It was the first time in 37 years we had sold a large vessel to another nation. And we now have applications from 5 countries, to build 15 ships, which means 1996 and beyond will be very good years. American shipyards are becoming competitive. What excites me is that I know customers who haven't been here in many years are looking around, again. Forget the graveyard and junkyard analogies.
American shipyards have a future.
And the real winners from your efforts are not in this room. They are the 700 people, some of whom had been laid off, whose jobs this will support at Alabama Shipyard and the supplier companies. Let me end on this. In my former life, as a mayor, I always looked beyond the jobs that are created, however important they are, to the impact something like this has on the entire community. Last summer, my wife Ellen christened a Coast Guard ship, the Juniper in Marinette, Wisconsin.