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Emergency Shipbuilders of WWII

Builders of Concrete Ships and Barges

Most recent update: August 2021.

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. See the yard from the air on Google here. Nine of these ships are still afloat: visit https://concreteships.org/ships/powellriver/ to see some great pictures.

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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

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