Since 1945 NASSCO has built or converted a variety of ships for commercial customers and the US Navy. It is the primary contractor for the full range of Navy auxiliary ships, including hospital ships, oil tankers, combat supply ships, tank landing ships, roll-on/roll-off ships, and oceanographic research ships. NASSCO is currently building and converting roll-on/roll-off ships for the US Navy's Sealift Program, in addition to finishing construction of a rapid replenishment ship for the Navy. In all nearly 300 ships evenly divided between Navy and commercial have been constructed or converted at the facility on San Diego Bay. About 25 percent of the company's business is devoted to the repair and overhaul of the Navy's Pacific Fleet
NASSCO is a privately-held company founded as a small machine shop in 1905. The company was acquired by Henry J. Kaiser Company and Morrison-Knudsen Company in 1959, and in 1979 Morrison-Knudsen acquiree Kaiser's share and NASSCO becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary of M-K. NASSCO was purchased through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and became an employee-owned company in 1989.