfield services company based in Houston, is considering building offshore oil platforms and ships at the Severodvinsk shipyard, a center of nuclear submarine production that has fallen on hard times.

Beginning with U-2 in 1906-1908 altogether 62 boats were built, but only 44 between 1914 and 1918 which was about 12% of total German submarine production, few compared to non-imperial German shipyards at that time.

As evidence he pointed to Britain, which after a hiatus in submarine production has had to hire Electric Boat to fix its troubled Astute-class program.

During the Cold War, the U.S. and USSR kicked nuclear submarine production into high gear.

Senator Lieberman believes that submarine production in the United States must be increased to at least two boats a year and the advanced procurement funding for 2011 will assist greatly in this effort.

Senator Lieberman continues to work with the other members of the Connecticut Congressional delegation to ensure adequate funding for future submarine production within the State of Connecticut.

They said the money would be spent exploring commercial products that require similar technologies and skills to the ones used in submarine production.

And resuming submarine production at Newport News after a long layoff would entail other costs.

"Nuclear-powered submarine production," Admiral DeMars writes, "is much more difficult than putting up office buildings or factories - due to the wide variety of skills needed, the precision required, the working environment and the possible consequences of mistakes."

Western observers already have noted delays in completing Moscow's first large aircraft carrier and slowdowns in submarine production.