James Rees & Sons

Pittsburgh PA

James Rees, a Welshman, established this shipyard, which was originally a machine shop and engine works called Rees & Thorn. In 1878, they began building ships. It is claimed that they built not only the first steel-hulled boat in America - the "Francisco Montoya", in 1878 - but also the first boat with electric light throughout - the "Kate Adams", in 1882. It is also notable for building many knock-down (KD) boats for service in South America. The yard closed in 1930. It was located at Duquesne Way (now Fort Duquesne Boulevard) and Fancourt Street (later Fourth Street and roughly where Stanwix Street is now). The table below is clearly far from complete.

O/N Name Customer Type Tons LOA Built Notes
E. A. Woodruff USACE snag boat 1876
Helena Fort Benton Transportation steamship 1878 sank 1891
Francisco Montoya Magdalena Steam Nav. steamship 1878 for South America
Buckeye State Pittsburgh & Cincinnati steamship 1878
? 76049 J. B. O'Brien towboat 61 1878 later S. S. Prentiss
Victoria steamship 1880 for South America
Venezuela Zulia River Navigation steamship 1880 for South America
Benner U.S. Government medical boat 1880
Saratoga Lake steam catamaran 1880
U.S. Government launch 1880
U.S. Government tugboat 1881
U.S. Government tugboat 1881
U.S. Government tugboat 1881
3188 Boaz tugboat 623 1882
Rober Carliator steamship 1882 for South America
De Castro steamship 1882 for South America
Chattahoochee Chattahoochee River Trade steam packet 436 1882
Will S. Hays W. H. Brown's Sons steamship 1882
Kate Adams Memph. & Ark. Packet steam packet 1882 burned 1888
Chickasaw Memph. & White R. Packet steamship 1883
Tenafly 134 1885
161543 Voyager towboat 99 1885
Mary Disston Anclote River, Florida steamship 1885
Mexico Tres Hermanos Thebaud Brothers steamship 1885
Charles R. Suter USACE snag boat 1886
Eugene Arkansas River Packet Co. steamship 1887
Ethel Tippecanoe Lake, Indiana steamship 1887
Baltimore A. Booth & Sons towboat 1887
Missouri USACE snag boat 510 1888
Storm Conneaut Lake, PA steamship 1889
Bailey Gatzert Seattle-Tacoma steamship 1890
Georgia Oaks Lake Coeur de Lion, ID steamship 1891
Lize Kranewski and Peasant steamship 35 1893
92348 M. D. Wayman towboat 242 1891
92509 M. Dougherty towboat 43 1893
96228 Harry No. 2 towboat 48 1893
145653 Troubadour yacht 15 1893
157405 Dowling & Sons towboat 45 1894 later E. F. Jackson
J. N. Harbin Arkansas River Packet Co. steamship 1895
Beta USACE dredge 600 1896
77307 J. K. Davison dredge 259 1898
Will H. Isom N. American Transportation steamship 1901
Vesta Vesta Coal sternwheel towboat 142 1902
Swan USACE snag boat 264 1902
Mexico Hidalgo Thebaud Brothers steamship 1904
Nicaragua Jas. Deitrick U.S. & Nicaragua Co. steamship 1904
202543 Henry A. Laughlin Jones & Laughlin Steel sternwheel towboat 151 1905
T. P. Roberts USACE towboat 206 1906
202126 Scimitar II steamboat 256 1906 to USACE 1921
S. S. Brown Memphis and Vicksburg steamship 643 1906
205738 B. F. Jones, Jr. Jones & Laughlin Steel sternwheel towboat 91 1908
220723 Chatham freighter 27 1908
Oregon Foreign Christian Miss. Soc. Mission Steamer 1909
Brazil Olivia Brazilian Owners KD riverboat 160 1912
Brazil Itacoatiara Brazilian Owners KD riverboat 160 1913
Brazil Campinas Brazilian Owners KD riverboat 160 1913
Brazil Aracaju Brazilian Owners KD riverboat 160 1913
Brazil Gaiola Julio Guimaraes KD riverboat 160 1913 later Benjamin Guimaraes
212813 Idlewild West Memphis Packet Co. steam packet 260 1914 later Belle of Louisville, museum in Louisville KY
212008 G. W. Cobbett sternwheel towboat 191 1915 scrapped 1952
212522 Aliquippa Jones & Laughlin Steel sternwheel towboat 191 1915 scrapped 1952
Nolin River USACE dipper dredge 210 1915
214180 A. Gallagher ferry 10 1916
Brazil Parahyba KD riverboat 160 1916
215523 Early Bird towboat 10 1917
217232 W. H. Clingerman Carnegie Steel sternwheel towboat 234 1918 later W. P. Snyder. Jr., museum in Marietta OH
218194 Victory sternwheel towboat 240 1919
218203 Waren Elsey sternwheel towboat 240 1919
218584 C. S. 1 towboat 17 1919
218994 Homestead Carnegie Steel sternwheel towboat 234 1919
Evelyn USACE towboat 30 1920
Monallo USACE derrick boat 470 1921
221138 Relief towboat 30 1921
221494 C. S. 2 towboat 40 1921
Capt. Chas. D. Harris USACE sternwheel towboat 335 1921
Colombia Ayacucho Soc. Colombiana de Tptes steamboat burned and sank 1961

Printed from shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net