W. A. Robinson

Ipswich MA

William A. Robinson was an engineer from Kenosha WI whose early years were spent sailing the world. In 1937, he bought an existing small shipyard on Fox Creek, near Ipswich. The plan was to build wooden sailing vessels but the war changed that. Sources say that the yard built over 200 vessels during the war, so there must have been many small craft as well as the ~75 small ships listed below. We know that they built LCMs, for example, but we don't know how many. Robinson closed the business and moved to Tahiti after the war and the yard was razed: you can just see the site from the air.

O/N Name Customer Type Tons LOA Delivered Notes
238625 Swift W. A. Robinson sailing ship 46 62 1939 later Swift of Ipswich, owned 1940-58 by Jimmy Cagney, owned by the L.A. Mar. Inst.
238697 Santa Cruz Ralph Zimmerman sailing ship 26 51 1940
239620 Caribee Richard B. Church sailing ship 88 87 1940
C-20 US Army launch 13 40 1942
C-21 US Army launch 13 40 1942
C-22 US Army launch 13 40 1942
C-23 US Army launch 13 40 1942
C-24 US Army launch 13 40 1942
C-25 US Army launch 13 40 1942
C-26 US Army launch 13 40 1942
249746 C-27 US Army launch 13 40 1942 sold as Jean O
C-28 US Army launch 13 40 1942
C-29 US Army launch 13 40 1942
Accentor (AMc-36) US Navy minesweeper 205 90 24 Jul 1941 sold 1946 as ?
Bateleur (AMc-37) US Navy minesweeper 205 90 26 Aug 1941 sold 1946 as ?
254219 Barbet (AMc-38) US Navy minesweeper 205 90 29 Sep 1941 sold 1946 as Barbet
259662 Brambling (AMc-39) US Navy minesweeper 205 90 15 Oct 1941 sold 1946 as Spot Pack
Energy (AMc-78) US Navy minesweeper 205 90 1 Jan 1942 YDT-3 1943, sold 1960 as H. C. Hayes, Telson Queen, Atlas
Exultant (AMc-79) US Navy minesweeper 205 90 14 Jan 1942 YDT-4 1943, sunk as target 1973
Fearless (AMc-80) US Navy minesweeper 205 90 4 Feb 1942 YDT-5 1943, sunk as target 1973
Fortitude (AMc-81) US Navy minesweeper 205 90 20 Apr 1942 YDT-2 1943
APc-75 US Navy transport 100 103 1942 to Britain 1942, returned 1946, to Greece
APc-76 US Navy transport 100 103 1942 to Britain 1942, returned 1946, sold 1947
APc-77 US Navy transport 100 103 1942 to Britain 1942, returned 1946
APc-78 US Navy transport 100 103 1942 to Britain 1942, returned 1946
APc-79 US Navy transport 100 103 1942 to Britain 1942, returned 1946, sold 1947
APc-80 US Navy transport 100 103 1942
APc-81 US Navy transport 100 103 1942
APc-82 US Navy transport 100 103 1942
APc-83 US Navy transport 100 103 1942
APc-84 US Navy transport 100 103 1942
SC-676 US Navy subchaser 136 110 27 Jul 1942 to Free French 1944 as CH-105, scrapped 1950
SC-677 US Navy subchaser 136 110 29 Aug 1942 disposed-of 1946
254782 SC-760 US Navy subchaser 136 110 10 Sep 1942 later PCC 760, sold 1948 as Pacific Retriever
SC-761 US Navy subchaser 136 110 24 Sep 1942 to the NDRF 1948
SC-762 US Navy subchaser 136 110 7 Oct 1942 to Brazil 1942 as Jutai (CS 52)
SC-763 US Navy subchaser 136 110 20 Oct 1942 to Brazil 1942 as Javari (CS 51)
SC-764 US Navy subchaser 136 110 1 Oct 1942 to Brazil 1942 as Jurui (CS 53)
SC-765 US Navy subchaser 136 110 3 Dec 1942 to Brazil 1943 as Jaguarao (CS 55)
SC-766 US Navy subchaser 136 110 11 Nov 1942 to Brazil 1943 as Juruena (CS 54)
SC-767 US Navy subchaser 136 110 2 Jan 1943 to Brazil 1943 as Jaguaribe (CS 56)
SC-1288 US Navy subchaser 136 110 12 Feb 1943 to Brazil 1943 as Jacui (CS 57)
SC-1289 US Navy subchaser 136 110 12 Mar 1943 to Brazil 1943 as Jundiai (CS 58)
SC-1290 US Navy subchaser 136 110 15 Apr 1943 to Cuba 1948
SC-1291 US Navy subchaser 136 110 3 May 1943 to Cuba 1948 as Habana (GC-107)
SC-1292 US Navy subchaser 136 110 19 May 1943 to the NDRF 1948
SC-1293 US Navy subchaser 136 110 4 Jun 1943 to the NDRF 1948
SC-1294 US Navy subchaser 136 110 7 Jul 1943 to the NDRF 1948
SC-1295 US Navy subchaser 136 110 12 Aug 1943 to the USSR 1945 as BO-320
256975 SC-1296 US Navy subchaser 136 110 16 Sep 1943 to USCG 1945 as Air Stork (WAVR-468), sold 1948 as George R. Wallace
255239 SC-1297 US Navy subchaser 136 110 8 Oct 1943 to USCG 1945 as Air Swallow (WAVR-469), sold 1948 as Swallow
C11956-80 US Navy LCM(3) 26 50 1943 25 tank landing craft
C?????-?? US Navy LCM(6) 26 56 1944 aa tank landing craft
Cahto (YT-215) US Navy tugboat 260 June 1944 sold 1959
Cochise (YT-216) US Navy tugboat 260 July 1944 sold 1960
Ensenore (YT-217) US Navy tugboat 260 Dec 1944 sold 1964
Achigan (YT-218) US Navy tugboat 260 Jan 1945 sold 1975
241612 Varua W. A. Robinson yacht 43 70 1945 abandoned in Anacortes WA
247515 Thomas J. Carroll Joaquin E Codinha Jr crab trawler 116 85 Feb 1945 later Agatha
248616 Captain Dave Gloucester Oil Supply tanker 43 57 1945 still active for Rose's Oil Service, in Gloucester MA

Printed from shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net