HullSource combines two clearly separated tiers of information.
Each builder's core record — company name, Manufacturer Identification Code (MIC), and location — comes directly from the public U.S. Coast Guard MIC database, released under the Freedom of Information Act. These facts are reproduced as published by the USCG.
Where a builder has a detailed page, the historical narrative is compiled from public sources (such as the manufacturer's own materials, encyclopedic references, and marine publications) and is shown only where we can corroborate it. Where we cannot verify background, we show only the USCG record rather than guess.
MIC codes are sometimes reassigned after a builder closes, and older records can be incomplete. If you spot an error, let us know and we will review it against the sources.