WWII Concrete Shipbuilders

WWII Concrete Shipbuilders (multiple)

Builders of Concrete Ships and Barges

The Maritime Commission only built concrete ships and barges reluctantly, and only at a point in the war when the steel shipbuilders were all at full capacity. There were five contractors, of which three were significant. McCloskey & Company developed a shipyard in Tampa FL, to build 24 self-propelled dry bulk cargo ships, to carry sugar. These were the only self-propelled concrete ships: they were 366 feet long, with a deadweight of 5,000 tons. The yard was located at Hookers Point and had 6,000 workers: it closed permanently in December 1945: the site is now part of Tampa Ship. Concrete Ship Constructors developed a shipyard in National City CA to build concrete barges. They built both B7 tank barges, which were 375 feet long, with a deadweight of 6,600 tons, and designed to move refined products from the Gulf of Mexico to the Northeast, and B5 covered dry cargo barges, which were 265 feet long, with a deadweight of 1,632 tons. Their hulls 45-47 were completed with reefer capacity and hulls 48-49 were completed as maintenance barges. Barrett & Hilp developed a shipyard in South San Francisco CA to build concrete barges. They built B7 dry bulk barges, which were 366 feet long, with a deadweight of 5,687 tons, designed to carry bauxite. The yard had five graving docks, which are still there: one of them still has its gate in place and three more gates are lying in the docks. See the yard from the air on Google here. Nine of these ships are still afloat: visit http://www.concreteships.org/ships/powellriver/ to see some great pictures. Comments or queries, please email info@navalmarinearchive.com.

Most recent update: 2021-08-07.

Hull#	Name	Type	MC #	Delivered	Disposition
McCloskey & Co., Tampa FL
1	Vitruvius	C1-S-D1	1045	Dec-43	Sunk as a breakwater at Normandy
2	David O. Saylor	C1-S-D1	1046	Nov-43	Sunk as a breakwater at Normandy
3	Arthur Newell Talbot	C1-S-D1	1047	Feb-44	Sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA
4	Richard Lewis Humphrey	C1-S-D1	1048	Mar-44	Sold in Mexico
5	Richard Kidder Meade	C1-S-D1	1049	Mar-44	Sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA
6	Willis A. Slater	C1-S-D1	1050	Feb-44	Sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA
7	Leonard Chase Watson	C1-S-D1	1051	Jun-44	Sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA
8	John Smeaton	C1-S-D1	1052	Apr-44	Afloat as a breakwater at Powell River BC
9	Joseph Aspdin	C1-S-D1	1053	May-44	Wrecked and lost 1948
10	John Grant	C1-S-D1	1054	Jun-44	Sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA
11	M. H. Le Chatelier	C1-S-D1	1055	Jul-44	Afloat as a breakwater at Powell River BC
12	L. J. Vicat	C1-S-D1	1056	Jul-44	Afloat as a breakwater at Powell River BC
13	Robert Whitman Lesley	C1-S-D1	1057	Jul-44	Sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA
14	Edwin Thacher	C1-S-D1	1058	Jul-44	Sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA
15	C. W. Pasley	C1-S-D1	1059	Aug-44	Sunk as a breakwater at Newport OR
16	Armand Considere	C1-S-D1	1060	Sep-44	Afloat as a breakwater at Powell River BC
17	Francois Hennebique	C1-S-D1	1061	Sep-44	Sunk as a breakwater at Newport OR
18	P. M. Anderson	C1-S-D1	1062	Sep-44	Afloat as a breakwater at Powell River BC
19	Albert Kahn	C1-S-D1	1063	Oct-44	Abandoned and lost 1947
20	Willard A. Pollard	C1-S-D1	1064	Nov-44	Sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA
21	William Foster Cowham	C1-S-D1	1065	Nov-44	Sunk as a breakwater at Kiptopeke VA
22	Edwin Clarence Eckel	C1-S-D1	1067	Dec-44	Scuttled 1946
23	Thaddeus Merriman	C1-S-D1	1068	Nov-44	Afloat as a breakwater at Powell River BC
24	Emile N. Vidal	C1-S-D1	1069	Dec-44	Afloat as a breakwater at Powell River BC
Concrete Ship Constructors, Inc., National City CA
1	Concrete No. 1	B7-A2	634	Apr-43	Later YO 143
2	Concrete No. 2	B7-A2	635	May-43	Later YO 144
3	Concrete No. 3	B7-A2	636	May-43	Later YOG 40
4	Concrete No. 4	B7-A2	637	Jun-43	Later YOG 41
5	Concrete No. 5	B7-A2	638	Jun-43	Later YOG 42, ashore at Lanaii HI
6	No name	B7-A2	1220	Jul-43	Later YO 145
7	No name	B7-A2	1221	Jul-43	Later YO 146
8	No name	B7-A2	1222	Aug-43	Later YOG 53
9	No name	B7-A2	1223	Aug-43	Later YO 159
10	No name	B7-A2	1224	Sep-43	Later YO 160
11	No name	B7-A2	1225	Sep-43	Later YO 161
12	No name	B7-A2	1226	Oct-43	Later YO 162
13	No name	B7-A2	1227	Oct-43	Later YO 163
14	No name	B7-A2	1228	Nov-43	Later YO 182
15	No name	B7-A2	1229	Nov-43	Later YO 183
16	No name	B7-A2	1230	Dec-43	Later YOG 82, YOGN 82, breakwater at Powell River BC, reefed 2018
17	No name	B7-A2	1231	Dec-43	Later YO 184
18	No name	B7-A2	1232	Jan-44	Later YO 185
19	No name	B7-A2	1233	Jan-44	Later YOG 83
20	No name	B7-A2	1234	Feb-44	Later YO 186
21	No name	B7-A2	1235	Feb-44	Later YO 187
22	No name	B7-A2	1236	Mar-44	Later YOG 84
23	Carbon	B5-BJ1	2214	Feb-44	Later BCL 3049
24	Barium	B5-BJ1	2215	Mar-44	Later BCL 3050
25	Helium	B5-BJ1	2216	Mar-44	Later BCL 3051
26	Nitrogen	B5-BJ1	2217	Mar-44	Later BCL 3052
27	Radium	B5-BJ1	2218	Apr-44	Later BCL 3053
28	Argon	B5-BJ1	2219	Apr-44	Later BCL 3054
29	Cadmium	B5-BJ1	2220	May-44	Later BCL 3055
30	Chromium	B5-BJ1	2221	May-44	Later BCL 3056
3`	Cobalt	B5-BJ1	2222	May-44	Later BCL 3057
32	Iridium	B5-BJ1	2223	Jun-44	Later BCL 3058
33	Lithium	B5-BJ1	2224	Jun-44	Later BCL 3059
34	Magnesium	B5-BJ1	2225	Jun-44	Later BCL 3060
35	Neon	B5-BJ1	2226	Jun-44	Later BCL 3061
36	Nickel	B5-BJ1	2227	Jun-44	Later BCL 3062
37	Phosphorus	B5-BJ1	2228	Jun-44	Later BCL 3063
38	Sodium	B5-BJ1	2229	Jul-44	Later BCL 3064
39	Sulphur	B5-BJ1	2230	Jul-44	Later BCL 3065
40	Tellurium	B5-BJ1	2231	Jul-44	Later BCL 3066
41	Tungsten	B5-BJ1	2232	May-44	Later BCL 3067
42	Uranium	B5-BJ1	2233	Jul-44	Later BCL 3068
43	Bismuth	B5-BJ1	2234	Aug-44	Later BCL 3069
44	Bromide	B5-BJ1	2235	Aug-44	Later BCL 3070
45	Hydrogen	B5-BJ2	2236	Sep-44	Later BCL 3071
46	Calcium	B5-BJ2	2237	Oct-44	Later BCL 3072
47	Antimony	B5-BJ2	2238	Nov-44	Later BCL 3073
48	Cerium	B5-BJ3	2695	Mar-45	Later FMS 1
49	Radon	B5-BJ3	2696	May-45	Later FMS 2
MacEvoy Shipbuilding Corp., Savannah GA
1	Concrete No. 6	B7-A1	619	Jan-44
2	Concrete No. 7	B7-A1	620	Feb-44
3	Concrete No. 8	B7-A1	621	Mar-44
4	Concrete No. 9	B7-A1	622	Apr-44
5	Concrete No. 10	B7-A1	623	May-44
6	Concrete No. 11	B7-A1	903	Jun-44
7	Concrete No. 12	B7-A1	904	Jun-44
8-23	No name	B7-A1	905-920		Cancelled
San Jacinto Shipbuilding Corp., Houston TX (later taken over by McCloskey & Co.)
1	Concrete No. 29	B7-A1	629	Nov-43
2	Concrete No. 30	B7-A1	630	Nov-43
3	Concrete No. 31	B7-A1	631	Dec-43
4	Concrete No. 32	B7-A1	632	Dec-43
5	No name	B7-A2	633		Cancelled
25-39	No name	B7-A2	1304-1318		Cancelled
Barrett & Hilp, South San Francisco CA
1	Agate	B7-D1	1319	Aug-43	To US Army
2	Chromite	B7-D1	1320	Sep-43	To US Army
3	Flint	B7-D1	1321	Sep-43	To US Navy
4	Granite	B7-D1	1322	Sep-43	To US Navy
5	Graphite	B7-D1	1323	Oct-43	To US Navy
6	Gypsum	B7-D1	1324	Oct-43	To US Navy
7	Mica	B7-D1	1325	Nov-43	To US Navy
8	Bauxite	B7-D1	1326	Jun-43	Later IX 154
9	Asphalt	B7-D1	1327	Jun-43	Later IX 153, lost off Saipan 1944
10	Slate/Carmita	B7-D1	1328	May-43	Later IX 152, lost 1947
11	Midnight	B7-D1	1329	Mar-44	Later IX 149, sold in China 1948
12	Quartz	B7-D1	1330	Apr-44	Later IX 150, afloat as breakwater in Powell River BC
13	Bauxite/Silica	B7-D1	1331	Jun-44	Later IX 151, scuttled 1945
14	Limestone/Corundum	B7-D1	1332	Jul-44	Later IX 164
15	Feldspar	B7-D1	1333	Aug-44	Later IX 159, sold
16	Marl	B7-D1	1334	Aug-44	Later IX 160, sold in the Philippines 1948
17	Barite	B7-D1	1335	Aug-44	Later IX 161
18	Lignite	B7-D1	1336	Sep-44	Later IX 162
19	Cinnabar	B7-D1	1337	Sep-44	Later IX 163, sold
20	Limestone	B7-D1	1338	Oct-44	Later IX 158, sold
21-26	No names	B7-D1	1339-1344		Cancelled

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