James Rees, a Welshman, established this shipyard in 1845, when he was only 24. It is claimed that they built not only the first steel-hulled boat in America - the "Francisco Montoya", in 1878 - but also the first boat with electric light throughout - the "Kate Adams", in 1882. It is also notable for building many knockdown (KD) boats for service in South America. One source says that the last ship was built in 1919 but another says that the yard closed in 1932. It was located at Fourth Street and Duquesne Way, which I think was on Neville Island: can anyone confirm this? If anyone can add to the table below, please e-mail me at tim@coltoncompany.com
| Hull # | Original Name | Original Owner | Vessel Type | Tons | Built | Disposition |
| Lone Star | Charles Gearing | Sternwheel Packet | 1859 | Sunk 1860 | ||
| Francisco Montoya | Magdalena Steam Nav. Co. | Steamship | 1878 | |||
| Victoria | Steamship | 1880 | ||||
| Venezuela | Zulia River Navigation | Steamship | 1880 | |||
| Kate Adams | Memphis & Arkansas Packet Co. | Steam Packet | 1882 | |||
| Chattahoochee | Steam Packet | 436 | 1882 | |||
| Tenafly | 134 | 1885 | ||||
| Tres Hermanso | Thebaud Brothers | Steamship | 1885 | |||
| Charles R. Suter | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers | Towboat | 1886 | |||
| Lize | Kranewski and Peasant | Steamship | 35 | 1893 | ||
| Vista | 142 | 1902 | ||||
| Hidalgo | Thebaud Brothers | Steamship | 1904 | |||
| Henry A. Laughlin | Vesta Coal Company | Steamship | 151 | 1905 | ||
| S. S. Brown | Steamship | 643 | 1906 | |||
| B. F. Jones, Jr. | 91 | 1908 | ||||
| Oregon | Mission Steamer | 1909 | ||||
| Olivia | Brazilian Owners | KD Riverboat | 1912 | |||
| Idlewild | West Memphis Packet Co. | Steamboat | 260 | 1914 | Now "Belle of Louisville", museum in Louisville KY | |
| W. H. Clingerman | Carnegie Steel | Sternwheel Towboat | 234 | 1918 | Now "W. P. Snyder. Jr.", museum in Marietta OH | |
| Homestead | Carnegie Steel | Sternwheel Towboat | 234 | 1919 |