A sailor welds metal to the deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis in October 2023 in Newport News, Virginia. (Curtis Burdick/US Navy)

Newport News Shipbuilding has told the Navy and the Justice Department that welding work on some submarines and aircraft carriers at its shipyard was defective, according to a report from USNI News on Thursday.

The faulty welds, which may have been intentionally made, were made on non-critical components in operating submarines and carriers, the report said.

Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, is the sole manufacturer of carriers for the Navy and one of only two companies that make submarines.

Huntington Ingalls told the Navy that welding work that did not follow proper procedures was found on new construction and submarines, as well as on Ford-class aircraft carriers currently in service, USNI reported.

The report cited a memo from Nickolas Guertin, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, to Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti.

The memo said the welders did not follow proper methods when welding certain joints and it appeared the defective work was done intentionally, USNI reported.

The shipbuilder informed the Justice Department of its findings, the report said.

In a statement to USNI on Thursday, Newport News said its internal reporting found some welds did not meet its quality standards.

“Following this discovery, we took immediate action to communicate with our customers and regulators, conduct investigations, determine the root cause, address these issues and take immediate corrective action to prevent these issues from occurring again,” it said Explanation.

“HIIs Newport News Shipbuilding is committed to building the highest quality aircraft carriers and submarines for the U.S. Navy,” the statement continued. “We will not tolerate behavior that jeopardizes our company’s values ​​and our mission to deliver ships that protect our nation and its sailors.”

The Navy said in a statement to USNI on Thursday that “a thorough assessment is underway to determine the extent” of the problem.

“The safety of our sailors and our ships is of utmost importance,” the statement said. “We are working closely with industry partners to address this situation and will provide additional information as it becomes available.”

America’s shipyards have struggled with a labor shortage for years, a problem exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Del Toro said in an April speech at the Stimson Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, that supply chain issues related to the pandemic have hampered shipyards’ ability to meet ship delivery schedules.

But a bigger problem is the “shortage of workers we have in this country,” said Del Toro.