Bethlehem Los Angeles ~ Shipbuilding History

Bethlehem Los Angeles

San Pedro CA

Most recent update: November 11, 2021.

Bethlehem Steel's shipyard in Los Angeles CA was originally established by Western Pipe & Steel to build cargo ships for the USSB and named Southwestern Shipbuilding. Following the war effort, it was leased to Bethlehem Steel as a repair yard and then sold to Bethlehem in 1925. Bethlehem reactivated its shipbuilding capacity for WWII and employment peaked at about 6,000. After the war it reverted to ship repair and was sold to Southwest Marine in 1983. In 1997 it was one of Southwest Marine's four yards when that company was acquired by the Carlyle Group and renamed US Marine Repair; in 2002 it was one of US Marine Repair's six yards when that company was acquired by United Defense Industries; and in 2005 it was one UDI's six yards when that company was acquired by BAE Systems. BAE saw no future for the San Pedro yard, however, and the property reverted to the Port of Los Angeles. The shipyard, which was across the street from the Al Larson Boat Shop, has been idle ever since. See it from the air on Google here.

If you have an addition or correction for this page, please send it in.

	O/N	Name	Customer	Type	GT	LOA	Delivered	Notes
Built by Southwestern Shipbuilding
1	217373	West Carnifax	USSB/1371	freighter	6,150	410	Jan 1919	later Exford 1928, Pan Royal 1930, in collision and lost 1943
2	217547	West Caruth	USSB/1372	freighter	6,150	410	Feb 1919	later Exmoor 1923, Antonio Tripcovich 1924, Seisho Maru 1928, torpedoed and lost 1944
3	217709	West Catanace	USSB/1373	freighter	6,150	410	Mar 1919	later Atlantic 1923, Theodore 1947, Archon 1951, scrapped 1952
4	217932	West Sequana	USSB/1374	freighter	6,150	410	Apr 1919	later Golden Cloud 1928, Waimea 1938, Marcar 1950, Carmar 1952, Madelaine 1955, scrapped 1958
5	218027	West Cavanal	USSB/1375	freighter	6,150	410	June 1919	later Edgar Bowling 1923, Texmar 1927, Irkutsk 1945, scrapped 1966
6	218322	West Cawthon	USSB/1376	freighter	6,150	410	July 1919	later Empire Bison 1940, torpedoed and lost 1940
7	218614	West Cayote	USSB/1377	freighter	6,150	410	Aug 1919	later Washington 1928, bombed and lost 1942
8	218323	West Chetac	USSB/1378	freighter	6,150	410	July 1919	torpedoed and lost 1942
9	218732	West Inskip	USSB/1379	freighter	6,000	410	Sep 1919	later Charcas 1926, Carreta 1940, Parita Sun 1947, scrapped 1953
10	218817	West Chicopee	USSB/1380	freighter	6,000	410	Dec 1919	later Bakersfield, Chagres 1941, Mirafjord 1947, San Salvatore 1950, scrapped 1953
11	219434	West Neris	USSB/2206	freighter	6,000	410	Dec 1919	later Irish Oak 1941, torpedoed and lost 1943
12	219522	West Niger	USSB/2207	freighter	6,000	410	Jan 1920	later Nevada 1938, wrecked 1932
13	219658	West Nilus	USSB/2208	freighter	5,650	410	Mar 1920	sunk as breakwater at Normandy 1944
14	219937	West Niveria	USSB/2209	freighter	5,650	410	Apr 1920	later Golden Coast 1928, Delawarean 1937, Empire Hawksbill 1940, torpedoed and lost 1942
15	220024	West Nomentum	USSB/2210	freighter	5,650	410	May 1920	later Pennsylvania 1928, Pan 1947, Tanar 1949, in collision and sank 1959
16	220199	West Norranus	USSB/2211	freighter	5,650	410	June 1920	later Pacific Pine 1926, Maine 1937, Lvov 1945, Istra 1951, scrapped 1958
17	220315	West Notus	USSB/2212	freighter	5,650	410	July 1920	shelled and scuttled 1942
18	220527	West Numidia	USSB/2213	tanker	5,650	410	Aug 1920	later Hollywood, wrecked and lost 1945
19	220900	Mary Luckenbach	USSB/2214	freighter	5,600	410	Dec 1920	later C. B. Watson 1936, Indiana 1947, Al Horreya 1954, Mansoura 1957, scrapped 1963
20	167850		Union Oil	barge	165		Apr 1920
21	221100	Montebello	Union Oil	tanker	8,272	440	Mar 1921	torpedoed and lost 1941
22	221103	La Placentia	Union Oil	tanker	8,272	440	Apr 1921	scrapped 1948
23	221691	La Purisima	Union Oil	tanker	8,272	440	Oct 1921	later Taganrog 1943, Octorara 1944, La Purisima 1946, scrapped 1947
24	Dutch	Scopas	N.I.T.M.	tanker	5,900	423	July 1921	scrapped 1939
25	Dutch	Silvanus	N.I.T.M.	tanker	5,900	423	Aug 1921	later Papoose 1926 (ON 226583), torpedoed and lost 1942
26	Dutch	Semiramis	N.I.T.M.	tanker	5,900	423	Sep 1921	later Kyoko Maru 1943, torpedoed and lost 1943
Built by Bet hlehem Steel
9001	DD-544	Boyd	US Navy	destroyer	2,050	376	8 May 1943	to Turkey as Iskenderun (D-343) 1969, struck 1981
9002	DD-545	Bradford	US Navy	destroyer	2,050	376	12 Jun 1943	to Greece as Thyella (D-28) 1962, struck 1981
9003	DD-546	Brown	US Navy	destroyer	2,050	376	10 Jul 1943	to Greece as Navarinon (D-63) 1962, struck 1981
9004	DD-547	Cowell	US Navy	destroyer	2,050	376	23 Aug 1943	to Argentina as Almirante Storni (D-24) 1971, struck 1982
9007	DD-612	Kendrick	US Navy	destroyer	1,620	376	12 Sep 1942	sunk as target 1968
9008	DD-613	Laub	US Navy	destroyer	1,620	348	24 Oct 1942	scrapped 1975
9009	DD-614	MacKenzie	US Navy	destroyer	1,620	348	21 Nov 1942	sunk as target 1974
9010	DD-615	McLanahan	US Navy	destroyer	1,620	348	19 Dec 1942	scrapped 1974
9013	DD-681	Hopewell	US Navy	destroyer	2,050	376	30 Sep 1943	sunk as target 1972
9014	DD-682	Porterfield	US Navy	destroyer	2,050	376	30 Oct 1943	target hulk 1976
9015	DD-792	Callaghan	US Navy	destroyer	2,050	376	27 Nov 1943	sunk by Japanese aircraft off Okinawa 1945
9016	DD-793	Cassin Young	US Navy	destroyer	2,050	376	31 Dec 1943	memorial in Charlestown MA 1981
9017	DD-794	Irwin	US Navy	destroyer	2,050	376	14 Feb 1944	to Brazil as Santa Caterina (D-32) 1968, struck 1978
9018	DD-795	Preston	US Navy	destroyer	2,050	376	20 Mar 1944	to Turkey as Icel (D-344) 1969, struck 1981
9019	DD-770	Lowry	US Navy	destroyer	2,200	376	23 Jul 1944	to Brazil as Espirito Santo (D-38) 1973, struck 1995
9020	DD-771	Lindsey	US Navy	destroyer	2,200	376	20 Aug 1944	DM 32, sunk as target 1972
9021	DD-772	Gwin	US Navy	destroyer	2,200	376	30 Sep 1944	DM 33, to Turkey as Muavenet (DM 357) 1971, struck 1993
9022	DD-773	Aaron Ward	US Navy	destroyer	2,200	376	28 Oct 1944	DM 34, scrapped 1946
9023	DD-774	Hugh W. Hadley	US Navy	destroyer	2,200	376	25 Nov 1944	scrapped 1947
9024	DD-775	Willard Keith	US Navy	destroyer	2,200	376	27 Dec 1944	to Colombia as Caldas (D-02) 1972, struck 1977
9025	DD-776	James C. Owens	US Navy	destroyer	2,200	376	17 Feb 1945	to Brazil as Sergipe (D-35) 1973, struck 1995
9026	DD-857	Bristol	US Navy	destroyer	2,200	376	17 Mar 1945	to Taiwan as Hua Yang (D-988) 1969, struck 1993
9027	DD-858	Fred T. Berry	US Navy	destroyer	2,425	390	12 May 1945	scuttled 1972
9028	DD859	Norris	US Navy	destroyer	2,425	390	9 Jun 1945	to Turkey as Kocatepe (D-354) 1974, struck 1993
9029	DD-860	McCaffery	US Navy	destroyer	2,425	390	26 Jul 1945	scrapped 1974
9030	DD-861	Harwood	US Navy	destroyer	2,425	390	8 Sep 1945	to Turkey as Kocatepe (D-354) 1971, sunk 1974
9031	YT-701	Acoma	US Navy	tugboat	260	100	12 Mar 1946	struck 1985
9032	YT-702	Arawak	US Navy	tugboat	260	100	12 Mar 1946	struck 1985
9033	YT-703	Canarsee	US Navy	tugboat	260	100	16 Apr 1946	sold 1975
9034	YT-704	Moratok	US Navy	tugboat	260	100	16 Apr 1946	sold 1985