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Merchant Shipbuilding, Chester PA

(formerly Reaney, Son & Archbold [1857-1870] J. Roach & Sons [1871-1887] Delaware River Iron Shipbuilding & Engine Works [1887-1907] and Chester Shipbuilding [1914-1918])

Most recent update: August 4, 2010.

This shipyard was originally established in 1857 and had a distinguished career building fine ships.  It was revived for the war effort in 1917 but was acquired by Averell Harriman's American Ship & Commerce Corporation in 1919 and renamed Merchant Shipbuilding.  Like Hog Island and Submarine Boat, the yard was designed to assemble ships from parts fabricated by others.  It is notable that the yard numbering system continued without interruption by five different companies.  The yard was located at Front and Lloyd Streets in Chester: after it closed in 1924, it was redeveloped as a Ford assembly plant, which closed in 1961.  See the site from the air on Google here.  If anyone can fill any of the gaps in the table below, please e-mail me at timcolton@aol.com

Hull # Name Owner Type GT Delivery Disposition

Built by Reaney, Son & Archbold (1857-1870)
1 Starlight   Tug 74 1861  
2         1861 Saw mill engines
3 William B. Reaney Reaney, Son & Archbold Tug 104 1861  
4 Union   Tug 121 1861  
5         1861 Engines only
6 American Eagle   Tug 63 1861  
7 Clyde Thomas Clyde Tug 96 1862  
8         1862 Engines only
9 James J. Green   Barge   1862  
10 Paul Green   Barge   1862  
11 William Stroud   Barge   1862  
12         1862 Engines only
13         1862 Engines only
14         1862 Engines only
15         1862 Engines only
16         1862 Engines only
17 American Union   Tug 74 1862  
18 Caroline   Tug   1862  
19 Hope   Tug 111 1862  
20 Conestoga/Sangamon U.S. Navy Monitor 1,875d 9-Feb-63 Later Jason 1869, scrapped 1904
21 Lehigh U.S. Navy Monitor 1,875d 15-Apr-63 Scrapped 1904
22 Wateree U.S. Navy Gunboat 974d 20-Jan-64  
23         1862 Engines only
24         1863 Engines only
25         1863 Engines only
26         1862 Engines only
27         1863 Engines only
28 Rebecca Clyde Thomas Clyde Psgr./Cargo 446 1863  
29 Helen Brook   Tug 26 1863  
30           Engines only
31 Mayflower   Psgr./Cargo 164 1864  
32 Tunxis U.S. Navy Ironclad 614d 12-Jul-64 Later Hydra 1869, Otsego 1869, scrapped 1874
33 Suwanee U.S. Navy Gunboat 1,370d 23-Jan-65  
34 Shamokin U.S. Navy Gunboat 1,370d 17-Jul-65  
35 Olando U.S. Navy        
36           Machine shop engine
37 Pinta U.S. Navy Tug 420d Oct-65 Struck 1908
38 Nina U.S. Navy Tug 420d Sep-65  
39 Hudson   Tug 163 1864  
40 Admiral   Tug   1864  
41 Liberty   Tug 150 1864  
42           Engines only
43           Engines only
44 Pawtucket   Barge      
45         1864 Engines only
46 Wm. P. Clyde Thomas Clyde Psgr./Cargo 504 1865  
47 Croatan Norfolk Psgr./Cargo 22 1864  
48           Engines only
49           Engines only
50           Engines only
51 Edwin Forrest   Psgr./Cargo 607 1865  
52 Washington   Psgr./Cargo 472    
53 Commodore   Tug 50    
54 Alice Port Deposit Co. Psgr./Cargo 147 1865  
55           Reconstruction
56           Boiler Shop engine
57           Stock engine
58           Engines only
59 Thomas Kelso Baytime SS Co. Psgr./Cargo 1,430 1865  
60 Lamokin Phil. & Chester Cargo Ship 167 1865  
61           Stock engine
62           Engines only
63           Saw mill engine
64           Boilers
65 Samuel M. Felton P. W. & B. RR Cargo Ship 671 1866  
66           Engines only
67           Engines only
68           Engines only
69           Engines only
70           Blast engine
71           Blast engine
72           Repairs only
73 Tioga Savannah SS Co. Psgr./Cargo 1,074 1867  
74           Steam fire engine
75           Condensers
76           Boilers only
77           Boilers only
78           Boilers only
79           Stock boilers
80            
81           Engines only
82 Volunteer Jacob Lorillard Cargo Ship 611 Oct-68  
83 Novelty New York Company Cargo Ship 303 1870  
84           Engines only
85           Overhaul
86           Saw mill engine
87           Saw mill engine
88 Arasapha   Ferry 408 1869 Reconstruction
89           Reconstruction
90 Florida   Cargo Ship 389 1869 Reconstruction
91 Rattlesnake Phila & Reading R.R. Co Cargo Ship 404 Mar-69  
92 Centipede Phila & Reading R.R. Co Cargo Ship 436 Aug-69  
93 Panther Phila & Reading R.R. Co Cargo Ship 711 Mar-70  
94 Achilles Phila & Reading R.R. Co Cargo Ship 763 Feb-70  
95 Hercules Phila & Reading R.R. Co Cargo Ship 764 1870  
96           Boilers only
97           Ruddick's patent
98           Reconstruction
99 Regulator Jacob Lorillard Cargo Ship 847 Nov-69  
100           Hoisting engine
101           Schooner
102 Millie May   Tug   1869  
103 Benefactor Jacob Lorillard Cargo Ship 843 May-70  
104           Engines only
105           Repairs only
106           Repairs only
107           Repairs only
108           Repairs only
109           Repairs only
110 Ella Wood No.2   Tug 44 1870  
111 Elizabeth          
112         1871 Reconstruction
113         1871 Repairs Only
114     Launch   1871  
115 Vindex R. Center Yacht 36 1871  
116     Launch   1871  
117         1871 Repairs Only

Built by J. Roach & Sons (1871-1887)
118 City of Houston C H Mallory & Co. Cargo Ship 1,253 Apr-71  
119 City of San Antonio C H Mallory & Co. Cargo Ship 1,605 Mar-72  
120 Garden City East River Ferry Co. Ferry 825 Sep-72  
121         1873 Engines only
122 City of Chester Oregon S.S. Co. Cargo Ship 935 Apr-73 In collision and sank 1888
123 Colon Pacific Mail S S Co. Pass. Cargo 2,686 Nov-73  
124         1873 Reconstruction
125         1873 Repowering
126         1873 Repowering
127         1873 Repowering
128 Colima  Pacific Mail S S Co. Pass. Cargo 2,906 Apr-73  
129 Erie Erie Railway Co. Ferry 981 1873  
130 City of Peking Pacific Mail S S Co. Pass. Cargo 5,080 Aug-74 Scrapped 1910
131 City of Tokio Pacific Mail S S Co. Pass. Cargo 5,079 May-74 Wrecked off Yokohama 1885
132 Sarah J. Fleming   Barge   1874  
133 City of Waco C H Mallory & Co. Pass. Cargo 1,486 Aug-73  
134 Perkiomen Phila & Reading R.R. Co. Cargo Ship 1,035 May-74 In collision and sank 1885
135 Berks Phila & Reading R.R. Co. Cargo Ship 565 May-74 Later barge W. S. Calvert 1906, En-Ar-Co 1921, scrapped 1969
136 State of Texas C H Mallory & Co. Pass. Cargo 1,736 Jan-74 Later Idaho
137 City of Panama Pacific Mail S S Co. Pass. Cargo 1,490 Sep-73 Later Olga M.
138 City of Guatemala Pacific Mail S S Co. Pass. Cargo 1,505 Dec-73  
139         1873 Repairs only
140         1873 Repairs only
141 George W Elder Old Dominion S S Co. Pass. Cargo 1,710 Feb-74 Later America 1920, scrapped 1935
142 George E Weed John Roach & Sons Tug 30 1874  
143 Alliance U.S. Navy Gunboat 1,020d 15-Nov-75 Later Huron
144 Alert U.S. Navy Gunboat 1,020d 27-May-75 Converted 1912 to AS 4, scrapped 1922
145         1874 Repairs only
146         Nov-76 Repairs only
147         1874 Repairs only
148         Nov-76 Repowering
149         1875 Repowering
150 City of San Francisco Pacific Mail S S Co. Pass. Cargo 3,009 Jun-75 Foundered off Tartar Shoal 1877
151 City of New York Pacific Mail S S Co. Pass. Cargo 3,020 Aug-75 Wrecked off Point Bonita CA 1893
152 City of Sydney Pacific Mail S S Co. Pass. Cargo 3,017 Sep-75 Abandoned by 1930
153         Aug-75 Scrapped
154         Aug-75 Scrapped
155         Aug-75 Scrapped
156         Aug-75 Scrapped
157 Miantonomoh (BM 5) U.S. Navy Monitor   3,990d 27-Oct-91