Emergency Shipbuilders of WWII ~ Shipbuilding History

Emergency Shipbuilders of WWII

Builders of Concrete Ships and Barges

MARCOM only built concrete ships and barges reluctantly, and only at a point in the war when the steel shipbuilders were all at full capacity. There were five contractors, of which three were significant. McCloskey & Company developed a shipyard in Tampa FL, to build 24 self-propelled dry bulk cargo ships, to carry sugar. These were the only self-propelled concrete ships: they were 366 feet long, with a deadweight of 5,000 tons. The yard was located at Hookers Point and had 6,000 workers: it closed permanently in December 1945: the site is now part of Tampa Ship. Concrete Ship Constructors developed a shipyard in National City CA to build concrete barges. They built both B7 tank barges, which were 375 feet long, with a deadweight of 6,600 tons, and designed to move refined products from the Gulf of Mexico to the Northeast, and B5 covered dry cargo barges, which were 265 feet long, with a deadweight of 1,632 tons. Their hulls 45-47 were completed with reefer capacity and hulls 48-49 were completed as maintenance barges. Barrett & Hilp developed a shipyard in South San Francisco CA to build concrete barges. They built B7 dry bulk barges, which were 366 feet long, with a deadweight of 5,687 tons, designed to carry bauxite. The yard had five graving docks, which are still there: one of them still has its gate in place and three more gates are lying in the docks. Nine of these ships are still afloat: visit https://concreteships.org/ships/powellriver/ to see some great pictures.

	Name	Type	MC #	Delivered	Notes
McCloskey & Co., Tampa FL
1	Vitruvius	freighter (C1)	1045	Dec 1943	sunk as a breakwater at Normandy
2	David O. Saylor	freighter (C1)	1046	Nov 1943	sunk as a breakwater at Normandy
3	Arthur Newell Talbot	freighter (C1)	1047	Feb 1944	sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA
4	Richard Lewis Humphrey	freighter (C1)	1048	Mar 1944	sold in Mexico
5	Richard Kidder Meade	freighter (C1)	1049	Mar 1944	sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA
6	Willis A. Slater	freighter (C1)	1050	Feb 1944	sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA
7	Leonard Chase Watson	freighter (C1)	1051	June 1944	sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA
8	John Smeaton	freighter (C1)	1052	Apr 1944	Afloat as a breakwater at Powell River BC
9	Joseph Aspdin	freighter (C1)	1053	May 1944	wrecked and lost 1948
10	John Grant	freighter (C1)	1054	June 1944	sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA
11	M. H. Le Chatelier	freighter (C1)	1055	July 1944	Afloat as a breakwater at Powell River BC
12	L. J. Vicat	freighter (C1)	1056	July 1944	Afloat as a breakwater at Powell River BC
13	Robert Whitman Lesley	freighter (C1)	1057	July 1944	sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA
14	Edwin Thacher	freighter (C1)	1058	July 1944	sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA
15	C. W. Pasley	freighter (C1)	1059	Aug 1944	sunk as a breakwater at Newport OR
16	Armand Considere	freighter (C1)	1060	Sep 1944	Afloat as a breakwater at Powell River BC
17	Francois Hennebique	freighter (C1)	1061	Sep 1944	sunk as a breakwater at Newport OR
18	P. M. Anderson	freighter (C1)	1062	Sep 1944	Afloat as a breakwater at Powell River BC
19	Albert Kahn	freighter (C1)	1063	Oct 1944	abandoned and lost 1947
20	Willard A. Pollard	freighter (C1)	1064	Nov 1944	sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA
21	William Foster Cowham	freighter (C1)	1065	Nov 1944	sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA
22	Edwin Clarence Eckel	freighter (C1)	1067	Dec 1944	scuttled 1946
23	Thaddeus Merriman	freighter (C1)	1068	Nov 1944	Afloat as a breakwater at Powell River BC
24	Emile N. Vidal	freighter (C1)	1069	Dec 1944	Afloat as a breakwater at Powell River BC
Concrete Ship Constructors, Inc., National City CA
1	Concrete No. 1	B7-A2	634	Apr 1943	later YO-143
2	Concrete No. 2	B7-A2	635	May 1943	later YO-144
3	Concrete No. 3	B7-A2	636	May 1943	later YOG-40
4	Concrete No. 4	B7-A2	637	June 1943	later YOG-41
5	Concrete No. 5	B7-A2	638	June 1943	later YOG-42, ashore at Lanaii HI
6		B7-A2	1220	July 1943	later YO-145
7		B7-A2	1221	July 1943	later YO-146
8		B7-A2	1222	Aug 1943	later YOG-53
9		B7-A2	1223	Aug 1943	later YO-159
10		B7-A2	1224	Sep 1943	later YO-160
11		B7-A2	1225	Sep 1943	later YO-161
12		B7-A2	1226	Oct 1943	later YO-162
13		B7-A2	1227	Oct 1943	later YO-163
14		B7-A2	1228	Nov 1943	later YO-182
15		B7-A2	1229	Nov 1943	later YO-183
16		B7-A2	1230	Dec 1943	later YOG-82, YOGN-82, breakwater at Powell River BC, reefed 2018
17		B7-A2	1231	Dec 1943	later YO-184
18		B7-A2	1232	Jan 1944	later YO-185
19		B7-A2	1233	Jan 1944	later YOG-83
20		B7-A2	1234	Feb 1944	later YO-186
21		B7-A2	1235	Feb 1944	later YO-187
22		B7-A2	1236	Mar 1944	later YOG-84
23	Carbon	B5-BJ1	2214	Feb 1944	later BCL-3049
24	Barium	B5-BJ1	2215	Mar 1944	later BCL-3050
25	Helium	B5-BJ1	2216	Mar 1944	later BCL-3051
26	Nitrogen	B5-BJ1	2217	Mar 1944	later BCL-3052
27	Radium	B5-BJ1	2218	Apr 1944	later BCL-3053
28	Argon	B5-BJ1	2219	Apr 1944	later BCL-3054
29	Cadmium	B5-BJ1	2220	May 1944	later BCL-3055
30	Chromium	B5-BJ1	2221	May 1944	later BCL-3056
31	Cobalt	B5-BJ1	2222	May 1944	later BCL-3057
32	Iridium	B5-BJ1	2223	June 1944	later BCL-3058
33	Lithium	B5-BJ1	2224	June 1944	later BCL-3059
34	Magnesium	B5-BJ1	2225	June 1944	later BCL-3060
35	Neon	B5-BJ1	2226	June 1944	later BCL-3061
36	Nickel	B5-BJ1	2227	June 1944	later BCL-3062
37	Phosphorus	B5-BJ1	2228	June 1944	later BCL-3063
38	Sodium	B5-BJ1	2229	July 1944	later BCL-3064
39	Sulphur	B5-BJ1	2230	July 1944	later BCL-3065
40	Tellurium	B5-BJ1	2231	July 1944	later BCL-3066
41	Tungsten	B5-BJ1	2232	May 1944	later BCL-3067
42	Uranium	B5-BJ1	2233	July 1944	later BCL-3068
43	Bismuth	B5-BJ1	2234	Aug 1944	later BCL-3069
44	Bromide	B5-BJ1	2235	Aug 1944	later BCL-3070
45	Hydrogen	B5-BJ2	2236	Sep 1944	later BCL-3071
46	Calcium	B5-BJ2	2237	Oct 1944	later BCL-3072
47	Antimony	B5-BJ2	2238	Nov 1944	later BCL-3073
48	Cerium	B5-BJ3	2695	Mar 1945	later FMS-1
49	Radon	B5-BJ3	2696	May 1945	later FMS-2
MacEvoy Shipbuilding Corp., Savannah GA
1	Concrete No. 6	B7-A1	619	Jan 1944
2	Concrete No. 7	B7-A1	620	Feb 1944
3	Concrete No. 8	B7-A1	621	Mar 1944
4	Concrete No. 9	B7-A1	622	Apr 1944
5	Concrete No. 10	B7-A1	623	May 1944
6	Concrete No. 11	B7-A1	903	June 1944
7	Concrete No. 12	B7-A1	904	June 1944
San Jacinto Shipbuilding Corp., Houston TX (later taken over by McCloskey & Co.)
1	Concrete No. 29	B7-A1	629	Nov 1943
2	Concrete No. 30	B7-A1	630	Nov 1943
3	Concrete No. 31	B7-A1	631	Dec 1943
4	Concrete No. 32	B7-A1	632	Dec 1943
Barrett & Hilp, South San Francisco CA
1	Agate	B7-D1	1319	Aug 1943	to US Army
2	Chromite	B7-D1	1320	Sep 1943	to US Army
3	Flint	B7-D1	1321	Sep 1943	to US Navy
4	Granite	B7-D1	1322	Sep 1943	to US Navy
5	Graphite	B7-D1	1323	Oct 1943	to US Navy
6	Gypsum	B7-D1	1324	Oct 1943	to US Navy
7	Mica	B7-D1	1325	Nov 1943	to US Navy
8	Bauxite	B7-D1	1326	June 1943	later IX-154
9	Asphalt	B7-D1	1327	June 1943	later IX-153, lost off Saipan 1944
10	Slate/Carmita	B7-D1	1328	May 1943	later IX-152, lost 1947
11	Midnight	B7-D1	1329	Mar 1944	later IX-149, sold in China 1948
12	Quartz	B7-D1	1330	Apr 1944	later IX-150, afloat as breakwater in Powell River BC
13	Bauxite/Silica	B7-D1	1331	June 1944	later IX-151, scuttled 1945
14	Limestone/Corundum	B7-D1	1332	July 1944	later IX-164
15	Feldspar	B7-D1	1333	Aug 1944	later IX-159, sold
16	Marl	B7-D1	1334	Aug 1944	later IX-160, sold in the Philippines 1948
17	Barite	B7-D1	1335	Aug 1944	later IX-161
18	Lignite	B7-D1	1336	Sep 1944	later IX-162
19	Cinnabar	B7-D1	1337	Sep 1944	later IX-163, sold
20	Limestone	B7-D1	1338	Oct 1944	later IX-158, sold