Kaiser Shipyards

Shipbuilding yards on the West Coast of the United States

Richmond Shipyards

Vancouver Shipyard

Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation

Swan Island Shipyard

The Kaiser Shipyards were seven major shipbuilding yards located on the United States west coast during World War II. Kaiser ranked 20th among U.S. corporations in the value of wartime production contracts.[1] The shipyards were owned by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Company, a creation of American industrialist Henry J. Kaiser (1882–1967), who established the shipbuilding company around 1939 in order to help meet the construction goals set by the United States Maritime Commission for merchant shipping.

Four of the Kaiser Shipyards were located in Richmond, California, and were called the Richmond Shipyards. Three other shipyards were located in the Pacific Northwest along the Columbia and Willamette rivers: the Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation and the Swan Island Shipyard in Portland, Oregon, and the Vancouver Shipyard in Vancouver, Washington.[2]

Henry Kaiser was known for developing new methods of shipbuilding, which allowed his yards to outproduce other similar facilities and build 1,490 ships, 27 percent of the total Maritime Commission construction. Kaiser's ships were completed in two-thirds the time and a quarter the cost of the average of all other shipyards. Liberty ships were typically assembled in a little over two weeks, and one in less than five days.[3]

Kaiser Shipyards shut down at the end of the war. The Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park was dedicated October 25, 2000 on the site of one of the shipyards in Richmond.

## History

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A welder helping construct the SS George Washington Carver at the Richmond Shipyards, April 1943

Henry Kaiser had been building cargo ships for the United States Maritime Commission in the 1930s, partnering with Todd Pacific Shipyards and the Bath Iron Works. When orders for ships from the British government, already at war with Germany, allowed for growth, Kaiser established his first Richmond shipyard begun in December 1940.[4]

In April 1941 the Maritime Commission requested an additional Kaiser yard, to be used for Liberty ship construction, and after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Kaiser started third and fourth yards, building troop transports and tank landing ships (LSTs), respectively. His son, Edgar Kaiser, Sr, was appointed Vice-President and General Manager of the shipyards.[5][6]

Together, these four Kaiser Shipyards produced 747 ships, including many of the famous Liberty ships and Victory ships‍--‌for carrying general cargo and military munitions, armaments and supplies, more than any other complex in the United States. Only one of these ships, Red Oak Victory, survives. Two other Liberty ships built in other American yards also exist as working museum exhibits: Jeremiah O'Brien moored in San Francisco and John W. Brown in Baltimore. An additional Victory cargo ship also survives: Lane Victory.

Through 1943 The Kaiser shipyards produced Casablanca-class escort carriers. While promising 16 carriers by 1944, Kaiser encouraged employees to go above and beyond and make 18 instead, with the slogan "18 or more by 44".[7]

## Other details

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* Kaiser set several records:
* The Liberty ship SS Robert E. Peary was assembled in less than five days as a part of a special competition among shipyards.
* At the Oregon Shipbuilding Yard on the Columbia River, near Portland, the Victory ship SS Joseph N. Teal was built in ten days in fall 1942.
* The Oregon Shipbuilding Yards were responsible for 455 ships.
* Kaiser recruited from across the United States to work in his yards, hiring women and minorities.
* Fields Point in Providence, Rhode Island, had a shipyard run as the Walsh-Kaiser Company[8] after former management (Rheem) ran into difficulties. The shipyard was closed and sold after the war. A Swedish shipowner dismantled the shipyard and later erected it in the city of Uddevalla on the west coast of Sweden.[citation needed]

## See also

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* Kaiser Permanente, an HMO founded by Henry J. Kaiser
* Marinship
* Shipyard Railway, which transported workers to the Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond, California
* Vanport, Oregon

## Notes

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1. ^ Peck, Merton J. & Scherer, Frederic M. The Weapons Acquisition Process: An Economic Analysis (1962) Harvard Business School p. 619.
2. ^ Herman, pp. 209, 269, 271, 275.
3. ^ Herman, pp. 176–91.
4. ^ Herman, pp. 22, 123–24, 130–37.
5. ^ Kennedy, Shawn G. (December 13, 1981). "Edgar F. Kaiser dies at age 73; headed vast family corporation". New York Times. Sec. 1, p. 54.
6. ^ Herman, pp. 132–34, 137, 178–89, 1914, 269, 271.
7. ^ "A message from Edgar F Kaiser to the men and women of Vancouver Yard". Bo's'n's Whistle. October 21, 1943. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
8. ^ "Walsh-Kaiser Company, Inc., Providence RI". ShipBuildingHistory.com. Archived from the original on September 5, 2008. Retrieved May 16, 2010.

### References

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* Herman, Arthur. Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II (New York: Random House, 2012). ISBN 978-1-4000-6964-4

## Further reading

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* Johnson, Marilynn S. (1993). The Second Gold Rush. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-08191-9.
* Lee, Warren F.; Lee, Catherine T. (2000). A selective history of the Codornices-University Village, the city of Albany & environs : with special attention given to the Richmond Shipyard Railway and the Albany Hill and shoreline. Albuquerque, NM: Belvidere Delaware Railroad Co. Enterprises. ISBN 0-9675646-0-3.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kaiser Shipyards.

* History.com Archived October 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
* Kaiser Vancouver (WA) & Portland (OR) Yards
* NPS article on Bay Area shipbuilding Archived December 11, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
* Rosie the Riveter Trust
* A guide to the Permanente Metals Corporation photograph album, 1941-1945

* v
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* e

Liberty ships

Lists|

* A
* B
* C
* D
* E
* F
* G
* H
* I
* Ja-Je
* J. F-J. W
* K
* L
* M-R
* S-Z

Subtypes|

* Acubens-class general stores issue ship
* Armadillo class tanker
* Crater-class cargo ship
* Guardian-class radar picket ship
* List of Subtypes

Survivors|

* SS John W. Brown
* SS Jeremiah O'Brien
* SS Arthur M. Huddell
* SS Albert M. Boe

Other|

* Liberty Fleet Day
* Port Chicago disaster
* Project Liberty Ship

See also|

* Park ship (Canadian equivalent)
* Fort ship (British equivalent)
* Ocean ship (Anglo-American predecessor)
* Victory ship (American follow-on)
* Empire ship (British ships owned by the Ministry of War Transport)

* Category
* List

* v
* t
* e

Victory ships

Lists|

* List of Victory ships

Subtypes|

* Haskell-class attack transport
* Boulder Victory-class cargo ship
* Greenville Victory-class cargo ship
* Kingsport-class telemetry ship
* Range Sentinel-class telemetry ship
* List of Subtypes

Museum ships|

* SS American Victory
* SS Lane Victory
* SS Red Oak Victory

Other|

* Port Chicago disaster
* Attack on the SS Baton Rouge Victory
* SS Columbia Eagle incident

Sunk in action|

* SS Canada Victory
* SS Hobbs Victory
* SS Logan Victory

Damaged in action|

* SS Bozeman Victory
* SS Brown Victory
* SS Bucknell Victory
* USS Colbert
* SS Elmira Victory
* USS Hinsdale
* USS La Grange
* SS Minot Victory
* SS Oshkosh Victory
* SS Pratt Victory
* SS Swarthmore Victory
* USS Telfair
* SS United Victory

Sunk in service|

* SS Clarksdale Victory
* SS Drexel Victory
* SS Escanaba Victory
* SS Georgetown Victory
* SS Luray Victory
* SS Middlebury Victory
* SS Northeastern Victory
* SS Park Victory
* SS Quinault Victory

Damaged in service|

* SS Attleboro Victory
* SS Baton Rouge Victory
* SS Baylor Victory
* SS Colombia Victory
* SS Berea Victory
* SS Cuba Victory
* SS Enid Victory
* SS Frontenac Victory
* SS Morgantown Victory
* SS St. Lawrence Victory

Sank in private use|

* SS Alamo Victory
* SS Augustana Victory
* SS Brainerd Victory
* SS Cody Victory
* SS Hagerstown Victory
* SS Lewiston Victory
* SS Lincoln Victory
* SS Luxembourg Victory
* SS India Victory
* SS New Bern Victory
* SS Mandan Victory
* SS Philippines Victory
* SS Rushville Victory
* SS Rutland Victory
* SS Skagway Victory
* SS Smith Victory
* SS St. Albans Victory
* SS Tufts Victory
* SS U.S.S.R. Victory

Seagoing cowboys ships|

* SS Adrian Victory
* SS Attleboro Victory
* SS Battle Creek Victory
* SS Beloit Victory
* SS Blue Island Victory
* SS Boulder Victory
* SS Bucknell Victory
* SS Calvin Victory
* SS Carroll Victory
* SS Cedar Rapids Victory
* SS Clarksville Victory
* SS Creighton Victory
* SS DePauw Victory
* SS Earlham Victory
* SS Flagstaff Victory
* SS Frontenac Victory
* SS Gainesville Victory
* SS Harvard Victory
* SS Hattiesburg Victory
* SS Jefferson City Victory
* SS Lahaina Victory
* SS Lanaina Victory
* SS Lindenwood Victory
* SS Mercer Victory
* SS Moline Victory
* SS Morgantown Victory
* SS Norwalk Victory
* SS Occidental Victory
* SS Ouachita Victory
* SS Park Victory
* SS Pass Christian Victory
* SS Pierre Victory
* SS Plymouth Victory
* SS Queens Victory
* SS Rock Hill Victory
* SS Rockland Victory
* SS Roswell Victory
* SS Saginaw Victory
* SS Santa ClaraVictory
* SS South Bend Victory
* SS Spartanburg Victory
* SS Villanova Victory
* SS Virginia City Victory
* SS Wesleyan Victory
* SS Woodstock Victory
* SS Yugoslavia Victory

See also|

* Liberty ship (predecessor)

* Article
* Category
* List

See also, similar role:- Empire ship, Fort ship, Park ship, Ocean ship.

* v
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World War II Maritime Commission ship designs

Cargo designs|

* Type C1
* Type C2
* Type C3
* Type C4
* Type C5
* (Type C6)
* (Type C7)
* (Type C8)
* (Type C9)
* Type N3

Emergency cargo|

* Liberty ship ("EC2-S-C1")
* Victory ship ("VC2-S-AP1")

Tanker|

* T1 tanker
* T2 tanker
* T3 tanker
* Liberty ship ("Z-ET1-S-C3")

Special-purpose|

* Type S2 ("Tacoma-class frigate")
* Type S3-S2-BP ("Landing Ship, Tank")
* Type S3-S2-BP1 ("Neptune-class cable layer")
* Type S4-S2-BB3 ("Casablanca-class escort carrier")
* Type S4-SE2-BD1 ("Gilliam-class attack transport")
* Type S4-SE2-BE1 ("Artemis-class attack cargo ship")
* "Crane vessel-Derrick Barge"

Miscellaneous-cargo|

* Type L6 ("Lakers")
* Type N ("Coastal Cargo")
* Type P1 ("Passenger")
* Type P2 ("Passenger")
* Type R ("Refrigerated")
* Type B ("Barge")

Tugs|

* Type V ("Tugs")

See also:- Empire ship, Fort ship, Park ship, Ocean ship.

* v
* t
* e

MARCOM ships built by the Kaiser Company (Vancouver, Washington), during World War II

Type EC2-S-C1 ship|

* Araner

Marine Adder-class transports
Type C4-S-A3 ships|

* Marine Carp
* Marine Jumper
* Marine Lynx
* Marine Marlin
* Marine Phoenix
* Marine Serpent

Haskell-class attack transports
Type VC2-S-AP5 ships|

* Oconto
* Olmsted
* Oxford
* Pickens
* Pondera
* Rutland
* Sanborn
* Sandoval
* Lenawee
* Logan
* Lubbock
* McCracken
* Magoffin
* Marathon
* Menard
* Menifee
* Meriwether
* Rawlins
* Renville
* Rockbridge
* Rockingham
* Rockwall
* Saint Croix
* San Saba
* Sevier
* Bollinger
* Bottineau
* Cottle
* Crockett
* Audubon
* Bergen

LST-1-class tank landing ships
Type S3-M-K2 ships|

* LST-446
* LST-447
* LST-448
* LST-449
* LST-450
* LST-451
* LST-452
* LST-453 / Remus
* LST-454
* LST-455 / Achilles
* LST-456 / T-LST-456
* LST-457
* LST-458
* LST-459
* LST-460
* LST-461
* LST-462
* LST-463
* LST-464 / LST(H)-464
* LST-465
* LST-466
* LST-467
* LST-468
* LST-469
* LST-470
* LST-471
* LST-472
* LST-473
* LST-474
* LST-475

Casablanca-class escort carriers
Type S4-S2-BB5 ships|

* Casablanca
* Liscome Bay
* Anzio
* Corregidor
* Mission Bay
* Guadalcanal
* Manila Bay
* Natoma Bay
* St. Lo
* Tripoli
* Wake Island
* White Plains
* Solomons
* Kalinin Bay
* Kasaan Bay
* Fanshaw Bay
* Kitkun Bay
* Tulagi
* Gambier Bay
* Nehenta Bay
* Hoggatt Bay
* Kadashan Bay
* Marcus Island
* Savo Island
* Ommaney Bay
* Petrof Bay
* Rudyerd Bay
* Saginaw Bay
* Sargent Bay
* Shamrock Bay
* Shipley Bay
* Sitkoh Bay
* Steamer Bay
* Cape Esperance
* Takanis Bay
* Thetis Bay
* Makassar Strait
* Windham Bay
* Makin Island
* Lunga Point
* Bismarck Sea
* Salamaua
* Hollandia
* Kwajalein
* Admiralty Islands
* Bougainville
* Matanikau
* Attu
* Roi
* Munda

* v
* t
* e

United States naval ship classes of World War II

Aircraft carriers|

* Lexington
* RangerS
* Yorktown
* WaspS
* Essex
* MidwayC

Light aircraft carriers|

* Independence
* SaipanC

Escort carriers|

* Long Island
* Charger
* Bogue
* Sangamon
* Casablanca
* Commencement Bay

Battleships|

* Wyoming
* New York
* Nevada
* Pennsylvania
* New Mexico
* Tennessee
* Colorado
* North Carolina
* South Dakota
* Iowa
* MontanaX

Large cruisers|

* Alaska

Heavy cruisers|

* Pensacola
* Northampton
* Portland
* New Orleans
* WichitaS
* Baltimore
* Oregon CityC
* Des MoinesC

Light cruisers|

* Omaha
* Brooklyn
* Atlanta
* Cleveland
* FargoC
* JuneauC
* WorcesterC
* CL-154X

Gunboats|

* Dubuque
* SacramentoS
* Asheville
* PlymouthS
* WilliamsburgS
* St. AugustineS
* VixenS
* Erie
* PGM-1
* PGM-9

Destroyers|

* Sampson
* Caldwell
* Wickes
* Clemson
* Farragut
* Porter
* Mahan
* Gridley
* Bagley
* Somers
* Benham
* Sims
* Benson
* StevensonX
* Gleaves
* Fletcher
* Allen M. Sumner
* Robert H. Smith
* Gearing

Destroyer escorts|

* Evarts
* Buckley
* Cannon
* Edsall
* Rudderow
* John C. Butler

Patrol frigates|

* Asheville
* Tacoma

Patrol boats|

* Action
* PT boat

Minelayers|

* OglalaS
* WassucS
* MonadnockS
* MiantonomahS
* TerrorS
* KeokukS
* SalemS
* WeehawkenS
* Camanche
* Chimo

Minesweepers|

* Lapwing
* Raven
* Auk
* EagleS
* Hawk
* Admirable

Submarines|

* O
* R
* S
* Barracuda
* ArgonautS
* Narwhal
* DolphinS
* Cachalot
* Porpoise
* Salmon
* Sargo
* Tambor
* Mackerel
* Gato
* Balao
* Tench

Tankers|

* T1 tanker
* T2 tanker
* T3 tanker

Cargo ships|

* Liberty
* Victory
* Haskell
* Andromeda
* Arcturus
* Artemis
* Tolland
* Alstede
* Aldebaran
* Adria
* Acubens
* Arctic
* Denebola
* Hyades
* Mizar

Auxiliary ships|

* Ammunition
* Floating drydock
* Repair dock
* Barracks
* Collier
* Combat stores
* Destroyer tender
* Depot
* High-speed transport
* Hospital
* Ice cream barge
* Net laying
* Motor torpedo boat tender
* Reefer
* Oiler
* Repair
* Seaplane tender
* Submarine tender
* Underway replenishment

Completed after the war

Single ship of class

Cancelled

* v
* t
* e

History of Richmond, California

National Register of Historic Places|

* East Brother Island Lighthouse
* Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant
* Hotel Mac
* Kaiser Richmond Field Hospital
* New Hotel Carquinez
* Point Richmond Historic District
* Richmond Shipyards
* SS Red Oak Victory
* The Plunge
* Wapama
* Winehaven

Other historic places|

* East Shore and Suburban Railway
* Rancho San Pablo
* Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park
* Richmond–San Rafael Ferry Company
* Ellis Landing
* Stege, California

Historic people|

* Irma Anderson
* Nat Bates
* George Carroll
* Víctor Castro
* Rosemary Corbin
* Henry Cutting
* Lucretia Edwards
* Henry J. Kaiser
* Tom Butt
* T. Y. Lin
* George Livingston
* Andres Soto
* Betty Reid Soskin
* William Rheem
* Mary Yamashiro Otani
* Nat Bates

* v
* t
* e

Modern history of Oregon (1890–present)

Topics|

* Tax revolt
* Governors
* Bottle Bill
* Centennial Tokens
* "Roll On, Columbia, Roll On"
* Meier & Frank
* Willamette Industries
* Direct Legislation League

Events|

* USS Oregon
* Lewis & Clark Expo
* Oregon land fraud scandal
* Lookout Air Raids
* Columbus Day Storm
* Florence whale explosion
* 1977 NBA Finals
* 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens
* Rajneeshee bioterror attack
* Rajneeshee assassination plot
* New Carissa oil spill
* Willamette Valley Flood

Places|

* Bonneville Dam
* Celilo Falls
* Copperfield
* Fort Stevens
* Harbor Drive
* Kaiser Shipyards
* Shanghai tunnels
* Vanport

Politicians|

* Victor Atiyeh
* George Chamberlain
* David B. Frohnmayer
* Neil Goldschmidt
* Mark Hatfield
* Nan Wood Honeyman
* Tom McCall
* Douglas McKay
* Charles McNary
* Wayne Morse
* Maurine Neuberger
* Norma Paulus
* Barbara Roberts
* James H. Weaver

Other
Oregonians|

* Terry Baker
* Pietro Belluschi
* Bill Bowerman
* Gert Boyle
* Abigail Scott Duniway
* James A. Fee
* Matt Groening
* Ken Kesey
* Phil Knight
* Ursula K. Le Guin
* Hall S. Lusk
* Brian McMenamin
* Bill Naito
* Steve Prefontaine
* Jack Ramsay
* Henry Weinhard

* Native peoples history
* History to 1806
* Pioneer history
* Modern history

* v
* t
* e

Henry J. Kaiser

Organizations|

* California Shipbuilding Corporation
* Eagle Mountain Railroad
* Kaiser Aluminum
* Kaiser Broadcasting
* Kaiser Family Foundation
* Kaiser Motors
* Kaiser Permanente
* Kaiser Shipyards
* Kaiser Steel
* Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation
* Permanente Metals
* Permanente Quarry (Kaiser Cement)

Facilities|

* Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts
* Henry J. Kaiser High School
* Kaiser Center
* Kaiser Engineering Building
* Richmond Shipyards

People|

* Edgar Kaiser Jr.
* Edgar Kaiser Sr.
* Henry Kaiser (musician)

Related|

* Eagle Mountain, California
* Hawaii Kai, Hawaii

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