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.
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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 |