 "Quincy-built ... The best thing you can say about a ship"[1] | |
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| General Dynamics Quincy Shipbuilding Division | |
| Company type | Corporation |
| Industry | Shipbuilding |
| Predecessor | Fore River Engine Company Fore River Ship and Engine Company Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Ltd. |
| Founded | February 15, 1901 (1901-02-15) |
| Founder | Thomas A. Watson, et al. |
| Defunct | June 1, 1986 (1986-06-01) |
| Fate | Closed in 1986 |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Key people | Thomas A. Watson,Francis T. Bowles,Joseph P. Kennedy |
| Products | Merchant vessels,warships |
Number of employees | Under 1,000 |
| Parent | General Dynamics Corporation |
Fore River Shipyard was ashipyard owned byGeneral Dynamics Corporation located onWeymouth Fore River inBraintree andQuincy, Massachusetts. It began operations in 1883 in Braintree, and moved to its final location onQuincy Point in 1901. In 1913, it was purchased byBethlehem Steel, and later transferred toBethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation. It was sold to General Dynamics in 1963, and closed in 1986. During its operation, yardworkers constructed hundreds of ships, for both military and civilian clients.
Most of the ships at the yard were built for theUnited States Navy, with its first government contract for the destroyerUSS Lawrence (DD-8). The yard also built early submarines forElectric Boat, includingUSS Octopus (SS-9) andUSS Sunfish (SSN-649). Fore River also constructed the battleshipUSS Massachusetts (BB-59), and the cruisersUSS Springfield (CL-66) andUSS Salem (CA-139) as well as the Navy's first carrierUSS Lexington (CV-2) and its successorUSS Lexington (CV-16). The light cruiser USS San Juan CL-54 was built there as well. Fore River produced multiple foreign ships for various navies around the world including fiveType 1 submarines for theImperial Japanese Navy, ten submarines for theRoyal Navy, and the battleshipARA Rivadavia, for theArgentine Navy.
The yard constructed several merchant marine ships, includingThomas W. Lawson, the largest pure sailing ship ever built, andSS Marine Dow-Chem, which was the first ship constructed to carry refrigerated chemicals. General Dynamics Quincy Shipbuilding Division, as it eventually came to be known, ended its career as a producer of variousLNG tankers and merchant marine ships.
The yard would also construct a number ofAmerican flagged passenger liners, which includedMatson Line'sSSMariposa,SSMonterey,SSLurline, along withAmerican Export LinesSSIndependence andSSConstitution.[2]
According to one theory, the yard was the origin of the "Kilroy was here" pop culture reference, and was home tothe second-largest shipbuilding crane in the world. During the period in which it was operable, the yard had two sub-yards: the first was theVictory Destroyer Plant in Quincy duringWorld War I, and the second was theBethlehem Hingham Shipyard inHingham duringWorld War II. In addition, the yard ownedBethlehem Atlantic Works, adrydock facility which was located inEast Boston.
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The shipyard traces its beginnings back to 1882, whenThomas A. Watson purchased a farm alongside theFore River inEast Braintree, Massachusetts. In 1884, Watson attempted to farm the land, but soon realizing that it was a failure, decided to work on a steam engine after he was approached by a local businessman. Work on the engine began in 1884, and continued into 1885, when it was deemed a financial failure. At this point, Watson decided to work with his business partner Frank O. Wellington on ship building, creating theFore River Engine Company.[3]
Following an order from Maine for a 50-horsepower engine,Thomas A. Watson and Frank O. Wellington decided to build boats, which came after realizing the profitability of the enterprise as the result of building their first ship, theBarnacle, which was fitted with local furnishings.[3] Watson later said of this decision:
It was a momentous decision for from it came one of the largest shipbuilding establishments in the country, if not in the world, that made Massachusetts again a shipbuilding center and afterwards played an important part in the World War.[3]
The success of this operation was further strengthened the fact that the shipyard was producing a quality engine, and it quickly gained a reputation along the eastern seaboard. Soon, a new engine-building facility was constructed, employing between twenty and thirty workers. Additionally, theProuty Printing Press andSims-Dudley dynamite gun, staple guns for shoes, and electric light accessories were produced by Fore River. In addition, the diversity of Fore River's products was due to the fact that Watson desired to employ as many friends as possible.[3]
ThePanic of 1893 brought a new era to the company, as the depression limited the Fore River's possibilities. Fortunately for Fore River, theUnited States Navy awarded a contract to them to constructUSS Lawrence (DD-8) andUSS Macdonough (DD-9). These two ships were the last to be constructed at theEast Braintree location, as the yard moved down the river to a site on nearbyQuincy Point in 1901. The construction ofUnited States lightship LV-72 alongside the destroyers further strengthened the company financially.[3]
The awarding ofUSS Des Moines (CL-17) was also beneficial for Fore River. Faced with the problem of not having a large enough area to build the cruiser, the contract was produced at the new Quincy yard. The Des Moines was launched in 1902 and commissioned in 1904, bringing with it some financial stability to the yard, as new revenues were quadruple those at the East Braintree location. During the construction of the new yard, old buildings were floated over to make up for the lack of buildings at the new location, and it was constructed with some of the largest shipbuilding equipment of the day.[3]
The building of the new yard created ample space for building new ships, which allowed for the building ofUSS New Jersey (BB-16) andUSS Rhode Island (BB-17). The Navy did mandate that before they could receive the bids, they would have to incorporate, so the company was incorporated in New Jersey, with a capital of $6.5 million (equivalent to $236 million in today's dollars).[4] Immediately,Thomas A. Watson realized that the contract would be more costly than anticipated, but soon an order came in for the seven-mastedThomas W. Lawson. This was immediately followed by an order for the six-mastedWilliam L. Douglas, which was delivered in 1903.[3]
In 1902, Watson decided to build theFore River Railroad, a short-line railroad fromEast Braintree to the yard, 3 miles (4.8 km) away. This was done in order to save costs of having to remove supplies from the trains, transport it over land toWeymouth Fore River, and then float it over to the yard.[5] Watson ended up buying a parcel of land after the owner refused to sell him 3 feet 0 inches (0.91 m) of land for the railroad.[3]
During this time, the yard struggled financially, as expenses from suppliers exceeded reimbursement from the Navy. As a result, Watson decided to sell some of his telephone stock and secured a loan. At this time, the yard was awarded with a contract forUSS Vermont (BB-20), although this did not solve the company's troubles. Following a failed attempt by Watson to seek reimbursement from the Navy, he eventually resigned and was replaced by former AdmiralFrancis T. Bowles, as he was pleased by how Bowles ran the yard.[3]
In 1905, the yard gained a contract to build theBrown-Curtis steam turbine engine, which was considered to be too fast to be economical at the time. That same year, the Navy awarded a contract to build theChester-class cruisers at the yard, two of which were supposed to be equipped with the Brown-Curtis turbine, but which later received new turbines.[3]
TheRusso-Japanese War further benefited the yard, as theImperial Japanese Navy contracted fiveType 1 submarines at the yard. Little is known of the first submarines built at the yard, although they were promptly disassembled and shipped to the West Coast, from which they were shipped toJapan in 1904.[6] The war brought expanded submarine development to the yard, as theHolland Torpedo Boat Company was purchased by theElectric Boat Company. Since Electric Boat had no yard of its own, it subcontracted to Fore River in order to complete orders. The first American submarine built at the yard wasUSS Octopus (SS-9), launched in 1906. This arrangement lasted for the next twenty years, until Electric Boat built its own yard in 1924. Fore River would remain the primary builder of Electric Boat-designed submarines through theS-class of 1922, completing a total of 69 submarines for the US Navy during this period.[3]
During this time, the yard built civilian ships, includingSankaty, which was built for theNew Bedford, Martha's Vineyard & Nantucket Steamboat Company. Furthermore, the company created theFore River Apprentice School, in order to ensure that an adequately trained workforce would be able to work at the yard in the coming years. Over time, over 2,000 people were graduated from its program.[3]
In 1906,USS New Jersey (BB-16) andUSS Rhode Island (BB-17) were delivered by the yard, marking the yard's first battleships delivered. The completion of these two battleships and other ships at the yard coincided at a time when there were 2,500 people employed. In 1908, there were eighteen contracts employed at Fore River, which would not be met again until 1916. The yard also completed car floats for theNew York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad during this time.[3]
Of note, Fore River fieldeda soccer team from at least 1907 to around 1920–1921. This team, which played in local leagues, was part of one of the early soccer leagues in the United States.[7]
Another big development in the history of the yard was the receiving of the contract to build theARA Rivadavia for theArgentine Navy. The ship was one of two foreign battleships ever constructed in the United States, and occurred during theSouth American dreadnought race. Aftera long bidding process, the Argentine Naval Commission found that theNewport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company bid was lowest on one battleship, and the Fore River Shipbuilding Company was lowest on the other. Despite some possible setbacks, the upcoming 1910Pan-American Conference, and a guarantee of American participation in the Argentine centennial celebrations, Fore River secured the battleship contracts on 21 January 1910.[8][A] The maximum price Fore River tendered, $10.7 million, underbid the British by more than $973,000, but their ship'sdisplacement was 2,000 long tons (2,032 t) smaller, thebelt armor was 2 inches (51 mm) thinner, and the top speed was slightly slower.[9][10]
Rivadavia was built by Fore River, but they were contractually obligated tosubcontract the second ship to a different shipyard in the hope that both would be completed faster, soARA Moreno was constructed by theNew York Shipbuilding Corporation ofCamden, New Jersey.[11] The steel for the ships was largely supplied by theBethlehem Steel Company of Pennsylvania,[9] which, due to their ability to produce steel at a lower price than other nations, was an integral cost-saving measure.[12]
The ship was laid down in 1910, but was finally delivered in 1914 after delays in construction due to a work backlog at the yard. It was because of this issue that Admiral Bowles suggested that the yard be sold to a larger corporation, as it would be able to better deal with the extra workload than the yard could on its own. The last ship laid down in the yard at the time wasUSS Nevada (BB-36), which occurred in 1912.[3]
In 1911, the yard was part of the caseFore River Shipbuilding Co. v. Hagg, in which a foreign citizen sued for the yard for reparation in the death of her husband, who was killed in the yard's forge shop. The case was later dismissed by theUnited States Supreme Court.[13]
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In 1913,Bethlehem Steel Corporation purchased the yard for $4.8 million (equivalent to $153 million in today's dollars),[4] asCharles M. Schwab was looking to diversify the company. At the time, the yard was constructing 23 vessels and doing a business of $20 million (equivalent to $636 million in today's dollars)[4] a year. The yard was 110acres (45 ha; 0.17 sq mi) in size, and had a capacity for 60,000 short tons (54,000 t). At this time, Bethlehem decided to construct adrydock, although it would take into the 1920s to make this happen. Finally, immediate improvements were made to the yard to improve its financial well-being.[3]
The first year of the company's ownership brought little in terms of business. Two destroyers were ordered, three submarines were sublet in the yard, and no outside orders by private companies were received in this time. Furthermore, theRoyal Navy placed an order during this time for ten submarines. Due to the fact that the United States was officially neutral duringWorld War I, the yard prefabricated the submarines, and then shipped the parts toCanada for assembly. In 1915, theSpanish Navy contracted out the building of the submarineIsaac Peral (A-0) in the yard, while the United States Navy orderedUSS T-1 (SS-52). Finally, theTexas Oil Company and theEdward F. Luckenbach Company ordered four tankers and freighters, respectively.[3]
War brought opportunities for expansion for the yard. This meant the building of a steel mill and a sheet metal shop that contained one of the best molds in the country. The steel mill was capable of prefabricating 250 short tons (230 t) of steel a day. A 1,000-foot (300 m) building slip was also constructed, costing $500,000 (equivalent to $18.2 million in today's dollars).[4] The yard created a department that was dedicated to the welfare of its workers during this time, as well.[3]
1916 brought nineteen contracts to the yard, eight of which were for theO-class submarine, and ten more submarines were laid down for the Royal Navy, with another ten being built in Montreal at theCanadian Vickers yard. The submarines, once built, were stored at the nearbyBoston Navy Yard until the country entered the war. Over 15,000 persons were working at the yard at the time, includingJoseph P. Kennedy.[3][14]
Entry of the United States into the war brought twenty-eight destroyer orders to the yard. Due to this sudden increase in production, the yard needed to expand. Soon, a suitable location was found on nearbySquantum Point, and theVictory Destroyer Plant started construction in 1917. Located on 70acres (28 ha; 0.11 sq mi) of land, the yard exclusively built destroyers, withUSS Osborne (DD-295) being the last ship constructed at the plant. In 1920, the yard was turned over to the United States government and dismantled.[3] This same year,Bethlehem Steel split off its shipbuilding division into theBethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, which was headquartered at the yard.[15]
Combined with the Squantum yard, Fore River turned out 71 destroyers during the war, more than any other American yard. Besides the other Quincy yard, Bethlehem built theFields Point Plant for boiler construction in nearbyProvidence, Rhode Island and theBlack Rock Plant for turbines inBuffalo, New York. The yard constructedUSS Mahan (DD-102) in 174 days. Not to be outdone, the Squantum yard builtUSS Reid (DD-292) in twenty-eight days, delivering it to the Navy seventeen days later. Such was the speed at which the yard produced ships that the Navy was forced to moor the ships at the Boston Navy Yard for lack of crews. The yard's speed allowed for the management to enter a bet with another Bethlehem plant,Union Iron Works, to see which plant would deliver more ships in a year. At the end of 1918, Fore River delivered eighteen ships to Union's six.[3]
The end ofWorld War I did not immediately affect the yard, as it was still producing ships from wartime orders. The only cancellations that occurred in the yard after the war were the cancellation of theLexington-class battlecruiserUSS Lexington (CC-1). This was offset by the construction of two cruisers, which were delivered in due time. Additionally, the yard finished building the multiple orders that it received for theS-class submarine, as well as orders for two other submarines.[3]
Between 1922 and 1925, the yard underwent a major expansion period, including the purchase of theAtlantic Works, which later becameBethlehem Atlantic Works. Bethlehem also purchased a floating drydock fromSimpson’s Dry Dock Company, built a battleship slip, and constructed a new way for merchant ships.[3][16] The terms of theWashington Naval Treaty in 1921 brought the conversion of the Lexington to an aircraft carrier (USS Lexington (CV-2)), which was launched in 1925 in front of a group of over 20,000 people. The treaty brought about the cancellation ofUSS Massachusetts (BB-54), part of the now-prohibitedSouth Dakota-class battleship. The hull was eventually scrapped in 1923 with only 11% of the ship completed.[3]
The post-war lull brought about new opportunities for the yard, as it converted or upgraded ships such asSS Minnekahda (1917), and overhauled locomotives for theNew York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. The yard produced brass fittings for banjo clocks, in an attempt by Charles Schwab to keep the talented workers employed. Eventually, this lull ended in 1925 with the order of a ferry for the City ofBoston. Around this time, the yard received orders forUSS Northampton (CA-26) andUSS Portland (CA-33), both the lead ships of their respective classes. At the end of 1925, the yard had built 400 ships, 111 of which were military contracts, while the other 289 were for civilian organizations. Furthermore, the yard built the linersSS Monterey,SS Mariposa andSS Lurline for theOceanic Steamship Company.[3]
TheGreat Depression brought little work to the yard, with the exception of the completion ofUSS Quincy (CA-39) andUSS Vincennes (CA-44).USS Wasp (CV-7) was built from 1936 to 1940, in addition to a handful of destroyers. Employment in the yard dropped drastically during this time, from 4,900 in 1931 to 812 two years later.[3]
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TheNaval Act of 1938 brought increased shipbuilding to the yard, as it mandated a 20% increase in the strength of the nation's Navy.[17] This brought an expansion of business to the yard, with 17,000 employees working in December 1941 and 32,000 in 1943, including 1,200 women. Payroll reached $110 million (equivalent to $2 billion in today's dollars)[4] around this time, and contracts amounted to around $700 million (equivalent to $12.7 billion in today's dollars).[4][3]
The speed of construction at the yard increased, as the keel ofUSS Vincennes (CL-64) was laid immediately afterUSS Massachusetts (BB-59) was launched. The speed of the construction ran in line with the building of more ships.USS San Juan (CL-54) was cut up and relocated three times in order to accommodate the construction of other ships. Much likeWorld War I, the yard expanded, and built theBethlehem Hingham Shipyard in order to accommodate the increased construction demands. Sixteen ways were constructed on over 96acres (39 ha; 0.150 sq mi), and 227 ships were produced with 23,500 workers.[3]
The yard producedUSS Hancock (CV-19) in fourteen and a half months, andUSS Pasadena (CL-65) in a record of sixteen and a half months. The yard built ninety-two vessels of eleven classes during the war, and earned theArmy-Navy "E" Award for excellence of construction of vessels, which was awarded on 15 May 1942, with four stars being added during the course of the war. Additionally, the yard producedUSS Lexington (CV-16), which was renamed from USS Cabot after the sinking ofUSS Lexington (CV-2) when yard workers petitioned for a renaming of the ship.[3]
During the war, the yard was possibly the origin of the popular expression "Kilroy was here."[18] Although it was not known originally where the phrase came from, theAmerican Transit Association ran a contest trying to find the origin of the phrase in 1946. Welding inspectorJames J. Kilroy ended up sending his account in, and was deemed the winner. In an attempt to make sure that riveters would be prevented from defrauding the shipyard of their accurate workload, he scrawled the phrase in chalk on the ships that he was inspecting. Ships that the phrase was printed on includedUSS Massachusetts, USSLexington,USS Baltimore (CA-68) and various troop carriers.[3]
While the shipyard was at its peak of operations during the war, it was not uncommon for German U boats to stalk ships leaving the yard and engage them once offshore.[19]
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After the war, the yard was faced with new opportunities. As the war greatly expanded the yard, the yard now had extra space. Thus, theHingham yard was closed, and the yard diversified its interests. The yard constructed a 28-foot (8.5 m) blast furnace, a wind tunnel, draglines, and steel for an aqueduct of theBoston's Metropolitan District Commission, a transformer forBoston Edison, among other things. The yard was faced with inflation, increasing material costs, and demands for higher wages.[3]
The yard did continue to turn out war orders for the shipsUSS Des Moines (CA-134) andUSS Salem (CA-139), the latter being the first ship in the Navy withair conditioning. The yard overhauledUSS Ancon (AGC-4),SS Panama, andSS Cristobal of thePanama Railway Company. The yard ceased work until 1950 at the end of these conversions, with employment dipping to 3,800 employees. The line later took up building merchant ships for theAmerican Export Lines, including theType P3 ship ocean linersSS Independence andSS Constitution, with the most powerful turbines placed in a merchant ships at that time. The yard convertedUSS Northampton (CLC-1) and laterUSS Albany (CA-123) into guided-missile cruisers, and delivered them to the Navy in 1953 and 1958, respectively.[3]
During this time, work continued to decline for the yard, although the yard found work in contracts from theUnited States Maritime Commission for threeC4 tanker in 1951, and two more in 1952. Now, tankers became the yard's main work, with theGulf Oil Corporation placing orders for two 28,000 short tons (25,000 t) tankers,Socony ordering one 29,250 short tons (26,540 t) tanker, and Orion contracting three more of the same tonnage. The Navy also orderedUSS Neosho (AO-143), which weighed 13,300 short tons (12,100 t) and was an improvement over previous designs. Around this time, the yard began the construction ofSS Marine Dow-Chem, the first ship which allowed for the shipment of chemicals over the ocean. Through refrigeration, this allowed for them to be transported safely and allowed for the carrying of eleven different chemicals at once. Furthermore, the yard built theC4-S-1 class freighter, a modification of the Type C4. Finally, the yard produced its largest destroyers yet,USS Willis A. Lee (DL-4) andUSS Wilkinson (DL-5).[3]
The yard's slow work after the war was a symptom of having a glut of extra ships that were available for theUnited States Merchant Marine. The passage of theMerchant Ship Sales Act of 1946 meant that ships could be sold for as little as $120.00 (equivalent to roughly $1,935 in today's dollars)[4] per deadweight ton. The flip side of this glut of ships was that there was a prediction that in 1961, more ships would be need to be constructed. This was evidenced by the fact that in 1954, there were orders for five tankers, one fleet oiler, and five destroyers. The next year, the yard attempted to become part of the building of theForrestal-class aircraft carriers when Bethlehem objected to the awarding of the contracts to theNewport News Shipbuilding and theNew York Naval Yard. Although the company pointed out that it had produced many carriers during World War II, Newport News pointed out that the company never requested an improvement of its shipbuilding facilities by the government during the war, which hampered its future bidding of aircraft carrier construction. That it had not built a single carrier since the end of the war also hurt its chances. The yard was later rewarded four frigates to build instead.[3]
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The yard began a new era when it was awarded construction ofUSS Long Beach (CGN-9), a nuclear guided-missile cruiser. Such was the amount of work involved in the building of theLong Beach that the yard had to decline buildingNS Savannah, the world's first nuclear-powered merchant ship. The yard entered into an expansion period during these years, replacing six pre-World War I sliding ways, which could now accommodate between three and six ships. Ships were built for the Greek shipping companyStavros Niarchos including a tanker with a capacity of 16.5 million US gallons (62 megalitres) of crude oil, namedSS World Glory andSS World Beauty. The yard produced the nation's largest tanker,SS Princess Sophie, which was christened byFrederica of Hanover, Queen ofGreece.[3] Fore River also branched out intoradar tower construction in this time, constructingTexas Tower 2 in 1955 andTexas Tower 3 in 1956.[20]
The 1960s began with a five-month strike by workers over either wages and benefits (according to local newspapers), or unilateral work rules (according to theIndustrial Union of Marine and Ship-building Workers). In the midst of the strike, the Navy towedUSS Springfield (CL-66), which was under conversion at the time, to the nearbyBoston Navy Yard for completion, an action which prompted both laborers and management to negotiate a three-year contract and helped to nullify unpopular work rules. Later that year, theLong Beach was launched, which was a major achievement for the yard.[3]
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1962 brought about the construction ofSS Manhattan, which was the largest commercial vessel built in the United States at the time, and became the first ship to transit theNorthwest Passage to theAlaska North Slope oil fields. TheBainbridge was launched in that year, but not without accusations from the government that Bethlehem overcharged the Navy, as the costs increased from almost $70.1 million (equivalent to $756 million in today's dollars)[4] in 1959 to a negotiated $87 million (equivalent to $904 million in today's dollars)[4] three years later, down from an estimate of $90 million (equivalent to $936 million in today's dollars)[4] before then, although there was a $5 million (equivalent to $52 million in today's dollars)[4] discrepancy in the yard. After the end of the strike mentioned above, the yard was accused by the government of overcharging for the first nuclear frigate,USS Bainbridge (CGN-25) and theLong Beach. The shipyard later made up for the losses of $139,000 (equivalent to $1.46 million in today's dollars)[4] by crediting on other contracts that were being offered.[3]
1963 brought an end of an era to the yard, as Bethlehem put the yard up for sale. Fifty years of Bethlehem ownership, which began when the yard was near financial ruin, came to an end as the yard was one of the most established yards in the world.[3]
In 1964, the yard was purchased byGeneral Dynamics Corporation. J. William Jones, President of the company, stated that the yard was purchased in order to provide itsElectric Boat division with increased flexibility. The yard was purchased for $5 million (equivalent to $50.7 million in today's dollars),[4] and Electric Boat managed the yard until its reorganization. Immediately, the yard was closed by Bethlehem Steel on 1 January 1964, and it was announced that thirteen hundred of the yard's employees would be retired or pensioned off immediately or within the next two years, leaving five hundred workers left. General Dynamics immediately invested $23 million (equivalent to $233 million in today's dollars)[4] into various facilities in the yard, improving it in many ways.[3]
The yard was soon awarded the contract for the reconfiguration of theApollo Instrumentation Ships fromoilers.USNS Mission San Fernando (T-AO-122) was converted into USNSVanguard (T-AG-194), USNSMission De Pala (T-AO-114) was converted toUSNSRedstone (T-AGM-20), andUSNS Mission San Juan (T-AO-126) was renamed USNSMercury (T-AGM-21).[21] Also in the 1960s, the yard modifiedUSS Greenling (SSN-614) andUSS Gato (SSN-615), and builtUSS Whale (SSN-638) andUSS Sunfish (SSN-649). Work began onUSNS Kilauea (T-AE-26) andUSS Butte (AE-27), both of which were ammunition ships, while construction began on the submarine tendersUSS L. Y. Spear (AS-36) andUSS Dixon (AS-37). Around this time, the yard began construction of theSeabee barges, for theLykes Brothers Steamship Company, which were the first modular construction ships built by General Dynamics at the yard, although they were sued by Lykes for late delivery off the ships.[3][22]
The addition of theLiquified natural gas tanker contracts in the early 1970s meant that the yard was due for another conversion. General Dynamics then invested $40 million (equivalent to $324 million in today's dollars)[4] into more ways and wet basins in the yard, in order to be more competitive. The yard began construction of all of theWichita-class replenishment oilers, with the exception ofUSS Roanoke (AOR-7). Cost overruns were an issue with these ships, although eventually the costs were negotiated. Furthermore, the yard built four of theAnchorage-class dock landing ships, which were delivered between 1970 and 1972. These ships were involved in cost overruns as well, and in 1975 theNaval Sea Systems Command awarded the yard $21 million (equivalent to $123 million in today's dollars)[4] for these overruns.[3]
The addition of modular construction to the yard meant that it could build ships by assembling pre-fabricated units, a technique that was used at theVictory Destroyer Plant duringWorld War I. During the end of 1971, the yard was faced with declining contracts, which created rumors that the yard was close to closing. The yard was in discussion to gain a $350 million (equivalent to $2.72 billion in today's dollars)[4] contract for six supertankers, which would carry 65 million US gallons (250 megalitres) of crude oil each. These tankers were supposed to be constructed with a forty-three percent subsidy from the federal government, which was granted. Eventually though, funding fell through, and construction did not proceed on the ships. Despite this, the yard modifiedUSNS Hayes (T-AGOR-16), which was a $1.79 million (equivalent to $12.7 million in today's dollars)[4] contract, where the ship received new equipment. This contract provided one hundred jobs for the yard.[3]
The first attempt at government intervention for the yard came with CongressmanJames A. Burke aiming to stave off the imminent layoffs of two thousand workers. He attempted to get the yard awarded the contract for repairs toUSS Puget Sound (AD-38). In a telegram to then-Secretary of DefenseElliot Richardson, he said that the closure of theBoston Navy Yard created a labor surplus. Unfortunately for the yard, the contract never panned out.[3]
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Delivery ofUSS Kalamazoo (AOR-6) in 1973 meant that the only work at the yard consisted of the modification of the Hayes and construction of cylinders for submarines atNewport News Shipbuilding and Electric Boat, which helped to maintain work for about two hundred and eighty machine shop workers. Economic salvation came to the yard during the construction ofLNG-41, which was calculated to bring 5,500 to 6,000 workers employment. Projected to begin in July 1973, the work was delayed until December due to delays in yard improvements. In the meantime, theIrving Sealion was repaired at the yard. TheEsso Halifax, which struck an iceberg on the way toResolute Bay inNova Scotia was repaired in the yard during this time.[3]
The laying down of the LNG-41 occurred during the repair ofUSS West Milton (ARD-7), which was used to repair submarines atNaval Submarine Base New London. Congressman Burke was instrumental in securing this work, which kept the yard busy in 1974. That same year, a seventeen-week strike broke out, which created a situation where all work stopped and tanker work came to a halt. Eventually, the strike was resolved, but not before jeopardizing the future of the yard. After the settlement of the strike,USS Raleigh (LPD-1) was repaired at the yard in 1975, as General Dynamics had the lowest bid. In 1975, the yard had eight LNG contracts, which totaled $650 million (equivalent to $3.8 billion in today's dollars).[4][3] It was around this time that theGoliath crane was constructed, which was a 1,200 short tons (1,100 t) crane built for the construction of tankers. Until it was removed in 2008, it was the largest gantry crane inNorth America.[23]
The final construction project for the yard came in the form of construction of five2nd Lieutenant John P. Bobo Class ofMaritime Prepositioning ships. These ships could house equipment and supplies to house 4,000 Marines for thirty days, as well as everything they would need for combat. The ships were also designed to not need port facilities, as everything could be offloaded offshore. The ships were built by General Dynamics and initially were operated byGeneral Dynamics' American Overseas Marine under a 25-year charter. The end of the construction of these ships in May 1986 meant that there was no longer any need for the yard, as attempts to secure container ships forUnited States Lines and survey ships for the Navy fell through. In 1986, the yard closed, with remaining employees either retiring or being laid off. In 1987, General Dynamics Quincy Shipbuilding Division ceased operation.[24] The closure of the yard came after an unsuccessful attempt by employees to purchase the yard.[25] On 1 June 1986, Fore River Shipyard closed for good.[26]
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Closure of the division initially led to dormancy at the yard. Some equipment was sold off while other parts of the yard were used for staging areas of theBoston Harbor cleanup project. Various plans were then offered at the time for use of the shipyard.[27]
During this period, a ship scrapping operation, operating under the nameFore River Shipyard and Iron Works existed at one end of the yard.[24] An initial purchase of five formerForrest Sherman-class destroyers was made, which included theUSS Forrest Sherman (DD-931),USS Davis (DD-937),USS Manley (DD-940),USS Du Pont (DD-941),USS Bigelow (DD-942) andUSS Blandy (DD-943). Of these,Du Pont was the only one that was successfully scrapped, as the company concluded that the costs of scrapping the other ships would exceed their scrap value. The company later sought bankruptcy protection in 1994, and the remaining ships were sold to other scrap dealers by theMassachusetts Bankruptcy Court.[28]
In 1992, a group of volunteers came up with the idea of purchasing a ship built at the shipyard and relocating it to a new museum that would celebrate the history of the yard. In 1993, theUnited States Naval Shipbuilding Museum was established by theMassachusetts General Court with the aim to, "acquire, refurbish and maintain United States naval ships and the adjacent physical complex in order that it will [serve] as a major attraction for local citizens and tourists."[29] Initially, plans called for the purchase ofUSS Lexington (CV-16), but the museum ended up gettingUSS Salem (CA-139), the last all-gun heavycruiser ever built, returned to the Quincy yard after negotiations with theNaval Sea Systems Command.[30] On 30 October 1994Salem returned to Quincy to be permanently docked where she was built nearly five decades before.[31][32] In May 2014, however, it was announced that theSalem would be moved to East Boston after the pier the ship was berthed and closed the previous September due to safety reasons.[33][34] The move never took place, and the ship remains open as a museum at Fore River.
In 1995,Sotirious Emmanouil purchased the former yard and promised to restore shipbuilding to the yard, through his companyMassachusetts Heavy Industries. The company cleaned up much of the yard and built a handful of buildings after securing a $55 million (equivalent to $113 million in today's dollars)[4] loan, but was unable to secure any contracts and became mired in disputes. The company eventually defaulted on its loans and the property was seized by theUnited States Maritime Administration in 2000, with its assets being auctioned off a few years later.[35]
Daniel J Quirk, a local auto dealer, bought the property in 2004 for use as a motor vehicle storage and distribution facility. Before theGreat Recession hit, he publicized plans to redevelop the yard into condominiums and a living history exhibit, and citedMarina Bay, which is located at the oldVictory Destroyer Plant and theCharlestown Navy Yard as examples of what he wanted to turn the yard into. In 2006, as he was trying to sell theGoliath crane, he acknowledged that if he was unable to sell it, he would probably have it scrapped due to it becoming dangerous due to ongoing deterioration of the structure.[35]
On 14 August 2008, ironworker Robert Harvey was killed when a portion of the Goliath crane collapsed during dismantlement.[36] Work on the crane's removal was halted for two months while local and federal officials investigated the accident, but the work later resumed and was completed in early 2009.[37] As a result of their investigation, on 13 January 2009 the U.S.Occupational Safety and Health Administration imposed fines totalling $68,000 (equivalent to $99,309 in today's dollars).[4][38] A barge carrying the crane was christened USSHarvey in honor of the fallen worker and left the shipyard on 7 March 2009 en route to Romania.[39][40]
The August 2008 fatal incident was preceded by two other deaths involving demolition of the maingantry crane at the shipyard on 26 January 2005.[41] The earlier incident resulted in anOSHA ruling against Testa Corporation ofLynnfield, Massachusetts, including a proposed $60,400 (equivalent to $97,243 in today's dollars)[4] fine.[42] Following the 2005 collapse, violations involving improper cleanup and removal ofasbestos found in debris left by the accident resulted in a $75,000 (equivalent to $116,982 in today's dollars)[4] penalty imposed against Testa by theMassachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.[43]
The former shipyard served as a port for commuter boats toBoston run by Harbor Express for theMassachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). This service was discontinued in 2013 when a dock in Quincy was severely damaged. Currently, there are no plans to revive this service.[44] The yard is also used byJay Cashman, Inc., for heavy construction and marine equipment services, by theMassachusetts Water Resources Authority as a sewage sludge heat-drying and pelletizing facility, and byFore River Transportation Corporation forshort line freight rail service toCSXT South Braintree. The yard was also used as the main construction area for the newFore River Bridge, which is located adjacent to the property.[45]
Although shipbuilding operations ceased in 1986, the name of the yard continues to be used, and the location is still referred to as Fore River Shipyard.[46]
Fore River Shipyard has also appeared in multiple films since it was closed. The climactic shootout from the 2006 filmThe Departed was filmed in the yard.[47] In 2009, the filmThe Company Men was filmed at the site of the former yard.[48][47] For the 2015 filmThe Finest Hours, sets were constructed at the yard, along with a giant water tank.[49] The film also used the formerUSS Salem (CA-139) during production.[34]
| Shipway | Width | Length | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 feet (8.5 m) | 130 feet (40 m) | 1941 | [50] |
| 28 feet (8.5 m) | 130 feet (40 m) | |||
| 2 | 40 feet (12 m) | 375 feet (114 m) | 1941 | |
| 3 | 40 feet (12 m) | 375 feet (114 m) | 1941 | |
| 4 | 95 feet (29 m) | 550 feet (170 m) | 1920 | |
| 5 | 90 feet (27 m) | 700 feet (210 m) | 1915-30 | |
| 6 | 76 feet (23 m) | 675 feet (206 m) | 1915-31 | |
| 7 | 84 feet (26 m) | 675 feet (206 m) | 1902-42 | |
| 8 | 84 feet (26 m) | 675 feet (206 m) | 1901-42 | |
| 9 | 82 feet (25 m) | 650 feet (200 m) | 1916-30 | |
| 10 | 110 feet (34 m) | 875 feet (267 m) | 1917-30 | |
| 11 | 150 feet (46 m) | 1,000 feet (300 m) | 1941 | |
| 12 | 150 feet (46 m) | 1,000 feet (300 m) | 1941 |
_underway_in_the_Strait_of_Hormuz_on_17_April_2020_(200417-N-PI330-0057).JPG)
During the almost one hundred years that the yard was operational, it produced hundreds of ships, submarines, and personal sailing vessels. Among these orders were the civilian ships theBarnacle and the multiple-masted schooners theThomas W. Lawson andWilliam L. Douglas. The yard produced military contracts, includingUSS Lawrence (DD-8) andUSS Macdonough (DD-9). Submarines were constructed, includingUSS Octopus (SS-9) for theUnited States Navy, and others for both theImperial Japanese Navy and theRoyal Navy.[3]
As the yard was expanded over the years, it builtbattleships such asUSS New Jersey (BB-16),USS Nevada (BB-36), and the preservedUSS Massachusetts (BB-59), itself moored inBattleship Cove. Other naval ships include the preserved heavy cruiserUSS Salem (CA-139) (as part of theUnited States Naval Shipbuilding Museum adjacent to the shipyard),USS Northampton (CLC-1), andUSS Long Beach (CGN-9). The yard constructed multiple aircraft carriers, including the conversion of the battlecruiserUSS Lexington CC-1''s hull intoUSS Lexington (CV-2),USS Lexington (CV-16),USS Bunker Hill (CV-17), andUSS Philippine Sea (CV-47).[3]
After the war, the yard found itself faced with changing realities, and increasingly relied on merchant marine ships, includingSS Marine Dow-Chem, the first chemical transport ship in the United States andSS Manhattan. The yard built passenger vessels, includingSSLurline,SS Independence,SS Constitution.[3] The last ships built at the yard were the2nd Lieutenant John P. Bobo Class ofMaritime Prepositioning ships. With the building ofMV Sgt. William R. Button (T-AK 3012), the yard closed for good.
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42°14′19.75″N70°58′20.60″W / 42.2388194°N 70.9723889°W /42.2388194; -70.9723889
