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Craig Shipbuilding

Long Beach CA

Most recent update: December 12, 2021.

In 1906, John F. Craig moved from Toledo OH, where he and his father had been building ships for many years, to Long Beach CA. There he established a new Craig Shipbuilding Company on the south side of Channel 3, where Pier 41 is today. By doing this, he became the first tenant of the Port of Long Beach and consolidated this position by also becoming the new port's dredging contractor. When World War I loomed, Craig sold his yard to a new organization, California Shipbuilding Company, and started another operation next door, which he called Long Beach Shipbuilding Company, designed for the construction of cargo ships. Meanwhile, California Shipbuilding, which had taken over Craig Shipbuilding's contracts for two submarines and a lighthouse tender and which had secured contracts in its own name for six additional submarines, began experiencing difficulties, so Craig bought back his original yard and began operating both yards as one company under the Craig Shipbuilding name. This company continued in business after the war, primarily as a ship repair yard, but also building a number of yachts for local customers. Then, when MARCOM began its shipbuilding program in 1939, Craig leased the Long Beach Shipbuilding yard to Consolidated Steel Corporation, which used it to build merchant ships, and concentrated on repair and conversion projects in the original yard. After the war, the Consolidated yard closed, while the Craig yard continued, under the name Long Beach Marine Repair, until about 1970. Note that the hull numbers used by the Craigs in Long Beach were a continuation of the series they had used in Toledo and elsewhere, going back to John Craig's very first ship, built in 1864. And, although Consolidated Steel started two more large shipyards and at least two small yards, they too continued the same series.

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O/N Name Customer Type GT LOA Delivered Notes
Built by Craig Shipbuilding Company
108 169408 C. H. Windham Western Marine Dredging dredge 286 1908 later Windham 1926
109 206532 Virgil G. Bogue Western Pacific R.R. Co. tugboat 170 1909
110 Standard Oil Co. tank barge 1909
--- Craig Shipbuilding Co. floating dock 3,500 1911
111 208259 General Hubbard Hubbard Steamship Co. passenger freighter 2,183 Jan 1911 later Sagatind 1916, wrecked 1931
112 208500 Navajo Western Steam Nav. Co. passenger freighter 2,755 Nov 1911 burned 1917
113 Los Angeles Sub.Boat Co. submarine 75 June 1913 experimental submarine, sunk, raised and scrapped 1916
114 210374 Camino Western Steam Nav. Co. passenger freighter 3,308 Aug 1912 later City of Wilmington 1916, burned 1918
115 210812 Paraiso Long Beach SS Co. passenger freighter 1,383 Dec 1912 later Florence Olson (AG-44) 1923, Malanao 1942, scrapped 1946
116 210948 Grace Dollar Dollar Steamship Co. freighter 1,327 Feb 1913 later Admiral Wainwright 1918, Agnes Dollar 1921, Mary E. Moore 1923, foundered 1927
117 211338 Edgar H. Vance Hammond Lumber Co. freighter 2,521 July 1913 later Liff 1916, sunk by gunfire 1917
118 212017 Alvarado Pacific Transport Co. freighter 1,522 Mar 1914 wrecked 1945
119 Holland dredge 1913
120 169398 J. E. Upson California Delta Farms dredge 547 1913 later Miami 1926
121 SS-45 L-6 US Navy submarine 456d 165 7 Dec 1917 completed by California SB, scrapped 1925
122 SS-46 L-7 US Navy submarine 456d 165 7 Dec 1917 completed by California SB, scrapped 1925
123 WAGL-207 Cedar USCG buoy tender 1,970d 201 30 Jun 1917 completed by California SB, sold 1955
Built by California Shipbuilding Company
124 SS-75 O-14 US Navy submarine 491d 175 1 Oct 1918 completed by MINSY, scrapped 1930
125 SS-76 O-15 US Navy submarine 491d 175 27 Aug 1918 completed by MINSY, scrapped 1930
126 SS-77 O-16 US Navy submarine 491d 175 1 Aug 1918 completed by MINSY, scrapped 1930
Built by Long Beach Shipbuilding Company
124 216304 Silverado USSB freighter 2,298 215 May 1918 to USA as cable ship, scrapped 1948
125 216615 Eldorado USSB freighter 2,180 215 July 1918 later Gyoryu Maru 1942, mined and sunk 1945
126 217694 Wallingford USSB freighter 2,256 215 Mar 1919 later Limoges 1940, Prado 1948, scrapped 1960
127 216995 Ozaukee USSB freighter 4,045 340 Nov 1918 scrapped 1929
128 217205 Oshkosh USSB freighter 3,961 340 Nov 1918 scrapped 1929
129 217374 Magunkook USSB freighter 3,899 340 Jan 1919 later Carriso 1923, Nikolina Matkovic 1937, torpedoed and lost 1942
130 218254 West Kasson USSB freighter 5,937 410 June 1919 later Cuzco 1926, Camoria 1940, torpedoed and lost 1942
131 218674 West Keene USSB freighter 5,600 410 Aug 1919 scrapped 1947
132 218893 West Katan USSB freighter 5,656 410 Sep 1919 later San Simeon 1930, Tai An 1947, scrapped 1958
133 219435 Vinita USSB freighter 5,411 410 Mar 1920 later Eleanor Christenson 1926, De Soto 1938, Pan-Atlantic 1938, bombed and sunk 1942
134 219333 Haleakala USSB freighter 5,958 410 Dec 1919 missing 1926
135 219938 West Keats USSB freighter 5,661 410 Apr 1920 later San Vicente 1929, scrapped 1960
136 220316 West Kebar USSB freighter 5,620 410 Dec 1920 torpedoed and lost 1942
137 220317 West Kedron USSB freighter 5,620 410 July 1920 later Empire Eland 1940, torpedoed and lost 1941
143 219607 Mazatlan Swayne & Hoyt freighter 987 164 Feb 1920 later San Diegan 1937, scrapped 1952
144 220183 Domingo Nazabal I Cuban Owners passenger freighter 1,050 Apr 1920 later Mauna Loa 1924, to USN 1942 as YHB-10, scrapped 1949
145 220754 Casco California Mex. SS Co. freighter 328 Feb 1921 later Kailua 1923, Western Trader 1941, Baranof 1942, Western Trader 1948, scrapped 1970
Built by Craig Shipbuilding Company
146 Craig No. 1 Craig Shipbuilding barge 1922
147 223204 Curtiscor T. W. Johnson tugboat 126 1923
148 223529 John F. Craig Craig Shipbuilding tugboat 130 88 1923 later H. T. Haviside, Ellen Murphy, Magic 1977, Active 2005, Active Pass 2006, inactive 2014
149 224905 Georganna Craig Shipbuilding yacht 86 1925 later Gloria Dalton, to USN 1942 as IX-70, returned to owner 1946
150 replica 1929 replica sailing ship for movie industry
151 229467 Infanta John Barrymore yacht 253 110 1930 NowThea Foss
152 229851 Endymion Donald W. Douglas yacht 38 62 1930 inactive
153 230891 Velero III Capt. Alan Hancock yacht 749 195 1931 to USN 1941 as Chalcedony (PYc-16), scrapped 1946
154 231094 Samona II Willitts J. Hole yacht 350 147 1931 to USN 1940 as Amethyst (PYc-3), sold 1946 as Samona II, Pudlo, Explorer
155 234117 Geoanna George L. Craig Trust yacht 122 1934
Built in Long Beach by Consolidated Steel
156 241002 Agwimonte MARCOM freighter (C1) 6,679 396 Sep 1941 torpedoed and lost off South Africa 1943
157 241136 Agwiprince MARCOM freighter (C1) 6,679 396 Nov 1941 troopship 1944, scrapped 1965
158 241170 Alcoa Pennant MARCOM freighter (C1) 6,679 396 Dec 1941 scrapped 1965
159 241288 Alcoa Polaris MARCOM freighter (C1) 6,679 396 Feb 1942 troopship 1944, scrapped 1965
206 Doyen MARCOM passenger (P1) 4,351d 414 May 1943 to USN 1943 as APA-1, to Mass. Maritime 1961 as Bay State, sold 1973
207 Feland MARCOM passenger (P1) 4,351d 414 June 1943 to USN 1943 as APA-11, scrapped 1964
238 242961 Cape Trinity MARCOM freighter (C1) 6,711 396 May 1943 scrapped 1972
277 243645 Cape Sandy MARCOM freighter (C1) 6,711 396 July 1943 sold 1947, scrapped 1970
278 243643 Cape Friendship MARCOM freighter (C1) 6,709 396 Aug 1943 scrapped 1970

Printed from shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net