Take a closer look at what “the keepers of the most often quoted international shipbuilding statistics” have published. As they say on TV when a shocker is on tap; “Viewer discretion advised”.

As shown in the “U.S. COMMERCIAL VESSEL DELIVERIES, 2000-2006″ graphic, just one Oceangoing Cargo Ship was delivered in 2000, none were delivered in 2001 and 2002, three were delivered in 2003, one was delivered in 2004, two were delivered in 2005, and one was delivered in 2006. So in that seven-year period just eight Oceangoing Cargo Ships were delivered. All or some of these may have been containerships, but that distinction wasn’t provided in the statistics.

As shown in the “CURRENT U.S. COMMERCIAL VESSEL ORDER BOOK” graphic, covering the years 2007 through 2012, there are exactly no (nada, zilch) Oceangoing Cargo Ships on order. And no distinction was needed here.

Historically, nations with aggressive merchant marines prospered because their shipbuilding programs made it possible for them to engage in international trade. In spite of what we were taught in grammar school, England, Spain, Holland, and even the U.S. as far back as Colonial times, gained dominance because of their large numbers of merchant ships, not because of their large numbers of warships. Even after the Second World War, when the number of U.S. Navy vessels exceeded the numbers of all other navies combined, our merchant fleet likewise outnumbered the merchant fleets of all other nations. That’s when we were dominant.

Nowadays in the U.S., however, people with much political influence but very little in the way of gray matter, have opted to build warships instead of merchant ships. Our nation’s growth, they’re convinced, should be achieved by means of military acquisitions rather than through honest business ventures. But the cost to establish and maintain hundreds of overseas military bases, while mothballing hundreds of seaworthy naval vessels and replacing them with make-work new-builds in a few favored shipyards, is bankrupting the nation. Our greenback is now at its lowest point ever.

On the other hand, across the water in South Korea, a country mostly in ashes just a few decades ago, officials determined that peaceful endeavors rather than military adventures was the way to bring the prosperity desired by its citizens. Hyundai, Daewoo, Samsung … these weren’t exactly household names, but look at what Hyundai has become. Up until a dozen years ago most Americans hadn’t even heard of the company, but then a new foreign automobile began appearing on our streets, and this time it wasn’t German or Japanese, it was Korean. It was a Hyundai and it was manufactured by a … a shipbuilder?

Hyundai’s main shipyard, taking up more than 1,200 acres and with as many as two dozen vessels under construction at any given time, has since become the largest company in the world … and they got things underway by building merchant vessels.

And today we saw our first Daewoo automobile.