Georgia Shipbuilding
St. Marys GA
Most recent update: August 6, 2016.
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.
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| 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 |