There are welders of all stripes in naval shipyards, some taking their responsibilities more seriously than others. The best technical welders are the nukes with a nuke pipe seal welding qualification. They are specialists in tigging pipe by hand or machine, and often forget how to set up the equipment for other processes.
In my opinion, the best overall welders are those who take the extra time and care to ensure the assembly stays straight, using whatever process is most efficient for the position, length, and size of weldment. They verify the requirements for tolerances, material types, welding electrode and wire type, system cleanliness standards, and customer expectations. They produce a weldment that will pass whatever post-weld inspection the customer wants, be it VT, PT, UT, RT, MT, or ET.
I've met welders in the shipyard that have to be told time and again that their welds don't pass VT because of undercut, rollover, concavity, what-have-you. They don't get tasked with critical welds, and I've spent lots of time over the past seven years cleaning up after them.
I've met welders who take ownership of and pride in their work and these are the people I enjoy either following on a job or getting to work side-by-side with and learn from.
Please don't paint us all with the same brush.