We tore the iron from the mountain's hold, By blasting fires we smithied it to steel; Out of the shapeless stone we learned to mold, The sweeping bow, the rectilinear keel; We hewed the pine to plank, we split the fir, We pulled the myriad flax to fashion her.

Out of a million lives our knowledge came, A million subtle craftsmen forged the means; Steam was our handmaid and our servant flame, Water our strength, all bowed to our machines. Out of rock, the tree, the springing herb, We built this wandering beauty so superb.

John Masefield¹

The authors wish to extend acknowledgement to the following for their help and assistance, without which this monograph would not have been possible.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Bicentennial Grants Program, which funded this monograph.

Mayor Walter Hannon, Quincy Planning Department, Executive Director, John Graham, Quincy Heritage, Inc., and Ward 4 Councillor, James A. Sheets, all of whom were the prime movers of this project.

G. L. Glosten, Public Affairs Department, Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Robert Dwyer, Public Relations Department, Quincy Shipbuilding Division, General Dynamics Corporation, Quincy, Massachusetts.

H. Hobart Holly, Mrs. Rudolf Oberg of the Quincy Historical Society for use of photo albums, Volumes IV (1903-11), XVII (1913-40), and XVIII (1941-53) of the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, in the possession of the Society.

Public Relations Department, Quincy Savings Bank, which allowed us to photograph the Fore River mural in the branch bank in Quincy center which appears at the beginning of this monograph.

Professor Ronald Goodman, Instructor in Photo­graphy, Quincy Jr. College, who photographed the ship photos which appear throughout this monograph, and who did much of the contemporary photography.

 Arthur Rochefort, a student at Quincy Junior College who did some of the contemporary photography.

Ms. Patricia Steen, a student at Quincy Jr. College who assisted in researching newspaper sources and in the organization and layout of this monograph.

Charles P. Goodman, Quincy Public Schools who did the cartography work, the drawing of the Lykes Seabee Barge Ship, and the yard layout chart.

Carl Deyeso, Bruce McLean of Quincy Public Schools who put so much effort into preparing this monograph to be published.

1975 marked the 350th anniversary of the founding of the Mount Wollaston settlement out of which the Quincy community grew. The Honorable Walter Hannon, Mayor of Quincy, the Department of Planning, and the Directors of Quincy Heritage, Inc. asked the History Department of Quincy Junior College to produce a monograph on the history of shipbuilding at Fore River shipyard in celebration of this event.

Fore River shipyard, located in Quincy, Massachusetts is an excellent example of how a major east coast shipyard developed in this country in a business which, historically has been one of "feast and famine." Periods of war have spelled "feast" for American shipyards and post-war periods have unfortunately brought on "famine." The crises that Fore River shipyard faced and the challenges that it met were typical of most major American shipyards at the time. Despite the "feast and famine" conditions latent in the shipbuilding industry, despite numerous crises and challenges, Fore River shipyard became one of America's great shipyards and established a reputation for building quality ships which ranks with the shipbuilding reputations of such famous east coast yards as Donald McKay of East Boston, ² Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine,³ and Newport News of Virginia.⁴

It is the purpose of this monograph to chronicle the history of shipbuilding at Fore River shipyard from its beginning in East Braintree in 1883, through the re­location of the yard at its present site at Quincy Point around the turn of the century, down to the present time. Fore River shipyard has had three owners since its inception in 1883: Thomas Watson's Fore River Ship & Engine Company which controlled the destiny of the yard between 1883 and 1913; Bethlehem Ship­building Corporation, Ltd., which controlled the yard between 1913 and 1964; and, its present owners, Quincy Shipbuilding Division of General Dynamics Corporation. An attempt will be made to shed some light on how and why certain actions were taken that changed the direc­tion and destiny of Fore River shipyard and those that worked there. Present and future prospects will also be considered.

Anthony F. Sarcone
&
Lawrence S. Rines

History records that shipbuilding has been carried on in the Quincy area since 1696 when the ketch Unity was launched from Ship's Cove (Quincy Neck). Today it is the most important pursuit for the city's 88,000 inhabitants. When one looks at the geography of the area that was to be­come Fore River shipyard, one begins to wonder about the sanity of the yard's founder.

The yard is located along the Weymouth Fore River (hence its name) just southeast of Quincy center. Originally, part of it was marshy, but as the yard's founder, Thomas A. Watson observed, "the ground at Quincy Point is firm, but easily escavated." ⁵ It also had two creeks that cut in from the river. The smaller one, known as Howard's Creek was filled in soon after the yard was started up in 1901. The larger one, Bent Creek was the early wet basin with a long wharf built along the south shore. However, as time went on and more land was needed in the crowded location, the creek was steadily filled in at its upper end along How­ard Street so that today none of the original configura­tion remains. It should be noted that the original width of the river opposite the ways was only 200 feet and the depth 25 feet at low tide.⁶

A further example of how location seemed to pre­clude the building of a shipyard at Quincy Point was the fact that Washington Street was carried over the Wey­mouth Fore River by a narrow draw bridge. This was (and is) across the yard's access to the sea. This did not bother Watson and his associates at all. The first vessel launched at Fore River was the protected cruiser Des Moines. She could not fit through the bridge and Watson cheerily speculated, " . . . the public interest in our enterprise was so great that we were sure we could get the county to build another bridge before we could finish that ship." ⁷ He was right and Watson's yard built the bridge!⁸

The last major problem faced by the yard was the limited space available for future expansion. Quincy Point in 1900 was a residential area and Watson could only secure about 100 acres.⁹ Today the yard comprises about 180 acres, 15 of which are yet to be developed.¹⁰ This growth was a long and difficult process.

Despite all these apparently insurmountable problems, Fore River shipyard became one of the great shipyards in the United States. This success was due probably as much to the foresight of

Thomas A. Watson its founder, as it was to the genius of Charles Schwab, S. Wiley Wakeman and others associated with Bethlehem Steel Corporation which owned the yard between 1913 and 1964.

Thomas Augustus Watson was born on January 18, 1854 in Salem, Massachusetts and went to work at the age of fourteen. The year 1872 found the talented young Watson working in the electrical shop of a one Charles William, Jr. on Court Street in Boston. It was to this shop that many of the inventors of that day came to have working models of their inventions made. In 1874, Professor Alexander Graham Bell of Boston University was assigned the young Watson to help him build his telephone. Everyone knows that the first words spoken on Bell's telephone were, "Watson, come here." ¹¹ This was the beginning of telephony. By 1877 Bell had given the imaginative Watson a considerable stake in his neophyte Bell Telephone Company. When Bell went to Europe, Watson became head of the Research Department of Bell Telephone Company. Watson, an ever restless soul grew tired of communications research and finally retired from the telephone business altogether in 1881. The following year was spent traveling abroad and upon his return to the United States in September of 1882 he married Elizabeth Kimball of Cohasset.¹²

In 1882 Watson purchased a 60 acre farm with a half-mile of shoreline along the Weymouth Fore River in East Braintree. On this farm was one large house, a barn and several good outbuildings. It was on this farm that Watson, in 1883, experimented with all sorts of new farming techniques and devices that his scientific mind had devised, but the farm proved to be too small to produce results. Besides, the rigors of farm toil depleted his health. It was at that point that Watson decided to return to mechanics.

A Lexington, Massachusetts mechanic by the name of L. J. Wing had begun to develop a rotary steam engine. Approaching Watson on the prospect of developing it, he found him to be receptive.¹³ Work on the engine was quite complicated so Watson hired Frank O. Wellington to help with the project. Work on the engine began in the winter of 1884 but by the spring of 1885 it had proven to be a mechanical failure and a financial albatross. What grew out of this experience, however, was a friendship between Watson and Wellington that was to last for a lifetime, and more

importantly a desire to build marine engines for yachts and tugs, which, in the end led both into the shipbuilding business. ¹⁴ This was the beginning of the partnership known as the Fore River Engine Company.

The first order that Watson and Wellington received was for a 50 h.p. engine for a small passenger steamer owned by a Mr. Delano of Damariscotta, Maine. The two began work on the engine in a small room warmed by an oil stove.¹⁵ Along with the engine work came a decision to build small boats. The first boat launched by Fore River Engine Company at East Braintree was the Barnacle for a Marblehead, Massachusetts gentleman. It had an alcohol vaporizing engine. Because of the narrowness of the river, boats were hauled across the mud by a capstan and an old white horse. Castings came from the old Howard Foundry and John McCafferty supplied the brass. ¹⁶ Boat building was good for the local economy.

It was during this time that Watson made the momentous decision to go into shipbuilding. He was later to observe in his autobiography that, "It was a momentous decision for from it came one of the largest shipbuilding establishments in the country, if not in the world, that made Massachusetts again a shipbuilding center and afterwards played an important part in the World War."¹⁷

Despite the experience earlier with the ill-fated Wing engine, Watson maintained an abiding appreciation for steam and thus was quite content in his new pursuits. ¹⁸ The steam engine built by Fore River Engine Company soon became well known all along the entire New England coast and gave the company a considerable reputation. The engine was of the typical reciprocating variety, but it had several new features among which were a radial valve gear and slow running boiler feed pumps.¹⁹ Orders for this engine came flowing in and soon the Watson farm was hosting a work force of twenty to thirty men in a new engine shop that had just been built. ²⁰

The Fore River Engine Company did not limit itself to marine engines. The company also turned out Prouty printing presses, Dudley guns for coastal defense, staple heeling machines for the numerous shoe factories dotting eastern Massachusetts, and electric lighting for many area plants.²¹ Watson, a humanitarian throughout his life, engaged his company in such diversified work in order to give employment to his friends and neighbors. By 1896, with the depression in the nation deepening, there was little work for the Fore River Engine Company to do.

It was during this depression that the United States Navy came through with what turned out to be a most opportune naval contract which in its total effect, drastically altered the employment and financial situation of Fore River Engine Company.²² The Navy contracted for the construction of two 400 ton torpedo boat

destroyers, the Lawrence and the Macdonough. The total cost was $562,000.00. As Watson observed, "This was the turning point in my life as well as in the destinies of the Fore River Engine Company." ²³

A former employee, Charles Edwards was brought back from Canada to help yard manager, Frank O. Wellington with the two ships. The ships were 246' 3" x 22' 2" x 12' 10" and both had a 4-cylinder, triple expansion engine rated at about 8400 h.p. They were fired by water tube boilers.²⁴ This lucrative Navy contract brought employment on the Watson farm to about 300 men, and no doubt saved the Fore River Engine Company from financial ruin.²⁵ These two torpedo boat destroyers were launched at the turn of the century, the Macdonough being the last ship launched by Watson at the East Braintree site. Both were delivered to the Navy in 1903.

U.S.T.B. Lawrence

The next major contract that Fore River Engine Company procured was from the government. It was for a different kind of vessel than the Lawrence and Macdonough. This was for the lightship, Diamond Shoal. She was 125' 6" x 23' 6" with a 350 h.p., single cylinder engine.²⁶ When she slid down the ways on September 7, 1900, she became the first steel vessel built on the South Shore.²⁷ Delivered in 1901, she proved to be of valuable service to mariners from that time on.

 U.S.L.V. Diamond Shoal

Probably one of the momentous occasions of this period was the awarding of a $1,065,000 contract to Fore River Engine Company for the protected cruiser, Des Moines. This vessel was too large to be built at the East Braintree site, so Watson immediately sought a new location. Watson soon found the right location two miles away at Quincy Point. This area has been generally described above. Of this important decision to relocate, Watson said, " . . . I started in to build with my own capital the largest shipyard in the United States, capable of constructing any ship that they might offer.' ²⁸ The job of building the new facility fell to Watson's associate, Frank O. Wellington. It took almost five years to get the new Quincy yard into complete operating condition. The fact that Watson decided to go into bigger and more complex shipbuilding operations at this time attests to his love for his calling. He was not in it for personal financial gain, because after completing the two torpedo boat destroyers he announced that the whole affair has "led me into financial disaster, but it was good for eastern Massachusetts." ²⁹ The expenses incurred at the new yard quadrupled and large government payments were the only source of relief.³⁰ The weekly payroll in 1900 was about $6,500. ³¹

While Wellington planned the new yard at Quincy Point, Watson commenced with the construction of the Des Moines. Since there were no yard buildings at the time, Watson had the machine shop floated over from the East Braintree yard.³² By the time the Des Moines was to move out of the Fore River in 1904, a new 800 foot long swing span bridge had been built. The center span alone was 100 feet long. The spans, made of German steel, were floated into their appropriate positions by Watson at high tide. With the changing of the tide, they were dropped into place.³³

As far as the original Quincy plant was concerned, Wellington had built a machine shop, giant forge, storehouse, ship tool shop, pattern storage shop, joiner, pattern and mold loft, power house and boiler room, carpentry and rigging shop, and a carpentry shop for yard construction. All were of wood except the power and boiler houses which were of brick. The four-story office building was also floated over to Quincy Point without disturbing the occupants. By 1901 when the yard was officially started up, there was a total of 451,178 square feet of space in the new yard with about 11 acres of it under roof.

The boilers operated and induced draft because there were no smokestacks. The light and power cables were run underground in tunnels built of Quincy granite. The yard also had some of the largest shipbuilding equipment of that day. Two 100 ton steam hammers were used for shaping materials, while a specially built 75 ton traveling crane and a 25 ton crane were used to drop materials into place. The forge, the largest in the United States at the time, did all sorts of jobs. At one time it turned out sixty 3" rapid fire guns. They were rough, turned out of nickel steel, ready for rifling. The forge also did miscellaneous work for other shipyards in the area. The forge was so busy that it was on a 24 hour a day, 6 day schedule.³⁴

When the yard at Quincy Point was started up in 1901, Fore River Engine Company was awarded a large Navy contract. No doubt Fore River Engine Company won these lucrative Navy contracts because of the low bids it submitted, plus a reputation for quality. The Navy contract called for the construction of two 14,600 ton battleships, the Rhode Island and New Jersey. Fore River Engine Company was to be paid $6,810,000 for the pair. They were 441' x 71' x 23' 9" and had a top speed of 19 knots. ³⁵ Both were delivered to the Navy in 1906.

Battleship, New Jersey

Before Watson's company could proceed with the construction of these two battleships, the Navy required that the Old Watson-Wellington partnership be dissolved and the company incorporated for the protection of both of the contracting parties. The incorporation of the Fore River Ship and Engine Company, under the laws of the state of New Jersey took place on February 15, 1901. The business was capitalized at $6,500,000. The original directors of the company were: Thomas A. Watson, President and Treasurer; Arthur Wainwright, Vice President and Secretary; Frank O. Wellington, General Manager; H.P. Elwell, General Superintendent; and, J.B. Dill of New Jersey, Attorney-at-Law. ³⁶ Watson soon surrendered his Treasurer's job to a Mr. Davenport but he eventually broke down under the strain of that office and ended up in a sanitarium. ³⁷

Fore River Ship and Engine Company soon found out that its recently acquired Navy contract was more complex and more costly than originally anticipated. Watson hoped that a merchant contract might help the yard through the dilemma. ³⁸ A merchant contract came through from Captain John G. Crowley. Captain Crowley awarded Fore River Ship and Engine Company a $240,000 contract to build a seven masted, steel hull schooner, the only one of its kind ever built. This was the Thomas W. Lawson, named 

after a wealty Scituate resident. The contract on the Thomas W. Lawson provided for a subscription rate and Captain Crowley was awarded a $25,000 bond. ³⁹

The Thomas W. Lawson in many ways was a unique vessel. She was 403 feet in length and was equipped with some 25 different sails. When under full sail she was capable of spreading 43,000 square feet of canvas. The lower parts of her seven masts were of steel while the upper parts were of pine. She had a double cellular bottom, 4 feet deep. Below was 1,000 tons of water ballast with a trimming tank at each end of the vessel. ⁴⁰ Some friendly discussion has occured in maritime circles over the years concerning the names of her seven masts. A manuscript on file in the archives of Bethlehem Steel Corporation, provides the answer. The masts, fore to aft were: fore, main, mizzen, rusher, driver, jigger, and spanker. The Thomas W. Lawson became waterborn on July 10, 1902 with Watson's daughter, Helen, as sponser. ⁴¹ The Thomas W. Lawson has attracted many critics over the years, but her builder claimed that she was a marvelous success and that few steamers in her time could equal her. ⁴² Tragically, she was-wrecked in a northeast gale off the Cornish coast on December 13, 1907, carrying a large cargo of parrafin oil. Captain Geoffrey Dow and her engineer, Edward Rowe were the only members of her crew to survive the wreck.

Seven Masted Steel Schooner,

Thomas W. Lawson

Captain Crowley was so pleased with the ship that he placed an order for the largest six masted steel collier ever built, the William L. Douglas. This vessel was 339' 6" in length and spread about 36,000 square feet of canvas when under full sail. The lower parts of her masts were hollow steel cylinders. ⁴³ She was delivered to Captain Crowley in 1903.

Six Masted Steel Collier,

William L. Douglas

By the end of 1902, Fore River shipyard had 11 contracts totaling about $20 million.⁴⁴ While this looks as if all was fine at Fore River, Watson was struggling to pay bills because checks from the contractors, especially the United States Navy, were often far apart. Watson paid for most of his materials by selling his telephone stock.⁴⁵

The way out of this financial dilemma appeared to be stock offerings. On April 2, 1902, the first Prospectus of the Fore River Ship and Engine Company was published. The public was offered 10,000 shares at $100.00 per share. The buyer received 1 common for every 2 preferred shares purchased. According to the prospectus the founders of the company had personally invested over $1,000,000 in the enterprise and over $1.5 million had been spent on the plant from the time it was started up in 1901. Earnings from July 1, 1901 to January 1, 1902 were $101,574.36.⁴⁶ Watson also secured a loan from the Adams Trust Company of Boston for $1.25 million at 6% for 20 years. He was also forced to turn over a large bonus of preferred stock and majority control of the Board of Directors. All of this displeased Watson greatly for the sum raised by these means was not nearly adequate to meet the needs of the yard at the time. Added to this was the decision to suspend dividends until the plant was paid for. This further crimped Watson financially because the Fore River stock that he did hold was the only personal source of income that he had.⁴⁷

It was during these troubled financial times that the United States Navy awarded a contract to Fore River shipyard for the battleship Vermont. The contract, awarded in June, 1903 called for the vessel, whose dimensions were 456' x 76' x 34', to have two reciprocating engines of 16,500 h.p., capable of turning out a speed of 18 knots. The Navy agreed to pay Fore River $4,169,000 for the vessel. She was delivered to the Navy in 1907.

Battleship, Vermont

As it turned out, the contract for the Vermont was the last contract negotiated by Watson. Watson felt the company still needed one or two million dollars more in orders to clear up the financial situation at the yard. He hoped to get some of it from the United States Navy in the form of compensation for the costly experiments in removing the "sympathetic vibrations" caused when the engine pulsations equalled the torsioned vibration of the propellers at 26 knots in the torpedo boat destroyers, Lawrence and MacDonough, built earlier.⁴⁸ The United States Congress pigeonholed the request.⁴⁹

Three actions were ultimately taken to try and cope with the financial situation at the yard. Orders were given to curtail construction of plant buildings that were not of immediate importance. Further, in September, 1903, Wellington was ordered to discharge 500 laborers at the yard, and the following month the company was again reorganized. Many important stockholders in the company felt that Fore River shipyard was not run as efficiently as others. Watson attempted to prove that this was not the case, but to no avail. As a result of the company reorganization, Admiral Francis T. Bowles (U.S.N., Ret.) was elected President of Fore River Ship & Engine Company, and the displaced Watson ended up as Chairman of the Board of Directors. Watson was pleased with the way the yard operated under Bowles' leadership, and so in early 1904, he quit the shipbuilding business altogether.⁵⁰ Bowles was signed on for five years at $25,000 a year.⁵¹

If the year 1904 was a busy and exciting one for Fore River shipyard, it was a terrible one for the retired Watson. When he left the company it was under a foreclosure sale and thus he lost everything that he had had in it. Watson had begun in a small building with Wellington his associate, and twenty years later his company comprised about 100 acres and had a work force of about 

4,000 men.⁵² As reported above, it was a tough financial road to success. Along the way Watson had even had to put up with an independent soul who refused to sell a few feet of land to Fore River shipyard in order to run a track three miles to the N.Y.N.H. and H.R.R. He finally ended up buying the whole estate for about $40,000, all of this to save the expense of shipping material in by steam lighter and truck. ⁵³ And now, after some 20 years of labor and struggle Watson had nothing substantial to show for all his efforts.

Watson quickly rebounded from his disappointments and misfortunes. He, along with his wife Elizabeth, entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston to study geology. Both eventually received degrees in geology from M.I.T. Watson also became highly proficient in music, drama and literature, and thus as a result published his fine autobiography in 1926 called Exploring Life. On December 13, 1934, the founder and guiding spirit of Fore River shipyard in the early years of its development passed away. ⁵⁴ Watson left the City of Quincy a rich economic legacy. Fore River shipyard today stands as a monument to Watson's ingenuity and genius.

Early in 1904 a $100,000 loan was secured for Fore River shipyard. ⁵⁵ Further, the Company decided to gain exclusive rights to manufacture the Curtis marine turbine. Fore River shipyard hoped that this engine could successfully compete with the Parsons turbine. Most experts felt that the Curtis engine was too high speed to be economical. Because of its beginnings as a marine engine manufacturer, Fore River shipyard felt equal to the challenge. ⁵⁶ The United States Navy was interested too. The Navy authorized the construction of three scout cruisers in 1905. These were the Salem, Birmingham, and Chester. All three were delivered to the Navy in 1908. They were to have Curtis and Parsons engines respectively. Both the Salem and Birmingham had Curtis turbines with two screws. The Chester had a Parsons turbine with four screws and was actually completed at Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine before delivery to the Navy. All three vessels were of 3,750 tons and of the dimensions, 423' x 46' x 17'. ⁵⁷ Their turbine power plants could generate 16,000 h.p. which produced a

Scout Cruiser, Salem

speed of 24 knots with fuel consumption at 1.8 knots/ton. ⁵⁸ All three vessels were extensively tested by the Navy in order to compare the efficiency of their power plants. The Salem proved to be the best of these third class cruisers. ⁵⁹

The story of the freighter, S.S. Creole is not one that Fore River shipyard likes to remember. In 1905, the Southern Pacific Company ordered a freighter from Fore River shipyard and another from William Cramp & Sons of Philadelphia. The contract, signed in 1905, called for two reciprocating engines of 8,000 h.p. capable of turning out 16 knots. Admiral Bowles got the permission of Southern Pacific Company to substitute two Curtis turbines. The 440 foot Creole was delivered to Southern Pacific in 1907. Her trial speed was a good 16.73 knots. Despite this, the Curtis turbines did not live up to expectations and Fore River shipyard soon found itself being sued for breech of contract. Fore River shipyard counter-sued to collect the contract price. Fore River shipyard lost the case after extensive litigation and two reciprocating engines were eventually put in. The two Curtis turbines were scrapped. ⁶⁰

S.S. Creole

It was at about this time that a conflict broke out in the Far East between Japan and Russia. The Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) as it was called, was largely a naval conflict in which sophisticated naval weaponries, developed earlier, were used for the first time. ⁶¹ The Japanese who had the naval edge over the Russians in this conflict contracted with Fore River shipyard to build five small submarines, a weapon which was just coming into its own. These submarines were assembled in the yard, then knocked down, loaded onto freight cars for shipment to the West Coast to await shipment to Japan by steamer. They were then reassembled upon arrival in Japan. ⁶² Not much is known of these submarines except

that they were of the elementary Holland type of about 125 tons. They had only one torpedo tube and could travel at about 9 knots fully submerged. ⁶³

On the subject of submarines, it was at this time that the Holland Company, one of the foremost builders of submarines at that time, passed into the hands of a new group known as the Electric Boat Company. Since this company had no yard of its own it contracted with Fore River shipyard to built most of its submarines that it contracted. This arrangement with Fore River shipyard lasted for twenty years. Fore River shipyard built the first submarine Electric Boat Company contracted for, and this was the Octupus, delivered to Electric Boat in 1908. Others built under this arrangement were Viper, Cuttlefish, and Tarantula. All were delivered to the Navy in 1907.

Submarine, Tarantula

While this arrangement with Electric Boat Company lasted, Fore River shipyard built many of the early classes of submarines used by the United States Navy at the time. These included: “K”, “L”, “M”, “H”, “AA”, “O”, “T”, “R”, and “S”. In 1924 Electric Boat Company built its own yard in Groton, Connecticut and on February 27, 1924, the last of some 80 submarines, built at Fore River shipyard, were delivered to Electric Boat Company. This was the S-47. ⁶⁴ It is indeed ironic that in 1963, when Bethlehem Ship Corporation ceased operations at Fore River shipyard, the yard was bought by General Dynamics Corporation of St. Louis, Missouri, the parent company of the Electric Boat concern. For a brief period after 1964, Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation operated Fore River shipyard until its reorganization into the Quincy Shipbuilding Division.

It would be a mistake to assume that Fore River shipyard was concerned only with the construction of large naval vessels. At the same time the yard was building battleships, cruisers, and submarines, it was also contracting and building a variety of other vessels.

In 1904 the freight steamer, Boston was delivered, and in 1905 the passenger steamer, Providence was delivered to the Fall River Line. The Providence (shown ashore at Peddock's Island in Boston Harbor) was in service for only about two months previous to her burning in May of 1905. In the same year, Fore River shipyard undertook the building of the first modern fishing trawlers. These were built for the Bay State Fishing Company. By the time World War I had begun, Fore River shipyard had completed the Spray, Foam, Ripple, Crest, Swell, Surf, Wave and Breaker. All of these fishing trawlers were delivered to their owners between 1905 and 1912. During World War I many of them served as minesweepers.

Freight Steamer, Boston

Passenger Steamer, Providence

Trawler, Spray

Besides the fishing trawlers, Fore River shipyard built four freighters for the Brunswick Steam Ship Company, a passenger steamer for the Nantasket Beach Line, the South Shore, and three colliers for the New England Coal and Coke Company. ⁶⁵

Passenger Steamer, South Shore

It was during this time also that the physical plant at the yard was improved to meet the construction requirements of the three battleships then under construction at the yard. A new gantry crane was added for use at the fitting out dock on Bent Creek. It had a folding jib with an elevation of 140 feet. It was quite versatile with one-25 ton and one-50 ton traveling trolleys. On the end of the boom was a fixed 10 ton masting tackle. ⁶⁶ Some of the most important machines of the time were a 30 foot boring mill for turret tracks, 120 inch planer, a lathe for turning and boring shafting up to 65 feet, a planer for any size propeller, a large gear cutting machine, and a special lathe for turning turbine rotors up to 12 feet in diameter. ⁶⁷

While Fore River shipyard was launching ships, it also launched a new program which has lasted down to the present time. This was the Apprentice School to train young men in the art and science of shipbuilding. The program, started up in 1906 began in the Y. M. C.A. and in 1907 moved into an annex by the steel mill at the yard. A new school building was added by Bethlehem Steel in 1943. Applicants were required under the program to be between the ages of 18 and 20 years of age and have a high school diploma. A rather rigorous physical examination was another prerequisite for admission to the program. Once accepted, the rules and classwork were quite exacting, due to the fact that those enrolled were on company time. Acceptance was based on a written exam plus a quota system. Fifty per cent of the applicants were drawn from the same department that their relatives worked in as they were being trained in. Another twenty five per cent could come from any department, no matter what one was being trained for, and the final twenty five per cent consisted of applicants outside of Fore River shipyard.

The various trades taught under the program were: pipefitter, plumber, coppersmith, electrician, shipwriter, joiner, patternmaker, 

sheet metal,  machinist, boilermaker, shipfitter, loftsman, electrical draftsman, foundryman, and outside machinist. The most popular of the trades was that of machinist while few chose to train to be a foundryman. Students attended evening classes for two-two hour periods in a week. The total time for apprenticeship covered four grading periods of 2,000 hours each. A "C" average had to be maintained. A lower average resulted in taking another 500 hours of class instruction. Over 2,000 have graduated from this excellent program. ⁶⁸

In 1906, Fore River shipyard delivered its first battleships, the Rhode Island and New Jersey to the Navy. These ships were well built but had one major flaw. Like the battleships Kentucky and Kearsarge before them, they had a tendency to roll. This was mainly due to the fact that these ships had twin super-imposed turrets. In the case of the Rhode Island and New Jersey, they had an 8-inch twin mount above a 12-inch twin mount. This was the last experiment by the Navy with double-turreted battleships. ⁶⁹

The year 1907 centered around battleships also. In May, the Vermont, with its 12-inch main armament was delivered to the Navy. This ship was a coal burner and was considered to be very economical. ⁷⁰ The Navy also awarded Fore River shipyard a contract for the first turbine-driven battleship, the North Dakota of the "Delaware class." She displaced 22,000 tons and was of the dimensions 518' x 85' x 27'. The main armament was the 12” naval rifle and like the Vermont she was a coal burner. Fore River shipyard also supplied the machinery and Curtis turbine power plants. The North Dakota, delivered to the Navy in 1910, could turn out 22 knots under full steam. ⁷¹

Battleship, North Dakota

Other government work kept employment at the yard around 2,500. This work included the auxiliaries, Hedge Fence, Relief #1, Relief #2, and the lightship, Swiftsure. All of these vessels were delivered in 1908. The second group of submarines for Electric  Boat Company were also begun. Merchant work on the whole was

quite meager, consisting of a freighter, lighter and tug.

Auxillary, Relief #1

A record number of eighteen contracts were engaged in 1908. This record was not to be equalled again until 1916. The United States Army ordered eight tugs, while the Navy ordered the torpedo boat destroyers, Perkins and Sterett. Both were delivered to the Navy in 1910. These government orders were rounded out by an order from the N.Y.N.H. and H.R.R. Company for seven steel car floats and the tug, Transfer#2. ⁷²

U. S. T. B. Perkins

(Background gives excellent pre-war view of shipyard.)

Until its purchase by Bethlehem Steel Corporation in 1913, Fore River Shipyard was quite busy completing the contracts that it had received during the first decade of the twentieth century. Again, the kinds of vessels built were of various types, something which has always characterized ship construction at Fore River shipyard. The torpedo boat destroyers, Walke, Henly, Duncan, Cushing, and Tucker were ordered by the Navy. All five vessels were delivered to the Navy between 1911 and 1916. Other government work included six more  submarines, an ammunition lighter, and the 

suction dredge, New Orleans. The merchant contracts ranged from the steam yacht, Aloha for Commodore A.C. Jones of the New York Yacht Club to molasses barges and lighters. Also constructed at this time were tankers, trawlers and car floats. The contractors included such companies as Standard Oil, Union Sulphur, Cuba Distilling, as well as old customers like the N.Y.N.H. and H.R.R. Company, and the Bay State Fishing Company. It is clear that at the end of its first decade of business in Quincy, Fore River Ship & Engine Company had a lucrative and very diversified shipbuilding operation. From 1905 to 1910 there had been 53 launchings. ⁷³

The single greatest event in this period was the awarding of a contract to build two battleships for the Argentina Navy. Early in 1910, Admiral Garcia and other Argentinian officials arrived at Fore River shipyard to see if the yard was capable of handling the assignment. Satisfied with what they saw, the contract to construct these ships was awarded to the yard. The contract however, set the condition that the vessels had to be built in different yards due to scheduling problems and the necessity of early completion. Fore River shipyard constructed the Rivadavia and subcontracted the Moreno to New York Shipbuilding Company of Camden, New Jersey. The Moreno, some 580' in length and of 30,000 tons was the first to be completed, sliding down the ways only 18 months after the signing of the contract. Rivadavia was not completed and delivered to her owners until 1914 due to problems at the yard at the time. Both warships were equipped with 12” main batteries and had triple screws. The power plants were Curtis turbines. Mr. H.E. Gould accompanied the Rivadavia to Argentina where she was highly acclaimed by naval officials. Both warships were the most modern of that era and both had long and distinguished careers of service. ⁷⁴ They were eventually converted from coal to oil burners and their fire protection and other equipment was updated at Fore River shipyard in 1925.

As alluded to above, the completion of Rivadavia was held off until 1914 due to unforeseen problems at the yard at the time.

Argentina battleship, Rivadavia

Apparently financial strain at the yard and a backlog of work held up the completion of this warship. Though it would appear that the acquisition of this contract was an immediate boon to the yard and made Fore River shipyard respected around the world, it did place a great strain on the available resources of Fore River Ship & Engine Company. In the end Admiral Bowles was forced to recommend the sale of the yard to a corporation that could stand the trauma of having a great deal of capital laid up for extended periods of time.

Between the time of the acquisition of the Argentina battleship contract and the sale of the yard to Bethlehem Steel Corporation, the keel of the now famous BB-36, Nevada was laid. The keel laying of this battleship further compounded the yard's problems. The Nevada, in many ways similar to Rivadavia and Moreno, was 575’ in length and of 28,000 tons. Her Curtis turbines could move her at 20 knots. She was one of the first oil burning capital ships put into service by the United States Navy. ⁷⁵ She was delivered to the Navy in 1916 and had a long and distinguished career of service.

Nevada was distinguished in that she was the first to embody what turned out to be a fateful naval concept. It was known in Navy parlance as “All or Nothing.” At the time the submarine was regarded as the one great single threat to large warships. Later it was to be the airplane. The Nevada thus sported heavy armor of about 18” thickness but was woefully lacking in deck protection. The results of this were later to be realized at Pearl Harbor. The Nevada was the only battleship to get under way during the attack, but she took such a heavy pounding in the meantime that she had to be beached, damaging her rudder in the process and ruining her electric drive. ⁷⁶ After the attack she steamed to Puget Sound under her own power, was repaired and modernized, joining

Battleship, Nevada

 the Pacific Fleet in 1943. In 1944 she saw action in the Normandy invasion, pounding the shores with her large 14" guns. She ended up her long and distinguished career in 1946 in the center of the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall chain, surviving the A-bomb test, the pounding of the 16" guns of the Iowa, dive bombers and torpedo planes. She was finally sunk by a torpedo amidship from one of the torpedo planes. ⁷⁷ Fore River shipyard has always prided itself in the quality and durability of its vessels.

As already indicated, financial problems plaguing Fore River shipyard necessitated the sale of the yard. Charles Schwab of Bethlehem Steel Corporation was looking for shipyards as extensions of his steel business. Schwab agreed to buy Fore River shipyard for $4,800,000. As one newspaper commented at the time: "According to the Bethlehem Steel Company management, the purchase of Fore River plant was to complete the development of Bethlehem Steel into an organization capable of turning out all iron and steel products used on land and sea." ⁷⁸ Bethlehem Steel management quickly scotched a rumor rife at the time that the purchase was aimed at the Steel Trust or other shipyards. Schwab claimed that the purpose was merely to put Bethlehem Steel into a competitive position in the shipbuilding business. At the time of the sale of the yard, the yard was doing an annual business of between $6 and $12 million. Being constructed at the time were some 23 vessels amounting to about $20 million.

At the time Bethlehem Steel purchased the yard, the company reported that the yard comprised 110 acres and had an annual capacity of 60,000 tons. Immediate plans were to add a drydock. Later in the early 1920's, Bethlehem Shipbuilding purchased the old Simpson drydock in East Boston which had been used to construct clippers in the 1850's. Bethlehem still retains control of this important drydock today.

As far as the financial picture was concerned, Bethlehem's outstanding stock amounted to $2.4 million common and the like amount in preferred. The original officers of the company were: President, Frank T. Bowles; Vice President, F. C. Dumaine; Directors Robert Endicott, Jr. of Kidder, Peabody and Company, William A. Gaston, President of the National Shawmut Bank; Gordon Abbott of the Old Colony Trust Company, and Robert Winsor. Bowles was soon replaced by Joseph Powell of the Cramp yard in Philadelphia.⁷⁹ S. Wiley Wakeman was made General Superintendent. Bethlehem began almost immediately to make major improvements at the yard.

The first full year of Bethlehem operation of the yard saw very little by way of new ship construction. The Navy contracted for the destroyers, Sampson and Rowan, both of which were delivered to the Navy in 1916. Contracts were accepted for three submarines but these were sublet. No merchant contracts were acquired at this time.

Destroyer, Sampson

Besides the destroyer and submarine contracts, the Royal Navy gave the only other contract in 1914. Due to the outbreak of World War I in Europe in the summer of 1914, the British found themselves sorely pressed for submarines. Though this weapon was looked upon as unfair and "un-British," the Royal Navy contracted with Fore River shipyard to build ten submarines. The United States at the time was a declared neutral in keeping with a foreign policy dating back to the time of the founding of the Republic, and thus did not want to provoke any of the belligerants involved in the war. The United States State Department refused to allow Fore River shipyard to build the submarines. Fore River shipyard got around the State Department order by prefabricating the submarines, and then shipping the prefabs and labor to Canada for assembly there. All of this was accomplished in the space of about ten months. The German reaction to this is not known nor would it have made any difference.⁸⁰

In 1915 the Spanish Navy contracted for the submarine, Isaac Peral, while the United States Navy ordered a new type of submarine, the AA-1. In the merchant area the Texas Oil Company ordered four tankers, and the Edward F. Luckenbach Company ordered four freighters named after family members. A tanker was also built for the Argentina Navy. This completed the contracts for 1915.

During World War I, Bethlehem Steel Company began the first major enlargement of Fore River shipyard since its establishment at Quincy Point at the turn of the century. The steel mill was the most important of the improvements at this time. The steel mill was 770 feet long and about 188 feet wide. The top floor contained a sheet metal shop as well as one of the best mold lofts in the country. On the ground floor was one of the world's largest plate and angle

shops. There were seventy-five machines, served by eight cranes. The steel mill was capable of fabricating 250 tons of steel a day. Another major improvement was the building of a 1,000 foot long concrete and steel building slip. The building slip was 130 feet wide and cost about $500,000. The slip was provided with three 7½ ton cranes and one 50 ton crane. The large crane was 122 feet and the smaller ones 144 feet above the concrete foundation. ⁸¹

Another addition is worthy of note. After a somewhat lengthy study of company services in other industries, Bethlehem Steel Company organized a Service Department. It consisted in such things as a modern hospital, a band, glee club, ball teams and other social activities. It was also responsible for the publication of the fine plant monthly, The Fore River Log. ⁸²

A record number of nineteen contracts were secured in 1916. Eight of these were for "0" class submarines and eight for destroyers. The three others were for two tankers and another freighter for the Luckenbach Company. The number employed reached an all-time high of 15,000 at this time.⁸³ Ten more submarines were allowed to be laid down for Great Britain, while the other ten were built at Montreal. The submarines built at Fore River shipyard were held at Boston Navy Yard, and after the United Stated entered World War I in April, 1917, they were released.⁸⁴

The United States entrance into World War I could not but have a great effect on Fore River shipyard. The government immediately placed orders for a total of 28 destroyers, 15 "R" class submarines, and one battle-cruiser, the Lexington (I). In order to facilitate the work on the destroyers it was decided to build a plant near Quincy to do this work exclusively. The site selected was a marshy area to the north of Fore River shipyard in the area of Quincy known as Squantum. The Squantum site was chosen for two very good reasons, one being that the site was in close proximity to both Quincy and Boston, and secondly, the subsoil afforded suitable foundations, despite the marshy conditions in the area. Known as the "Victory Yard," it consisted in some 70 acres of shipbuilding area and was started up in October of 1917.

The winter of 1917-18 was a harsh one, but despite this, hull fabrication began in January of 1918 without incident. On April 20, 1918 the keel of the Delphy was laid at Squantum. Secretary of the Navy, Josephus Daniels presided at the keel laying ceremonies. The Delphy was delivered to the Navy in November of 1918 just as the cease fire was being negotiated in Europe, ending the shooting 

in World War I. The last vessel launched at the Squantum yard was the Osborne on December 29, 1919. After this the "Victory Yard" was turned over to the government for dismantling.

The Squantum yard comprised about 70 acres and cost some $15 million to build. Almost 8,000 workers were employed there, including some 150 women. This yard was unique in many ways. Squantum yard was the first yard designed to build exclusively one type of ship and to utilize the module system inaugurated when submarines were built by Fore River shipyard for Great Britain. ⁸⁵ Another feature was that all of its ten building ways were under one roof. The yard had six wet slips and the tool room was under the ways. Two 25-ton and four 5-ton cranes served the yard. Two major auxiliary plants were put into operation as well to speed up work at the Squantum yard. The Fields Point boiler plant at Providernce, Rhode Island supplied 90 of the boilers, while the 35 sets of turbines for the destroyers were built at the Black Rock plant in Buffalo, New York.

In all the Squantum yard turned out a total of 35 destroyers while Fore River shipyard produced 36 destroyers over some 27 months and 5 days. This grand total of 71 destroyers was better than all other American yards combined.⁸⁶ Fore River shipyard's record time for the completion of a destroyer was 174 working days. This was the destroyer, Mahan. The keel of the Mahan was laid on May 4, 1918. She was launched on August 4, 1918 and delivered to the Navy on October 24, 1918.

Destroyer, Mahan

Squantum yard bettered this record however, and set the world record in the process. The keel of the destroyer, Reid was laid on September 9, 1919. Twenty-eight working days later, Reid was water born (October 15, 1919), and on November 6, 1919 she was delivered to the Navy, roughly 17½ days after launching.⁸⁷ Apparently Fore River shipyard and the Squantum yard built ships so fast that the Navy was forced to tie many of them up at the Boston Navy yard for lack of crews. ⁸⁸ With these remarkable achievements, Fore River shipyard secured for itself a place at the forefront of the American shipbuilding industry.

Destroyer, Reid

Before 1917 was out, Bethlehem Steel Corporation had reorganized all of its shipbuilding operations into the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Ltd. Joseph Powell left Fore River shipyard to become Vice President for all Bethlehem shipyards. S. Wiley Wakeman became General Manager with Joseph P. Kennedy as Assistant Manager.⁸⁹ Wakeman turned out to be a very capable General Manager. He was succeeded many years later by his son.

One of the great events at Fore River shipyard during the war was a shipbuilding contest. The contest was held in 1918. Wakeman was approached by Joseph Tynan of Bethlehem's Union Plant in San Francisco, California with a $5,000 bet to determine which yard could deliver the most destroyers for that year. Wakeman, exuding great confidence in Fore River shipyard's ability to produce ships confidently doubled the bet and Tynan accepted. Both plants printed about 2,000 participation bonds which sold at $5.00 each to cover the bet. Workers in the winning plant would receive $10.00 for every $5.00 bond purchased. The losers, of course, got nothing. The score at the end of 1918 was: Fore River shipyard, 18 destroyers; the Union Plant, 6 destroyers.⁹⁰ Wakeman's confidence had been justified.

Fore River shipyard did not immediately feel the effects of the depression in shipbuilding that always follows a war. The Squantum yard was still busy completing its destroyer contracts. Fore River shipyard completed and delivered three merchant vessels to the Emergency Fleet Corporation in 1919. One of these was the Hadnot, a 430 foot long tanker of 13,500 tons, launched 99 9/10% complete. Steam was up as she went down the ways. She was delivered on October 24, 1919, three days after launch.⁹¹ A sister ship, the Hagan was delivered on November 25, 1919.

Tanker, Hagan

The only gloomy occurrence in the post-war period was the cancellation of the battlecruiser, Lexington, and a sister-ship, Saratoga. This was offset however by a contract for two Navy scout cruisers, the Raleigh and Detroit. Both scout cruisers were delivered to the Navy in 1923-1924. Of the two, the most distinguished was the Raleigh. On the morning of December 7, 1941, Raleigh was moored on the northwest side of Ford Island, Hawaii. In the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on that "day of infamy", she was heavily damaged by five Japanese torpedo-bombers, along with three other ships moored nearby.⁹² Raleigh later underwent repairs and in May of 1943 participated in the American recovery of Attu in the Aleutians, ⁹³ as part of Rear Admiral Francis Rockwell's North Pacific Amphibious Force. 

Besides these two scout cruisers, Standard Transportation Company ordered four freighters. Six "S" class submarines were also contracted for at the end of the war.

Scout Cruiser, Raleigh

The year 1920 witnessed the last new ship contracts until 1925. These were for two tankers for the Atlantic, Gulf and West Indies Corporation. It should not be inferred that Fore River shipyard was idle. The "S" class submarines were not delivered until 1922, so work on these vessels progressed, and work on the 550 foot, 35 knot Raleigh, mentioned above was in progress.

It was during this "lull" period at Fore River shipyard that Bethlehem took the opportunity to do some expansion work on the Quincy plant. By 1921, a new office building had been completed, as well as work on a new building way for merchant ships. This way was erected on the old submarine ways at the yard. Another important addition was a 10,000 ton floating dry dock which Bethlehem purchased at East Boston. This was the old Simpson drydock dating from the pre-Civil War era and which had been used at that time for the construction of clipper ships. This drydock was removed to Bethlehem's repair yard in Boston in 1924. Of all the new additions, perhaps the most important was a new battleship slip which in time played host to the building of ships never before built at Fore River shipyard.

As mentioned above, the United States Navy had initially cancelled the construction of two 43,500 ton battlecruisers, the Lexington and Saratoga. By 1920 however, the Navy had changed its mind and had gone ahead with the construction of these two battlecruisers. On January 8, 1921 the keel of the Lexington was laid at Fore River shipyard. As work progressed on the Lexington it appeared that she would never get off the building ways. The Washington Conference, called by Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes was meeting at the time to discuss placing limits on naval armaments. A series of naval agreements negotiated at this 

very important naval arms conference placed limits on capital ship construction, and total capital ship tonnage. ⁹⁴ The United States Navy thus changed its plans in regard to the Lexington and Saratoga. The United States did secure however, permission to convert these two battle-cruisers into aircraft carriers, which, at the time was considered in many quarters to be the naval weapon of the future and the logical replacement for the battleship as the number one weapon in the Navy's arsenal.⁹⁵ Since the agreements negotiated at the Washington Conference did not cover aircraft carriers, the Navy went ahead with its plans. By October 3, 1925 the necessary alterations had been made on the Lexington, and with 20,000 spectators in attendance she slid down the ways into the Fore River with the distinction of being the second of the aircraft carriers to be built. Of all the ships built at Fore River shipyard, the Lexington perhaps has had the most notoriety.

The Lexington, delivered and commissioned by the Navy in 1928 was one of the largest warships built at Fore River shipyard to that time. Of 40,000 tons, her dimensions were 888' x 105' x 32'. She had a top speed of 33 knots, fast for an aircraft carrier of that time. Her career however, was to be short and tragic. In February, 1942, she helped to break the Japanese control of the waters around New Guinea, and in May, 1942 under her commander, Rear Admiral Frank Fletcher, participated in the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first naval battle in which the ships involved on both sides failed to sight each other.⁹⁶ On May 8, 1942 Lexington suffered two torpedo and two bomb hits. As the battle drew to a close, Lexington had three fires burning on board but her power plant was still intact, and still capable of moving her at 33 knots. As the fires raged, they touched off powerful gases deep within her, causing massive internal explosions which caused her to list. She was eventually abandoned and her survivors were picked up by Rear Admiral Thomas Kincaid's destroyers standing nearby.⁹⁷

The loss of the Lexington was deeply felt at Fore River shipyard. Employees at the yard petitioned the government to name a carrier being built at the yard in 1942, after her. The petition was granted and CV-16, Cabot, became Lexington (II).⁹⁸ Like her famous

Aircraft Carrier, Lexington (I)

predecessor, Lexington (II) distinguished herself in the service of her country. Under her commander, Admiral Marc Mitscher, she saw action in the Battle of the Phillipine Sea in mid-June, 1944, the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October, 1944, and, as the war in the Pacific wound down, she saw action in the naval assaults on Iwo Jima and Okinowa in the Japanese island chain.⁹⁹

The Lexington and Saratoga were not the only victims of the Washington Conference. The battleship, Massachusetts, whose keel was laid down in April, 1921 was also cancelled out. She was sold for scrap in 1923 when about 11% completed.¹⁰⁰ During World War II a famous battleship bearing her name would be built at Fore River shipyard in honor of the State of Massachusetts.

Because of a lack of new contracts in the post-war period, Fore River shipyard entered into repair work. One such repair job was putting a new engine and auxiliaries into the J. E. O'Neill in only 43 days. A rather different type of job was the conversion of the troopship Minnekahda into a floating hotel. In a vacant turbine shop, 500 men worked for several months repairing 50 locomotives for the strike-bound N.Y.N.H. & H.R.R. Company.¹⁰¹ Fore River shipyard also engaged in specialized work on automobiles and fabricating brass ornaments for banjo clocks. This varied type of work, some not even related to shipbuilding, was part of a program on the part of Bethlehem's Chairman, Charles Schwab and President Grace to keep the nucleus of a talented work force around.¹⁰² This posture on the part of Bethlehem management certainly paid off when the United States Navy launched its building program in 1938.

The first new contract in over five years came from the City of Boston when it contracted with Fore River shipyard to build the steel ferry, Charles C. Donaghue. Cumulative figures to 1925 show that Fore River shipyard had built a total of 400 ships with 111 of these being of the naval type, 289 merchant and the rest miscellaneous. In terms of tonnage this amounted to a total of 1,023,762 tons, with 266,184 being naval tonnage, 757,578 merchant tonnage and the rest miscellaneous. ¹⁰³

As the 1920's progressed, more naval and merchant contracts came in. The Navy ordered two cruisers, the Northampton and Portland. This cruiser contract was the most important of the naval contracts at this time. The two cruisers were delivered to the Navy between 1930 and 1933. Of the two, the most important was the Northampton. Northampton was a casualty in World War II. After the Battle of Guadalcanal in November,  1942, Admiral Halsey made Northampton part of Rear Admiral Thomas Kincaid's new strike force which was made up of heavy cruisers. Before the strike force could engage the Japanese, Kincaid was replaced by Rear Admiral 

Carleton H. Wright. Wright's strike force engaged the Japanese on November 30, 1942 off Tassafaronga, near Guadalcanal. In the ensuing battle, Northampton took two torpedo hits and after a heroic three hour battle to save her, she sank.¹⁰⁴ Even though the United States Navy lost the battle, Northampton distinguished herself by firing 18 salvos from her 8" guns at the enemy, and made a good account of herself at Tassafaronga. ¹⁰⁵

Cruiser, Portland

Cruiser, Northampton

Besides these two cruisers, contracts came in for the cutters Chelan, Tahoe, Pontchertrain, Champlain, and Mendora. These ship contracts completed government orders for the decade. As far as the merchant contracts are concerned, they were somewhat diversified, consisting of six barges, one double-ended ferry, four trawlers, four steamers, two colliers and two tankers. The most important merchant contract came from the Oceanic Steam Ship Company for the liners Lurline, Monterrey and Mariposa. ¹⁰⁶ These three liners were delivered between 1931-1933. In the 1930's Oceanic Steam Ship Company contracted with Fore River shipyard to air condition these liners.

Liner, Mariposa

The decade of the 1930's saw a downturn in productivity at the yard which stemmed from the Great Depression. The only major 

work undertaken as this timewere a number of Navy cruisers and destroyers, and a carrier. The cruisers Quincy (I) and Vincennes emerged at this time. Quincy (I) delivered to the Navy in 1936 and the Vincennes, delivered in 1937 were both lost in the naval assault of Guadalcanal. In the battle that took place off Savo Island on August 9, 1942, Quincy (I) took the worst beating of any ship engaged, but in the opinion of the Japanese Command, put up the best fight.¹⁰⁷ Vincennes, on the other hand, was lost because of the ineptness of her commander, Captain Riefkohl.¹⁰⁸ Both ships were replaced by Quincy-built ships during the course of World War II. The heavy cruiser, Quincy (II) was delivered to the Navy and commissioned for service in 1943. The destroyers contracted for were Benson, Mayo, Gridley, Craven, Phelps, Clark, Moffett, Balch, and Farragut. All of these destroyers were completed in and 

Cruiser, Quincy (I)

Cruiser, Vincennes

delivered to the Navy in the late 1930's as was the carrier, Wasp. The Wasp, delivered to the Navy in April, 1940, saw action in the Guadalcanal campaign in the eastern Solomons. On September 15, 1942, while carrying American reinforcements to Guadalcanal, she was sunk by three Japanese torpedos.¹⁰⁹ The Navy named another Fore River carrier after her, the "Essex class" Wasp (II). This 890 foot warship saw action in both World War II and in Korea. She was scrapped in 1973 as part of the Navy's effort to update and modernize the fleet.

Destroyer, Benson

Destroyer, Farragut

Carrier, Wasp (I)

The effect that the Great Depression had on Fore River shipyard can be seen in the employment figures of the time. In 193l employment at the yard was at 4,900. This was largely due to contracts, made earlier, which were nearing completion. By 1933 when unemployment was peaking at around the 12 million level, employment at the yard was down to a meagre 812.¹¹⁰ The winds of war on the horizon however brought Fore River shipyard out of the depression.

As alluded to above, Fore River shipyard recovered from the depression of the 1930's due largely to the Naval Expansion Program of 1938. Fear of the outbreak of war in Europe and in the Pacific at that time no doubt had everything to do with this ambitious naval program becoming a reality. By the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941), employment at the yard had climbed to about 17,000. Peak employment was reached in 1943 when some 32,000 (including 1,200 women) were occupied by war or war-related tasks at the yard.¹¹¹ Annual payroll  in the peak 

year of employment at the yard reached $110 million. Ship contracts to that time amounted to some $700 million.¹¹² Fore River shipyard built naval vessels as fast and as well as it could, given the conditions of the time. An example of the fast pace maintained is the fact that on the day the battleship Massachusetts was launched, the keel for the cruiser, Vincennes (II), (ex-Flint) was swung into place as the great battleship slid down the ways.

From December 7, 1941 until the end of the war, Fore River shipyard built 92 naval vessels of 11 different types, the most notable types being the battleship, carrier, heavy and light cruisers, and destroyers for which the yard has been known. This great effort earned Fore River shipyard the highly prized Navy "E". This honor was bestowed on May 15, 1942. Four stars were subsequently added. ¹¹³

All of these achievements no doubt were due to the great physical plant built through the years by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, and the Navy. After World War II began some $25 million was spent on modernizing existing facilities at the yard. They deserve a detailed description:

Fabrication Shop:

2 bays, 766' x 188'

1014' x 102'

17 bridge cranes (largest-15 tons)

65' angle furnaces 36' plate furnaces

1500 ton hydraulic press

36' planers

covered welding platens totaling 74,000 sq. ft. plate storage area of 18,000 ton capacity, all served by 6 revolving tower cranes up to 50 tons capacity.

Machine Shop:

brick and concrete with dimensions of 892' x 120' (138,000 sq. feet).

8 bridge cranes

9 vertical boring mills (largest - 30')

9 lathes above 48" (largest- 108")

10 planes above 36" (largest - 12' x 10' x 30').

gear cutting machines

special machines for the manufacture of any size turbine. ¹¹⁴

Mold Loft:

largest in the United States at the time with 142,000 sq. ft.

Brass Foundry:

produced 100,000 bls./week in World War II. ¹¹⁵

Other Features:

2 wet basins

12 building slips

x-ray and gamma ray inspection of weldments and castings.

portable x-ray machines (140,000 volts) for use in ship ways.

one of a few yards in the country capable of designing and building gun turrets. ¹¹⁶

It was from this great establishment that these vessels were built during World War II: Battleship, Massachusetts (II), delivered to the Navy in May, 1942 and now permanently berthed at "Battleship Cove", Fall River, Massachusetts; "Essex class" 

 Battleship, Massachusetts (II)

carriers, Lexington (II), delivered to the Navy in 1943, Bunker Hill, Wasp (II), Hancock, and Phillipine Sea, all of which were delivered to the Navy between 1943-1946. Of the group, Lexington (II) compiled a record of distinction during World War II equalled by few carriers of her time. Re-designated CVT-16 on January 1, 1969, she is the oldest commissioned carrier in service today; 13,000 ton heavy cruisers, Baltimore, Boston (after World War II she was converted into the first guided missile cruiser in Navy service), Canberra, Quincy (II), ¹¹⁷ Pittsburgh, St. Paul, Columbus, Helena, Oregon City, Albany, Rochester. All of these heavy cruisers were delivered to the Navy between 1943-1946. Boston, Quincy (II), Pittsburgh, Rochester and Helena were   scrapped by the Navy in 1973 in the first major reduction of the

Carrier, Lexington (II)

Carrier, Phillipine Sea

Heavy Cruiser, Quincy (II)

Heavy Cruiser, Pittsburgh

Heavy Cruiser, Oregon City

"mothball fleet" since the end of World War II; 10,000 ton cruisers of the "Cleveland" class, Vincennes (II), Pasadena, Springfield, Topeka, Providence and Manchester. All of these light cruisers were delivered to the Navy between 1944-1946. Of the group Topeka was the most recent to go the scrapheap; 6,000 ton 

Anti-Aircraft Cruiser, San Diego

anti-aircraft cruisers, San Diego and San Juan. Both were delivered to the Navy in 1942; four 2,425 ton  "Gearing" class destroyers; seven 1,620 ton "Benson" class destroyers; three 1,450 ton "Rudderow" class destroyer escorts; and, five 1,400 ton "Buckley" class destroyer escorts. ¹¹⁸

Destroyer , Bancroft

As in World War I, Fore River shipyard found itself overcrowded. The cruiser San Juan for instance was cut up and moved three times to make way for other construction. The answer was to build another facility near-by to take on the task of building the multitude of auxiliaries necessary to fight the war. The site chosen was a few miles to the southeast on the Back River in Hingham. The government built 16 ways on this 96.5 acre facility and operated for some 39 months during the war. The Hingham facility employed about 23,500 workers and ended up producing about 75 DE's (many were transferred to Britain, including one with a fire-place and a grog locker in it), 17 Fast Transports (APD), 95 LST's, 40 LCI (L), for a grand total of 227 vessels. In addition, 53 ICT were cancelled before the keels were laid and 116 DE's were also cancelled. ¹¹⁹

Fore River shipyard and the Hingham facility set many records during World War II. Fore River shipyard set a world's record for the building of a carrier by completing the Hancock, an "Essex" 

class carrier in just 14 months and 15 days. The Hancock was delivered to the Navy in 1944. The best time for the completion of a heavy cruiser was 20 months and 15 days. The record for a light cruiser such as the Pasadena of the "Cleveland" class was 16 months and 15 days. In addition, 2 LST's were built in just 30 days and 5 LST's were delivered in a span of just 50 hours. Lastly, Hingham shipyard was able to deliver a DE in just 23 working days from keel laying to launch. ¹²⁰

One of the most interesting stories to come out of the war is that of "Kilroy was here." The "Kilroy was here" phrase appeared everywhere during World War II, but its origin did not become widely known until after the war had ended. In 1946 the American Transit Association ran a contest to find out where and why the phrase originated. As it turned out, the winner was James J. Kilroy of Boston. It seems as if Kilroy was hired by Fore River shipyard on December 5, 1941 as a checker. His job was to count the rivet holes and then leave chalk marks where he had left off. It was on this basis that the riveter's piece of work was calculated. Some of the riveters were not too honest and would erase the mark left by Kilroy. Thus, some of the rivet holes were counted twice. Kilroy got wind of this devious practice and proceeded to scrawl "Kilroy was here" on his rounds. He reportedly left his mark on such famous Fore River vessels as the battleship, Massachusetts, now berthed permanently at "Battleship Cove", Fall River, Massachusetts, the Carrier, Lexington (II), and the heavy cruiser, Baltimore, as well as numerous troop carriers. In later life Kilroy became a Boston City Councillor and state representative. He died on November 26, 1962. ¹²¹

Fore River shipyard, like most shipyards during the war, did an admirable job. There can be no doubt as to its contributions to the success of our armed forces during that global conflict. The end of the war found Fore River shipyard larger than ever but with little work to do other than completing war associated contracts. The keynote of the post-war era, as far as Fore River shipyard was concerned was, diversification. The yard took on many non-ship related tasks. Fore River shipyard ended up building such things as a 28' diameter blast furnace containing some 2,500 tons of steel, a group of 40 ton turbine rotors, and a wind tunnel with a nozzle speed of mach 3 for the Navy. ¹²² Other undertakings included fabrication of 1,150 B and 650 B walking draglines for Bucyrus Erie Company, construction of units for Air Preheater Corporation, fabrication of steel for Boston's Metropolitan District Commission aqueduct, and finally, building transformer tanks for the Boston Edison utility. ¹²³

Fore River shipyard obviously found itself in relatively the 

same position it had been in during the Depression of the 1930's and adapted to the situation in the same kind of way. Unfortunately, times had changed. The economics of inflation, the high costs of material, labor union pressures for higher wages and benefits caused a greater strain than could be immediately perceived by Bethlehem Steel management.

In the first post-war years, Fore River shipyard turned over to the Navy its last major vessels from wartime contracts. These were two 17,000 ton heavy cruisers, the Salem and Des Moines. The Salem had the distinction of being the first air conditioned vessel

Cruiser, Des Moines

in the fleet. Both of these warships were delivered to the Navy in 1948, and were distinctive because they were the first cruisers to have fully automatic, rapid-fire 8" guns. Other work included the conversion back to civilian use of three government-owned ships of the Panama Railroad Company, the Ancon, Panama, and Cristobal. All three ships had been built at Fore River shipyard just as the war in Europe had broken out. Today the Ancon is the school ship, State of Maine, and the Panama ended up as the President Hoover of the American President Lines. This was the only work undertaken by the yard until about 1950. Employment during this time dipped to a low of 3,800.

It was at the end of this post-war slump that America's first post-war merchant ships were built. These sleek vessels were designed by Bethlehem Steel Corporation for American Export Lines. The 55,000 h.p. turbines were the most powerful to be installed in an American merchant ship to that time. ¹²⁴ These vessels cost about $25,000,000 each and proved to be quite successful once in service. The ships, Independence and Constitution, delivered in 1951, are now inactive, a sad commentary on the current state of the American merchant marine. Besides these merchant vessels work was begun on converting the cancelled cruiser Northampton into America's first tactical command ship. The CC-1 was delivered to the Navy in 1953.

The early 1950's witnessed some work at the yard, but as the decade progressed, work at the yard declined. The Maritime Commission ordered three C-4 cargo ships in 1951 and two more in 1952. ¹²⁵ Tankers became the prime item for the yard. Gulf Oil Corporation placed an order for two 28,000 ton tankers, small by

today's standards, Socony contracted for a 29,250 ton tanker, and Orion contracted for three of the same tonnage. ¹²⁶ The Navy also got into the act by contracting for the fleet oiler, Neosho. In the freighter area, Bethlehem Steel Corporation designed a 13,300 ton, 564 foot vessel which proved to be an important improvement over previous designs. This group of ships were designated as the "Mariner" class of freighters. The first of these launched at Fore River shipyard was the Old Colony Mariner. Two of the largest destroyers ever built in this country emerged from Fore River shipyard at this time also. These were the Willis A. Lee and Wilkinson. They were both delivered to the Navy between 1953-1954. ¹²⁷

Probably one of the most unique construction jobs ever done at Fore River shipyard was a product of necessity. For years a way to transport any kind of chemical by sea had been frustrated. Dow Chemical Corporation approached Bethlehem Steel Corporation with the problem of transporting liquid chemicals by ship. What resulted, once Bethlehem Steel set its mind to finding a solution to the problem, was the world's first liquid chemical tanker, the Marine Dow-Chem. She was 554 feet long and was of 16,200 tons. Through the use of nickel-clad steel, this ship was capable of carrying a 73% solution of caustic soda. It required a constant temperature of 230° F to prevent solidification. This vessel was unique in many ways. It was capable of carrying some eleven different types of chemicals at once, including methylene, chloride, hydrochloric acid, carbon tetrachloride, styrene monomer, glycols and others. ¹²⁸

The foregoing proves that the years immediately following World War II would not have seemed bad by themselves, but viewed in the light of the yard's productivity in the war, extensive facilities and high operating costs, the picture for Fore River shipyard was not a bright one. Many experts felt that the primary cause for the situation at the yard in the mid-1950's was that the American merchant marine was fairly new and fairly well-stocked due to the impact that World War II had had on it.¹²⁹ Added to this was the impact of the Ship Sales Act of 1946. Under this act the government sold the surplus vessels in the wartime merchant marine fleet quickly and cheaply, charging about $120.00 per/ deadweight ton.¹³⁰ Best calculations were that this large fleet would need to be replaced by 1961 if the American merchant marine were to remain competitive with the foreign fleets. As proof of the "famine" that followed the "feast," as of May 1, 1954, Fore River shipyard had on order 5 tankers, 1 fleet oiler and 5 destroyers, ¹³¹ The influence of the Navy is again quite apparent.

In 1955 a political feud involving Fore River shipyard and other major yards building Navy warships developed. The Navy undertook an extensive program to update its carrier forces with the new "Forrestal" class carriers. Most of the contracts were given to Newport News Shipbuilding, which today is the largest builder of naval vessels in the country. Fore River shipyard did not get even one of these lucrative Navy contracts! Bethlehem Steel Corporation was quick to point out that it had built 8 carriers in the past including such famous "Essex" class carriers as Lexington (II), Bunker Hill and Wasp, and thus had the experience to take on the construction of the "Forrestal" class carriers at the Quincy facility. Bethlehem further contended that the Navy, in giving the carrier contracts to Newport News Shipbuilding was showing favoritism. Newport News Shipbuilding, in its defense, charged Bethlehem Steel Corporation with a lack of foresight during World War II. The claim was made that when the government asked the shipyards doing Navy work to indicate their immediate needs, Bethlehem Steel Corporation had been content with asking for improvements of its shop areas and little else. We have noted some of these improvements above. On the other hand, Newport News Shipbuilding had the foresight to update its building slips and wet basin facilities. This obviously put Newport News Shipbuilding in the best position for building the "Forrestal" class carriers that the Navy contracted for in the mid-1950's.¹³² Bethlehem Steel Corporation was unable to convince anyone that it was worthy of aircraft carrier construction because of its lack of facilities, and, because it had not built a single flat-top since the end of World War II. Despite this, the Navy came across with three contracts for the construction of three frigates worth about $52 million. This helped to halt the layoffs characteristic of the post-war era. ¹³³

It was at this time that Fore River shipyard laid plans for another "first" in the shipbuilding industry. This was the idea of nuclear propulsion for surface warships. The Nautilus, the first of the nuclear powered submarines, had opened up the possibility of powering surface warships by nuclear propulsion. Nautilus was built by General Dynamics Corporation in 1957, the current owners of Fore River shipyard. The Navy decided to build a nuclear, guided-missile cruiser. The project took some six years to bring to realization with an expenditure of about $100 million. This vessel was the famous but controversial, Long Beach. Fore River shipyard was awarded this lucrative cost-plus contract. ¹³⁴

The designing of the Long Beach took so much of the time and talent of the Central Technical Department (CTD) that Fore River shipyard had to refuse an offer to build the world's first nuclear-

powered merchant ship, the Savannah, currently inactive due to prohibitive operating costs.¹³⁵

Despite the sluggishness of the shipbuilding industry, Bethlehem Steel Corporation decided to renovate the building areas at Fore River shipyard. This physical plant expansion program cost Bethlehem about $14 million. The chief features of the expansion program were a 950' x 450' building basin that replaced six of the old pre-World War I sliding ways. Depending on size, the basin could accommodate three to six ships.¹³⁶ Also undertaken in 1957 was the building of two 46,000 ton tankers for the Greek shipping magnate, Stavros Niar