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Georgia Shipbuilding

St. Marys GA

This shipyard was known as MacDonnell Boats until 1952, when it was awarded a contract to build six gunboats for the Navy. Alex MacDonnell then sold 50% of the business to Mr. & Mrs. Sidney Gefen and renamed it Georgia Shipbuilding Company. Unfortunately, the Navy contract put them out of business. What was the Navy thinking, awarding a contract for such sophisticated boats to a shipyard with no track record? The shipyard is generally described as being in Savannah, and there was a Georgia Shipbuilding in Savannah in the era of wooden sailing ships, but this yard was actually in St. Marys, on the downtown waterfront, at the east end of St. Marys Street. I can find no record of any vessels built by either McDonnell Boats or Georgia Shipbuilding other than the six gunboats: the other six boats listed below were all built in St. Marys since WWII, but I don't know by whom.

0
1000 ft
2000 ft
O/N Name Customer Type GT LOA Built Notes
253642 Willie James W. R. Register fishing boat 35 48 1947
268240 Amberjack K. J. Doss fishing boat 18 39 1954
274474 Li'l Andy S. E. Chancey fishing boat 24 45 1957
279153 Big Sis A. C. Dickey fishing boat 30 48 1959 later Lady Jane, Rush, Miss Kathy, Uncle Bubba, Hard Times
282148 Big Mack L. C. Ballenger fishing boat 29 48 1960 sank 2005
289306 Miss Irene Irene Ballenger fishing boat 31 42 1962
PGM-33 Camarines Sur (PG-48) Philippine Navy gunboat 143d 110 15 Sep 1954 struck 1974
PGM-34 Sulu (PG-49) Philippine Navy gunboat 143d 110 22 Nov 1954 struck 1974
PGM-35 La Union (PG-50) Philippine Navy gunboat 143d 110 3 Jan 1955 struck 1974
PGM-36 Antique (PG-51) Philippine Navy gunboat 143d 110 18 May 1955 struck 1974
PGM-37 Masbate (PG-52) Philippine Navy gunboat 143d 110 2 Mar 1956 struck 1965
PGM-38 Misamis Occidental (PG-53) Philippine Navy gunboat 143d 110 3 May 1956 struck 1974

Printed from shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net