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Davidson Shipbuilding

West Bay City MI

Most recent update: May 14, 2016.

James Davidson, a master mariner from Buffalo, started this shipyard in 1873. His first ship, the James Davidson, was said to be the first wooden ship the timbers for which were cut to specifications, in a saw mill. Davidson died in 1929 and the shipyard closed in 1932. The yard was at the foot of Randolph Street: the site is now part of Veterans Memorial Park but the graving dock is still clearly visible from the air on Google here.

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O/N Name Customer Type GT LOA Built Notes
1 James Davidson J. Davidson freighter 1,456 1874 wrecked 1883 on Thunder Bay Is, Lake Huron
91272 Minnesota propeller 1,138 1880 burned 1903
5 155040 Oceania J. Davidson freighter 1,490 1880 burned 1919 in the Canadian Vickers shipyard
6 115848 Siberia J. Davidson freighter 1,618 1882 wrecked 1905 off Long Point, Lake Erie
8 85800 George T. Hope freighter 1,558 1883 Culligan 1907, foundered 1912 near Grand Isle, Lake Superior
9 106302 Australasia J. Davidson freighter 1,820 1884 burned 1896 in Whitefish Bay
11 76601 John Shaw schooner 928 1885 foundered 1894
12 145421 Temple Emery tugboat 155 1886 abandoned 1923
14 81115 Wahnipitae schooner 1,432 1886 wrecked 1891 in Cleveland
15 110733 Roumania J. Corrigan freighter 1,837 1887 abandoned 1928, scrapped 1933
16 3381 Bulgaria J. Corrigan freighter 1,888 1887 abandoned 1916
17 85991 Germanic J. Davidson freighter 1,131 1888 Reliever 1908, burned 1909 at Methodist Point, Georgian Bay
18 92029 Mary B. Mitchell schooner 963 1888 foundered 1915
18 91988 Mary Woolson schooner 709 1888 rammed and sunk 1920
19 126488 C. B. Strohn tugboat 18 1888 abandoned 1927
20 3400 Britannic W. J. White freighter 1,121 1888 Sarnor 1913, burned 1926nat Kingston ON
22 86026 George G. Hadley Hadley, Kitchener freighter 2,073 1888 William P. Rend 1902, wrecked 1917 off North Point, Thunder Bay
24 116266 S. S. Wilhelm J. Davidson freighter 683 1888 L. L. Barth 1903, abandoned 1926
25 92116 Majestic J. Davidson freighter 1,985 1889 burned 1907 off Long Point, Lake Erie
27 86036 Geyser Bay Line & Fire boat fire tugboat 29 1889
30 106702 Alex. Nimick Irwin, Tener & Oliver freighter 1,968 1890 wrecked 1907 in Whitefish Bay MI
31 106676 Adriatic schooner 915 1889 abandoned 1930
33 76879 John Harper American Tpt. Co freighter 1,951 1890 burned 1914 in the Detroit River
34 81263 Walter Vail A. D. Campbell freighter 789 1890 Herman H. Hettler 1913, wrecked 1926 off Grand Is, Lake Superior
35 150497 Panther Davidson Transportation Co freighter 1,374 1890 sank 1916 off Whitefish Point, Lake Superior
130481 Nirvana schooner 611 1890 stranded 1905
40 126717 City of Berlin J. Davidson freighter 2,051 1891 Charles A. Luck 1915, Richland Star 1916, Oakwood 1925, wrecked 1925 near Millers Point, Lake Erie
41 126722 City of Paris J. Davidson freighter 2,062 1891 C. W. Jacob 1915, Isolde 1928, wrecked 1933 in Sevenmile Creek, near Erie
42 126729 City of Glasgow J. Davidson freighter 2,002 1891 burned 1907 in Green Bay, made into a barge, scrapped 1922
43 126731 City of London J. Davidson freighter 2,005 1891 collision and sank 1913 off Point Pelee, Lake Erie
45 96114 Harold freighter 718 1891 burned 1915
46 92302 Maxwell A. tugboat 1891 burned 1915
48 126885 City of Venice J. Davidson freighter 2,108 1892 collision and sank 1902 off Rondeau LH, Lake Erie
49 126897 City of Genoa J. Davidson freighter 2,446 1892 collision and sank 1911 off Sarnia, scuttled 1915
50 126899 City of Naples J. Davidson freighter 2,394 1892 Frank O'Connor 1916, burned 1919 off Cana Is WI
52 106975 Aberdeen schooner 1,045 1892 H. Gladys 1910, abandoned 1932
53 81423 William D. Becker schooner 1,046 1892 foundered 1907
51 150609 Perfection tugboat 71 1892 abandoned 1912
55 150621 Paisley schooner 1,047 1893 later Richland Daisy 1916, Colpet 1923, abandoned 1931
56 H. A. Barr schooner 1893 sold 1901, foundered 1902 off Port Stanley
57 145648 Thomas Cranage T. Cranage freighter 2,219 1893 wrecked off Watcher Is, Georgian Bay 1911
58 W. P. Ketcham J. A. Calbick freighter 946 1893 later Lucy Neff 1902, foundered off Fenwick Is 1915
59 86264 Geo. B. Owen schooner 744 1893 sank 1926
60 116623 Shenandoah J. Davidson freighter 2,251 1894 abandoned in West Bay City 1924
61 130669 Nicaragua J. Davidson freighter 1,204 1894 scrapped 1923
62 86293 Grampian schooner 844 1894 abandoned 1945
64 92598 Madagascar J. Davidson freighter 1,203 1894 later Kenosha 1906, foundered off NY 1909
66 111083 Rappahannock J. Davidson freighter 2,380 1895 foundered in Jackfish Bay, Lake Superior 1911
69 116682 Sacramento J. Davidson freighter 2,380 1895 hulked in Bay City 1930, stripped by 1939
70 67313 No. 001 barge 1,545 1895 stranded 1918
71 67314 No. 002 barge 1,549 1895 sank 1906
72 86317 Granada schooner 1,729 1895 scrapped 1928
73 107219 Armenia schooner 2,040 1896 foundered 1906
74 107221 Abyssinia schooner 2,038 1896 stranded 1917
75 107222 Algeria schooner 2.039 1896 foundered 1906
76 107236 Appomattox Boston Coal Dock freighter 2,643 1896 wrecked on North Point Reef, Milwaukee 1905
77 161786 Venezuela J. Davidson freighter 2,125 1897 later Erie 1923, barge 1923, deleted 1928
78 86387 G. A. Tomlinson tugboat 79 1896 scrapped 1910
79 150751 Prodigy tugboat 55 1897 abandoned 1910
80 100629 Industry tugboat 80 1897 scrapped 1909
81 127180 Crete schooner 2,040 1897 abandoned 1930
82 107276 Athens schooner 2,074 1897 foundered 1917
83 3729 Bermuda J. Davidson freighter 1,312 1897 later Senator Derbyshire 1909, burned off E Point Petre Light, Lake Ontario 1924
84 111147 Rita McDonald tugboat 70 1897 abandoned 1920
87 155317 Orinoco J. Davidson freighter 2,226 1898 foundered near Montreal Is, Lake Superior 1924
88 107348 Amazonas J. Davidson freighter 2,228 1898 later Richland Queen 1916, Petcol 1922, abandoned 1929
89 127255 Chattanooga schooner 2,340 1898 abandoned 1926
90 127259 Chickamauga schooner 2,472 1898 foundered 1919
91 116893 Santiago schooner 2,600 1899 foundered 1918
92 92954 Matanzas schooner 2,600 1899 abandoned 1927
93 86498 General Union Towing tugboat 132 1900 burned 1930
94 150872 Pretoria J. Davidson freighter 2,790 1900 foundered 1905
95 127526 Cartagena J. Davidson freighter 1,532 1901 wrecked on Salvage Rocks, Cape Negro NS, 1907
100 127703 Chieftain J. Davidson freighter 2,704 1902 burned 1953
101 93397 Montezuma J. Davidson freighter 2,722 1903 abandoned 1938
102 200293 Sardinia tugboat 35 1903 abandoned 1939

Printed from shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net