Charles Ward Engineering, Charleston WV
Charles Ward Engineering Works was founded by Charles Ward in 1872, incorporated in 1907 and remained in operation until 1932, when it closed due to economic and ownership succession issues. It was an early developer of water tube boilers on ships, pioneered the development of the tunnel stern propeller-driven towboat and was among the first companies to install internal combustion engines in towboats. The yard was located on the south bank of the Kanawha River, on McCorkle Avenue, directly opposite the Haddad Riverfront Park, but there's no sign of a shipyard there any more. If anyone can add to the table below, please email info@navalmarinearchive.com.
Most recent update: 27 November 2017.
| Hull # | O.N. | Original Name | Original Owner | Ship Type | GT | Feet | Delivery | Disposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mascot | US Army Corps of Engineers | Launch | 8 | 1893 | Sold 1911 as Mascot (ON 209085), abandoned 1921 | |||
| Madge (I) | Charles Ward | Launch | 1894 | |||||
| 92850 | Madge (II) | Charles Ward | Yacht | 9 | 1897 | Named for Mrs. Ward, to CoE 1903 as Ouachita | ||
| 25342 | Unique | Charles Ward | Yacht | 33 | Oct-01 | To CoE 1904 as Unique, sold 1929 as tug Etta J, sunk 1942 | ||
| James Rumsey | US Army Corps of Engineers | Towboat | 126 | 1903 | Sold 1934 as Steve Click Jr. (ON 233621) | |||
| 203714 | A. M. Scott | Charles Ward Engineering | Towboat | 168 | Nov-06 | Abandoned 1933 | ||
| Madge (III) | Charles Ward | Yacht | May-09 | |||||
| Inspector | US Army Corps of Engineers | Towboat | 158 | 1915 | ||||
| 10 | 216817 | Clairton | Carnegie Steel Co. | Towboat | 245 | Sep-18 | Later Kanawha, Alicia, Henry A. Roemer, J. M. Leithead | |
| 11 | 220773 | Natchez | US Railway Administration | Towboat | 757 | 1920 | ||
| 12 | 221271 | Vicksburg | US Railway Administration | Towboat | 757 | 1921 | ||
| 13 | No. 21 | US Army Corps of Engineers | Barge | 1921 | ||||
| 14 | No. 22 | US Army Corps of Engineers | Barge | 1921 | ||||
| 15 | No. 23 | US Army Corps of Engineers | Barge | 1921 | ||||
| 16 | No. 24 | US Army Corps of Engineers | Barge | 1921 | ||||
| 17 | 221980 | General Frank M. Coxe | US Army | Ferry | 539 | 1-Dec-22 | Sold 1947 as General Frank M. Coxe (ON 252866), later Showboat, Pattaya Princess, The Sherman, General Frank M. Coxe, active | |
| 18 | 222147 | General John McE. Hyde | US Army | Ferry | 539 | 5-Dec-22 | Sunk by gunfire at Corregidor 1942 | |
| 19 | 222391 | Destrehan | Pan American Petroleum | Towboat | 371 | 3-Aug-22 | Charles R. Hook 1941, scrapped 1957 | |
| 20 | 222668 | Ste. Genevieve | Missouri-Illinois RR | Rail Ferry | 1,667 | 1-Dec-22 | ||
| 21 | Greenbrier (WAGL 214) | US Coast Guard | Tender | 305 | 20-Jun-24 | Sold 1948 as dredge Mississippi (ON 264233) | ||
| 22 | US Army Corps of Engineers | Tank Barge | Mar-23 | |||||
| 23 | US Army Corps of Engineers | Tank Barge | Mar-23 | |||||
| 24 | 222941 | W. C. Kelly | Kelly Axe Mfg. Co. | Towboat | 111 | 31-May-23 | Later Flavia 19?? | |
| 25 | Kelly Axe Mfg. Co. | Derrick Boat | 18-Jan-23 | |||||
| 26 | Kelly Axe Mfg. Co. | Covered Barge | 31-May-23 | |||||
| 27 | Kelly Axe Mfg. Co. | Open Barge | 31-May-23 | |||||
| 28 | J. B. Battle | US Army Corps of Engineers | Towboat | 174 | 31-Dec-23 | Later La Verne, sold 1947 as J. L. Beatty (ON 253609), Martha E. Greene 1951, sunk 1970s, raised, scrapped | ||
| 29 | Kelly Axe Mfg. Co. | Open Barge | 31-May-23 | |||||
| 30 | Kelly Axe Mfg. Co. | Open Barge | 29-Jun-23 | |||||
| 31 | C. B. Harris | US Army Corps of Engineers | Dredge | 1,304 | 18-Aug-24 | Sold 1953 as C. B. Harris (ON 266334), later Ollie Riedel, Mr. Manson | ||
| 32 | 224795 | Chris Greene | C. P. & C. Packet Co. | Passenger | 482 | 17-May-24 | Scrapped 1951 | |
| 33 | Lookout | US Army Corps of Engineers | Towboat | 233 | 1925 | George S. Nutt 1927, sold 1937 as Admiral (ON 236325), barge 1953 (ON 264835) | ||
| 34 | US Army Corps of Engineers | Quarter Boat | 20-Sep-24 | |||||
| 35 | US Army Corps of Engineers | Maneuver Boat | 31-Dec-24 | |||||
| 36 | US Army Corps of Engineers | Maneuver Boat | 31-Dec-24 | |||||
| 37 | 225161 | Geo. T. Price | Kelly Transportation Co. | Towboat | 236 | 9-Nov-25 | ||
| 38 | 225803 | E. D. Kenna | Ohio River Co. | Towboat | 388 | 13-Jul-26 | ||
| 39 | 175040 | Kelly Axe & Tool Co. | Freight Barge | 464 | 13-Jan-26 | A.B.L. 1 1927 | ||
| 40 | 175041 | Kelly Axe & Tool Co. | Freight Barge | 464 | 13-Jan-26 | A.B.L. 2 1927 | ||
| 41 | Kelly Axe & Tool Co. | Freight Barge | 464 | 13-Jan-26 | Lost in hurricane 1926 | |||
| 42 | 175042 | Kelly Axe & Tool Co. | Freight Barge | 464 | 6-Mar-26 | A.B.L. 4 1927 | ||
| 43 | Kelly Axe & Tool Co. | Freight Barge | 464 | 17-Apr-26 | Lost in hurricane 1926 | |||
| 44 | 175043 | Kelly Axe & Tool Co. | Freight Barge | 464 | Jul-26 | A.B.L. 6 1927 | ||
| 45 | 175044 | Kelly Axe & Tool Co. | Freight Barge | 464 | 31-Jul-26 | A.B.L. 7 1927 | ||
| 46 | 175045 | Kelly Axe & Tool Co. | Freight Barge | 464 | 25-Aug-26 | A.B.L. 8 1927 | ||
| 47 | 175046 | Kelly Axe & Tool Co. | Freight Barge | 464 | 25-Aug-26 | A.B.L. 9 1927 | ||
| 48 | 175047 | Freight Barge | 464 | 1926 | A.B.L. 10 1927 | |||
| 49 | 226042 | Wild Goose | Charles Ward Eng. | Towboat | 92 | 25-Sep-26 | ||
| 50 | 175048 | Freight Barge | 464 | Nov-26 | A.B.L. 11 1927 | |||
| 51 | 175049 | W. C. Kelly Barge Line | Freight Barge | 464 | 21-Oct-26 | A.B.L. 12 1927 | ||
| 52 | 175050 | W. C. Kelly Barge Line | Freight Barge | 464 | 29-Nov-26 | A.B.L. 13 1927 | ||
| 53 | 175051 | W. C. Kelly Barge Line | Freight Barge | 464 | 7-Feb-27 | A.B.L. 14 1927 | ||
| 54 | 175052 | W. C. Kelly Barge Line | Freight Barge | 464 | 11-Mar-27 | A.B.L. 15 1927 | ||
| 55 | 175053 | W. C. Kelly Barge Line | Freight Barge | 464 | 21-Apr-27 | A.B.L. 16 1927 | ||
| 56 | 175054 | W. C. Kelly Barge Line | Freight Barge | 464 | 1-Jun-27 | A.B.L. 17 1927 | ||
| 57 | 175055 | W. C. Kelly Barge Line | Freight Barge | 464 | 1-Jun-27 | A.B.L. 18 1927 | ||
| 58 | Inland Waterways Corp. | Freight Barge | 464 | 14-Jun-27 | ||||
| 59 | 175056 | W. C. Kelly Barge Line | Freight Barge | 464 | 30-Jul-27 | A.B.L. 20 1927 | ||
| 60 | 226269 | W. A. Shepherd | W. C. Kelly Barge Line | Towboat | 267 | 15-Apr-27 | ||
| 61 | 226725 | Duncan Bruce | W. C. Kelly Barge Line | Towboat | 357 | 15-Jul-27 | ||
| 62 | F. H. Hilliard | US Army Corps of Engineers | Survey Boat | 150 | 12-Nov-27 | Sold 1940 as Hugh C. Blaske (ON 240086), later Mississippi | ||
| 63 | Tecumseh | US Army Corps of Engineers | Towboat | 199 | 28-Apr-28 | Sold 1950 as Tecumseh (ON 262468), W. C. White 1954, Robin D 1971, Cotton Blossom 1973, active | ||
| 64 | General Humphreys | US Army Corps of Engineers | Inspection Boat | 100 | 29-Mar-28 | Sold 1946 as Sarah R (ON 251239) | ||
| 65 | 227558 | Criterion | Charles Ward Eng. | Towboat | 53 | 1-May-28 | D. W. Wyatt 1963, Criterion 1985 | |
| 66 | 227557 | Alpha | Alpha Sand Co. | Towboat | 75 | 7-Jul-28 | ||
| 67 | 227830 | Bull Dog | Charles Ward Eng. | Towboat | 54 | 16-Jul-28 | Pure Gyrol 19??, D. L. Gilland 1949, active | |
| 68 | Captain Eric Bergland | US Army Corps of Engineers | Towboat | 47 | 30-Jul-28 | Sold 1947 as Sarah (ON 252842), Jeannette B 1987, active | ||
| 69 | 228188 | Dwight F. Davis | Inland Waterways Corp. | Towboat | 311 | 25-Apr-29 | Chickasaw 19?? | |
| 70 | 227779 | Incor | International Cement | Towboat | 221 | 19-Aug-28 | ||
| 71 | No. 15 | US Army Corps of Engineers | Maneuver Boat | 27-Sep-28 | ||||
| 72 | No. 16 | US Army Corps of Engineers | Maneuver Boat | 27-Sep-28 | ||||
| 73 | Captain George | US Army Corps of Engineers | Towboat | 61 | Exploded before delivery, see hull 79 | |||
| 74 | Tom Stallings | US Army Corps of Engineers | Snag Boat | 268 | 17-Apr-29 | |||
| 75 | 228076 | Major | Kelley's Creek Barge | Towboat | 59 | 10-Dec-28 | Active | |
| 76 | 229186 | Leo | Charles Ward Eng. | Towboat | 46 | 1929 | Slade Brown 19??, Southern II 19?? | |
| 77 | No. 2901 | US Army Corps of Engineers | Mooring Barge | 10-May-29 | ||||
| 78 | No. 2902 | US Army Corps of Engineers | Mooring Barge | 25-May-29 | ||||
| 79 | Captain George | US Army Corps of Engineers | Towboat | 61 | 30-Jun-29 | Sold 1968 as Captain George (ON 515342), Kurt R. Luedtke 1973, Captain George 1991, active | ||
| 80 | Beverly | US Army Corps of Engineers | Tender | 79d | 20-Aug-29 | |||
| 81 | 294724 | Unique | Harold M. Ward | Yacht | 31 | 20-Aug-29 | ||
| 82 | 252861 | Stanton | US Army Corps of Engineers | Tug | 79d | 15-Feb-30 | Sold 1947 as Wm. R. Farrell | |
| 83 | 230102 | Indiana | Mississippi Valley B.L. | Towboat | 913 | 21-Sep-30 | ||
| 84 | 230103 | Louisiana | Mississippi Valley B.L. | Towboat | 913 | 19-Dec-30 | ||
| 85 | 270212 | Fort Scott | US Army Corps of Engineers | Towboat | 121 | 7-Dec-30 | Sold as Scott, later L.D. No. 419, Robin D Too 1973, P. A. Denny 1975 | |
| 86 | 268891 | Fort Armstrong | US Army Corps of Engineers | Towboat | 107 | 20-Nov-30 | Sold as Kathryn, later Tina M. White | |
| 87 | Gypsy | Charles Edwin Ward | Yacht | 1-May-30 | ||||
| 88 | 230635 | Henry A. Laughlin | Vesta Coal Co. | Towboat | 416 | 27-Apr-31 | T. R. Workman 19?? | |
| 89 | 230636 | Vesta | Vesta Coal Co. | Towboat | 416 | May-31 | James A. Rankin 1948, Mike Creditor 1952, Orco 1954, J. S. Lewis 1955, active |