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Standard Shipbuilding (Townsend Downey), Shooters Island NY

This yard started life as Townsend & Downey and was a major yacht builder, most notable for building "Meteor" for the Kaiser. In 1917, Downey sold it to a group of Cuban financiers and started a new yard - Downey Shipbuilding - in the Arlington section of Staten Island. The Cubans expanded the Shooters Island yard from 25 to 50 acres, effectively occupying the entire island, which is just off the Richmond Terrace section of Staten Island. At its peak, it had about 4,500 employees. How did they get to work? Was there a pontoon bridge from the mainland? After the war, the island became a ship's graveyard: it has since been cleaned up but the view from the air on Google here still shows a forest of wrecks off the west side of an island that is now totally covered with trees. Comments or queries, please email info@navalmarinearchive.com.

Most recent update: 2021-08-24.

Hull# USSB # O.N. Name Owner Type Tons Delivery Disposition
Built by Townsend & Downey
167974 Sabine 453 1901
130942 North Beach NY & College Pt. Ferry Co. Ferry 833 1901 To US Army 1918 as GEN John F. Weston
93152 Muriel Charles Smithers Yacht 72 1901
145887 Thistle Robert E. Tod Yacht 235 1901
230326 Bache US C+GS Research 325 1901 Later Kingfisher 1927, abandoned 1940
136893 Elmina F. F. Brewster Yacht 72 1901
117065 Sculpin II Frank L. Sheppard Yacht 16 1901
93347 Meteor H. I. M. Emperor William II Yacht 228 1902
145924 Tekla Yacht 92 1902
117145 Shenandoah Charles Fahnestock Yacht 207 1902
117111 Santos 216 1902
136976 Neola H. M. Pynchon Yacht 39 1902
200400 Cornell Cornell Steamboat Tug 435 1902 Later Istrouma 1916, scrapped 1954
Resolute Yacht 128 1903
200334 Atlantic Yacht 303 1903 To USCG 1941 as WIX 271, sold 1948
201343 Azara Yacht 96 1904
200789 S.O. Company No. 94 S.O. of New York Tank Barge 4,167 1904
200955 S.O. Company No. 95 S.O. of New York Tank Barge 4,167 1904
WAGL 18 Crocus US Coast Guard Tender 210 26-Jul-05 Sold 1946
Built by Standard Shipbuilding
1 215822 Jupiter/Democracy US Shipping Board Cargo Ship 4,430 Nov-17 To USN as SP 2215, later Point Arena 1937, Irish Plane 1941, wrecked off Cork 1947
2 216220 Scandinavic/Muscatine US Shipping Board Reefer 4,444 May-18 To USN as SP 2226, later Floridian 1928, Elizabeth 1938, torpedoed and lost 1942
3 216290 War Unit/Passaic/Ice King US Shipping Board Reefer 4,451 Jun-18 To USN as SP 3160, later Georgian 1928, Hilton 1936, scrapped 1950
4 216607 War Speed/Montclair US Shipping Board Reefer 4,773 Jun-18 To USN as SP 3497, scrapped 1936
5 216779 Englewood US Shipping Board Cargo Ship 5,138 Aug-18 Scrapped 1935
6 216778 Galesburg US Shipping Board Cargo Ship 5,138 Sep-18 Later Volkhovstroi 1930, scrapped 1960
7 216777 Morristown US Shipping Board Cargo Ship 5,138 Oct-18 To USN as SP 3580, scrapped 1936
8 217170 War Pride/Hickman US Shipping Board Cargo Ship 5,120 Nov-18 To USN as SP 3554, scrapped 1932
9 217318 Monmouth US Shipping Board Cargo Ship 5,125 Dec-18 Scrapped 1936
10 217421 Dallas US Shipping Board Cargo Ship 5,125 Jan-19 Later Deneprostroi 1930, scrapped 1965
11 217538 Belvidere US Shipping Board Cargo Ship 5,123 Mar-19 Scrapped 1935
12 217537 Aledo US Shipping Board Cargo Ship 5,123 Apr-19 Later Svirstroi 1929, bombed and lost 1941
13 217539 Shooters Island US Shipping Board Cargo Ship 5,123 May-19 Later Kenzan Maru 1938, torpedoed and lost 1943
14 AM 9 Finch US Navy Minesweeper 1,950 10-Sep-18 Captured by Japan and scuttled 1942
15 AM 10 Heron US Navy Minesweeper 1,950 30-Oct-18 Later AVP 2, sold 1946
16 1288 218165 Balsam US Shipping Board Cargo Ship 5,104 Jun-19 Scrapped 1933
17 1289 218371 East Side US Shipping Board Cargo Ship 4,400 Jul-19 Scrapped 1933
18 1290 218656 Glen Ridge US Shipping Board Cargo Ship 5,104 Sep-19 Later fish factory ship Aleut 1929, scrapped 1970
19 1291 218835 Bannack US Shipping Board Cargo Ship 5,104 Sep-19 Later Kopperston 1938, scrapped 1948
20 1292 218866 Rockaway Park US Shipping Board Cargo Ship 4,844 Dec-19 Scrapped 1932
21 1293 219202 Palisades US Shipping Board Cargo Ship 4,844 Dec-19 Scrapped 1933
22 1294 219518 Tenafly US Shipping Board Cargo Ship 5,092 Jan-20 Scrapped 1932
23 1295 219724 Kerhonkson US Shipping Board Cargo Ship 5,092 Mar-20 Later Ryuzan Maru 1938, torpedoed and lost 1943
24 1296 219953 Hinckley US Shipping Board Cargo Ship 4,755 Apr-20 Scrapped 1933
25 1297 219958 Chappaqua US Shipping Board Cargo Ship 4,755 Jun-20 Scrapped 1933
26 233749 Hibueras Cuyamel Fruit Co. Cargo Ship 1,445 Aug-20 Scrapped 1949
27 233738 Nicarao Cuyamel Fruit Co. Cargo Ship 1,445 Sep-20 Torpedoed and lost 1942
28 Mexico San Teodoro Eagle Oil Transport Tanker 6,100 11-Feb-21 Scrapped 1935
29 Mexico San Tiburcio Eagle Oil Transport Tanker 6,100 29-Jan-21 Mined and lost 1940
30 Mexico San Ubaldo Eagle Oil Transport Tanker 6,100 5-Mar-21 Scrapped 1955
31 Mexico San Ugon Eagle Oil Transport Tanker 6,100 16-Apr-21 Scrapped 1935
32 221833 John Purroy Mitchell City of New York Fireboat 334 Jul-21

These shipbuilding pages are part of an ongoing project; new material and data is added regularly.

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Revised: 8 April 2023