 Lakers wintering over at Bay Shipbuilding, 2006 | |
| Industry | Shipbuilding |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding and Christy Corporation |
| Founded | 1968 (as Bay Shipbuilding) |
| Headquarters | Sturgeon Bay,Door County,Wisconsin |
| Parent | Fincantieri Marine Group (2009-) Manitowoc Company (1968–2008) |
| Website | https://fincantierimarinegroup.com/about-us/us-shipyards/bay-shipbuilding/ |
Bay Shipbuilding Company (BSC) is ashipyard anddry dock company inSturgeon Bay,Door County,Wisconsin. As of 2015, Bay Ships was a subsidiary ofFincantieri Marine Group and producesarticulated tug and barges,OPA-90 compliant double hull tank ships andoffshore support vessels.[1] It also provides repair services to thelake freighter fleet.[2] In the past the shipyard located in Sturgeon Bay has operated under several different names and traces its history back to 1918.
The company also built 40,000 ton Lake freighters in the 1970s and 1980s. While capable of producing large freighters, the yard had not built a freighter over 20,000 tons since 1987 until theMVMark W. Barker, launched in 2022. Former names of the shipyards at the 2015 location of Bay Shipbuilding are:Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding,Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Company andChristy Corporation.
Bay Shipbuilding Company was formed in 1968 afterThe Manitowoc Company closedManitowoc Shipbuilding Company and purchased Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding and then Christy Corporation in 1970, which were adjacent on the east side of theSturgeon Bay Ship Canal.[3] Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding & Dry Dock was formerly Rieboldt, Wolter & Co., Universal Shipbuilding Company and Sturgeon Bay Dry Dock Company. Christy Corporation was formerly Leathem D. Smith Towing & Wrecking Company, Leathem D. Smith Dock Company and Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company.
Bay Shipbuilding initially invested $500,000 in purchasing the two yards. In the early 1970s they invested $30 million for improvements.[4] The 1970s turned out to be a boom period for Bay Shipbuilding since Great Lakes shipping fleet owners had decided to upgrade their fleets. They would build 30 ships for the lake fleet in the 1970s.[5]
In 1975, Bay Shipbuilding had around 800 workers and expected to expand to 1,400 because of a new contract to construct four 1,000 foot long lake freighters for theAmerican Steamship Company andBethlehem Steel.[6] At least six of the 1,000 foot long, 40,000 ton self-unloading ore carriers were delivered from 1977 to May 1981.[5][7] By the end of 1978, Bay Shipbuilding employed nearly 2,000.[4]
After the construction projects for new lake freighters had dried up, Bay Shipbuilding entered the salt-water shipbuilding market.[5] By 1984, employment had fallen to around 220. Bay shipbuilding received a contract withSea-Land Service for threecontainer ships for around $180 million later that year.[8][9] The ships were Sea-Land's only vessels designed and built in the United States. However, Bay Shipbuilding did not win the contracts by underbidding foreign shipyards. Since the ships were destined for thePuget Sound toAlaska trade route, theJones Act required that the ships be made in the United States.[10] In March 1988, after the completion of the three Sea-Land container ships, Bay Shipbuilding announced it was ceasing new shipbuilding due to the lack of domestic contracts and a decline in the US shipbuilding industry.[11] In the mid-1990s, the nearbyPeterson Builders shipyard closed.
In the late 1990s, the yard built a handful of smaller vessels including a ferry, two tugs, a dredge and the 475 foot tank bargeSeneca (later named DBL 140).[7]
In the 2000s, Bay shipbuilding continued to constructOil Pollution Act of 1990 compliantdouble hulled tank barges and more recentlyArticulated tug and barges andOffshore Support Vessels.[1][7]
The Manitowoc Company sold its marine business, which included Bay Shipbuilding, toFincantieri Marine Group, effective at the end of the day on December 31, 2008.[12] Prior to 2015, Fincantieri added a newfloating dry dock andComputer-aided manufacturing equipment during a $26 million capital expansion plan.[1] In 2021 the shipyard launched the 639ft freighterMVMark W. Barker, becoming the first U.S. shipyard to launch a new laker in 40 years. Several other ship sized barges up to 740ft in length have been constructed during the 21st Century.
In February 2021, the iconic lake shipMVRoger Blough caught fire while in winter layup at Bay Ship Building, causing damages estimated between $22-100 million to the vessel. No injuries were reported in the incident.
On July 1, 2022, theMVMark W. Barker was floated out of the graving dock,[13] becoming the first lake freighter built by the yard since 1987.[citation needed] Theriver-class freighter entered regular service on July 27 and was formally christened on September 1 inCleveland, Ohio.[14]
Universal Shipbuilding Company and the Sturgeon Bay Dry Dock Company merged in 1926 and formed the Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company. Sturgeon Bay SB&DDC changed ownership in April 1934 and employed around 90 workers at the time.[15] They built fishing vessels, tow boats and ferries prior toWorld War II. During the war Sturgeon Bay SB&DDC built some Design 210, 150 foot Steel Diesel Retrieving Vessels for theU.S. Army (H-2 to H-12). They also built Design 216, 100 foot Steel Diesel Supply Boats (F 5 to F 14 and F 125 to F 130) for the Army. Additionally, they built a fairly large number of 45 foot tugs and a few 86 foot tugs as well.[7]
After the war, Sturgeon Bay SB&DDC built ferries, tugboats, towboats, a yacht or two and fishing vessels. Most of the vessels were under 100 feet long.[7] By 1949 employment at Sturgeon Bay SB&DDC was around 225.[16] 20 tugs were built forMississippi River barge pushing in the 1950s.[17] In the 1960s, Sturgeon Bay SB&DDC built a number offishing trawlers that were around 100 feet long for the New England fishing industry.[18]
As mentioned above, in 1968 Sturgeon Bay SB&DDC was purchased bythe Manitowoc Company and renamed Bay Shipbuilding.[7]
Christy Corporation was formed just after World War II from Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding which had been previously named, Leathem D. Smith Towing & Wrecking Company, Leathem D. Smith Dock Company and Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company.
DuringWorld War II, Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding built someType N3 ships and a number of 175 footPC-461-classsubmarine chasers, likeUSS Munising (PC-1228). They also built severalTacoma-class frigates, likeUSS Peoria (PF-67). Toward the end of the war, Leathem builtnet laying ships, water tankers and several 389 footType C1 ships as well.[7] During the war, Leathem averaged a ship delivered every 20 days.[19] The yard peaked at about 5,000 workers during the war.[16]
As Christy Corporation, in the 1950s the yard builtSS Spartan andSS Badger,Wisconsin toMichigan ferries. They also builtTerrebonne Parish-classtank landing ships, likeUSS Washtenaw County (LST-1166) andLanding Craft Utility ships (LCU-1610 type) for the US Navy.[7][17]
In the 1960s, Christy built a variety of different ship types, such asUSNS James M. Gilliss (T-AGOR-4),USNS Charles H. Davis (T-AGOR-5),MV Tustumena,NOAAS David Starr Jordan (R 444),USCGC Active (WMEC-618) andUSNS Kane (T-AGS-27).[7]
As mentioned above, in 1970 Christy Corporation's yard was purchased by the Manitowoc Company and merged into Bay Shipbuilding.[7]
44°50′28″N87°22′55″W / 44.841°N 87.382°W /44.841; -87.382