Bethlehem Steel Company, San Pedro CA

(formerly Southwestern Shipbuilding & Drydock Company)


Southwestern Shipbuilding was organized in 1918 to build cargo ships for the U.S. Shipping Board.  Following the war effort, it was leased to Bethlehem Steel in 1921 as a repair yard and then sold in 1925.  It was reactivated as a shipbuilder for WWII.  Wartime employment peaked at about 6,000.  After the war it reverted to ship repair and was sold to Southwest Marine in 1981: see it from the air on Google here.  There is some history at the web site of the Port of Los Angeles - here.  If anyone can provide any more information about this shipyard's early days, please e-mail it to me at tim@coltoncompany.com

Hull # Name Owner Type Type Pennant # Tons Delivery Disposition
1 West Carnifax US Shipping Board Cargo Ship     8,600 Jan-19 Later Exford 1928, Pan Royal 1930, in collision and lost 1943
2 West Caruth US Shipping Board Cargo Ship     8,600 Feb-19 Later Exmoor 1923, Antonio Tripcovich 1924, Seisho Maru 1928, torpedoed and lost 1944
3 West Catance US Shipping Board Cargo Ship     8,600 Mar-19 Later Atlantic 1923, Theodore 1947, Archon 1951, scrapped 1952
4 West Sequana US Shipping Board Cargo Ship     8,600 Apr-19 Later Golden Cloud 1928, Waimea 1938, Marcar 1950, Carmar 1952, Triaina 1954, Madelaine 1955, scrapped 1958
5 West Cavanal US Shipping Board Cargo Ship     8,600 Jun-19 Later Edgar Bowling 1923, Texmar 1927, Irkutsk 1945, scrapped 1966
6 West Cawthon US Shipping Board Cargo Ship     8,600 Jul-19 Later Empire Bison 1940, torpedoed and lost 1940
7 West Cayote US Shipping Board Cargo Ship     8,600 Aug-19 Later Washington 1928, bombed and lost 1942
8 West Chetac US Shipping Board Cargo Ship     8,600 Jul-19 Torpedoed and lost 1942
9 West Inskip US Shipping Board Cargo Ship     8,600 Sep-19 Later Charcas 1926, Carreta 1940, Parita Sun 1947, scrapped 1953
10 West Chicopee/West Bakersfield/Bakersfield US Shipping Board Cargo Ship     8,600 Dec-19 Later Chagres 1941, Mirafjord 1947, San Salvatore 1950, scrapped 1953
11 West Neris US Shipping Board Cargo Ship     8,600 Dec-19 Later Irish Oak 1941, torpedoed and lost 1943
12 West Niger US Shipping Board Cargo Ship     8,600 Jan-20 Later Nevada 1938, wrecked 1932
13 West Nilus US Shipping Board Cargo Ship     8,600 Mar-20 Sunk as breakwater at Normandy 1944
14 West Niveria US Shipping Board Cargo Ship     8,600 Apr-20 Later Golden Coast 1928, Delawarean 1937, Empire Hawksbill 1940, torpedoed and lost 1942
15 West Nomentum US Shipping Board Cargo Ship     8,600 May-20 Later Pennsylvania 1928, Pan 1947, Tanar 1949, in collision and sank 1959
16 West Norranus US Shipping Board Cargo Ship     8,600 Jun-20 Later Pacific Pine 1926, Maine 1937, Lvov 1945, Istra 1951, scrapped 1958
17 West Notus US Shipping Board Cargo Ship     8,600 Jul-20 Shelled and scuttled 1942
18 West Numidia/Hollywood US Shipping Board Cargo Ship     8,600 Aug-20 Wrecked and lost 1945
19 Mary Luckenbach US Shipping Board Cargo Ship     8,600 Dec-20 Later C. B. Watson 1936, Indiana 1947, Al Horreya 1954, Mansoura 1957, scrapped 1963
21 Montebello Union Oil of Cal. Tanker     12,300 1921 Torpedoed and lost 1941
22 La Placentia Union Oil of Cal. Tanker     12,300 1921
23 La Purisima Union Oil of Cal. Tanker     12,300 1921 To Russia 1942 as Taganrog, returned 1944
24 Scopas Tanker     1921
25 Silvanus Tanker     9,000 1921 Later Papoose, torpedoed and lost 1942
26 Semiramis Tanker     1921
  Kendrick US Navy Destroyer DD 612   9/12/42 Sunk as target 1968
  Laub US Navy Destroyer DD 613   10/24/42 Scrapped 1975
  MacKenzie US Navy Destroyer DD 614   11/21/42 Sunk as target 1974
  McLanahan US Navy Destroyer DD 615   12/19/42 Scrapped 1974
  Boyd US Navy Destroyer DD 544   5/8/43 To Turkey as Iskenderun (D 343) 1969, struck 1981
  Bradford US Navy Destroyer DD 545   6/12/43 To Greece as Thyella (D 28) 1962, struck 1981
  Brown US Navy