Shipbuilding History

Shipyard construction records and other maritime stuff.

This web site is concerned with documenting the construction records of U.S. and Canadian shipbuilders and boatbuilders.  It also includes data on the construction of ships in U.S. and Canadian yards by type.  Most of the data come from authoritative sources, but nobody's perfect and there are bound to be errors as well as omissions: please send corrections and additions to TimColton@aol.com. 

New in January: Northern Shipbuilding & Repair (Bronte ON); Maffey Steel Boats (Fort Frances ON); Ackerman Boat (Newport Beach CA)

Major updates in January: Sub Chasers Built in WWI; Burger Boat (Manitowoc WI); Miscellaneous Yard Craft (YAG); Consolidated Steel (Wilmington CA); Consolidated Steel (Orange TX)

Minor updates are made every day.

SHIPYARD CONSTRUCTION RECORDS

Click here for the Index to the 715 U.S. Shipyards with Construction Records

12 Major U.S. Shipbuilders: 6 Active Today ("The Big Six"), 6 Inactive

73 Large U.S. Shipbuilders: 20 Active Today ("The 2nd Tier"), 53 Inactive

295 Small U.S. Shipbuilders and Boatbuilders: 100 Active, 195 Inactive

15 U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Yards and Bases: 5 Active Today (as Repair Yards), 10 Inactive

69 Wartime U.S. Shipbuilders: 39 from WWI, 30 from WWII, All Inactive Today

167 Wartime U.S. Boatbuilders: 67 from WWI, 100 from WWII, All Inactive Today

22 U.S. Builders of Large Yachts: 15 Active Today, 7 Occasional or Inactive

33 U.S. Builders of Small Yachts Who Were Active in Wartime: 16 in WWI, 32 in WWII

30 Significant U.S. Shipbuilders from Before WWI: All Inactive Today

Plus: ~1500 Other U.S. Yards that Have Occasionally Built Ships or Boats - 17 tables

Click here for the Index to the 123 Canadian Shipyards with Construction Records

19 Large Canadian Shipbuilders: 2 Active Today, 17 Inactive

46 Small Canadian Shipbuilders and Boatbuilders: 13 Active Today, 33 Inactive

20 Wartime Canadian Shipbuilders: 19 from WWI, 1 from WWII

38 Wartime Canadian Boatbuilders: All from WWII

Plus: ~200 Other Canadian Yards That Have Occasionally Built Ships or Boats - 7 tables

CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS BY TYPE

U.S. Navy Ships and Submarines - 26 tables

U.S. Navy Small Ships, Boats and Craft - 64 tables

U.S. Coast Guard Cutters and Craft - 12 tables

U.S. Army Small Ships, Boats and Craft - 16 tables

N.O.A.A. and Other Government Research Vessels - 3 tables

Ships Built for the U.S. Shipping Board in WWI - 12 tables

Ships Built for the U.S. Maritime Commission in WWII - 21 tables

Ships and Rigs Built in the U.S. Since WWII - 15 tables

Canadian Naval Ships and Boats - 12 tables

Canadian Coast Guard Ships and Boats - 2 tables

Merchant Ships Built in Canada in Wartime - 2 tables

Ships and Rigs Built in Canada Since WWII - 9 tables

CURRENT SHIPBUILDING ACTIVITY

  Current U.S. and Canadian Shipbuilding and Boatbuilding Contracts - updated January 13

  Directory of U.S. and Canadian Shipyards - updated December 8

Directory of U.S. and Canadian Maritime Memorials and Museums - updated October 14

Shipbuilding Contract Awards Announced in 2011

Shipbuilding Contract Awards Announced in 2012 - started January 3

Deliveries of Ships, Boats and Oceangoing Barges in 2011 - updated January 3

Deliveries of Ships, Boats and Oceangoing Barges in 2012 - starting soon

Deliveries of Inland Barges in 2011 - updated January 4

Deliveries of Inland Barges in 2012 - starting in February

Status of Major Merchant Shipbuilding Programs - updated September 30

Status of Major Government Shipbuilding Programs - updated January 13

Major U.S. Navy Shipbuilding Contracts - updated January 6

PLUS: A HOST OF OTHER STATISTICS

Shipbuilding Industry Data - 63 tables

Shipping Industry Data - 16 tables

The US-Flag Commercial Fleet, by Type - 18 tables

The World Fleet of LNG Carriers - 4 tables

The World Fleet of Offshore Drilling Rigs - 6 tables

Click HERE to Search This Site

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Click HERE to read my memoir "Staying Afloat"

Click HERE to switch to my other site, "Maritime Memos"

Click HERE to read my "Shipbuilding History" column in

Click HERE for a list of the principal Sources of the data in these tables

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