Welding Shipyards, Norfolk VA

Welding Shipyards was not a large shipyard but it was a very important one.  It was founded in 1940 by the legendary D. K. Ludwig, who had formed National Bulk Carriers in 1936.  The yard had one berth, 600 employees and all the ships it built were all-welded.  When Ludwig took over the Kure yard in Japan in 1953, he continued the Welding Shipyards sequence of hull numbers.

Hull #

Original Name

Original Owner

 Type MC # DWT Delivered Disposition
1-7             Hull #s used for conversions
8 Virginia National Bulk Carriers Tanker   18,900 Mar-41 Torpedoed and lost in Gulf of Mexico 1942
9   National Bulk Carriers Tanker       Cancelled
10 Bulkoil National Bulk Carriers Tanker   13,080 Jan-42 Scrapped 1961
11 Virginia National Bulk Carriers Tanker   18,730 Nov-42 Scrapped 1967
12 Pan-Massachusetts National Bulk Carriers Tanker   18,900 Apr-43 Damaged and burnt in collision 1953 but rebuilt, scrapped 1968
13 Pan-Pennsylvania National Bulk Carriers T3-S-BF1 2187 18,900 Nov-43 Torpedoed by U-550 and lost off New Jersey, April 16, 1944
14 Bulklube National Bulk Carriers T3-S-BF1 2208 18,900 Dec-43 Renamed "Start Point" 1962 and "Freeport" 1963; scrapped in Hamburg in 1963
15 Bulkfuel National Bulk Carriers T3-S-BF1 2209 18,900 Feb-44 Renamed "Amoco Texas" 1955;scrapped in Hirao in 1964
16 Bulkcrude National Bulk Carriers T3-S-BF1 2210 18,900 Apr-44 Renamed "Blue Point" 1962; scrapped in Hamburg in 1963
17 Bulkero National Bulk Carriers T3-S-BF1 2211 18,900 Jun-44 Renamed "Amoco Florida" 1957, "Black Point" 1962; scrapped in Hong Kong in 1963
18 Phoenix National Bulk Carriers T3-S-BZ1 2693 23,800 Nov-44 Damaged in collision 1953, total loss
19 Nashbulk National Bulk Carriers T3-S-BZ1 2694 23,800 Feb-45 Scrapped 1975
20 Amtank National Bulk Carriers T3-S-BZ1 2699 23,800 May-45 Renamed "Mounthope" 1972; scrapped 1979
21 Hampton Roads National Bulk Carriers Tanker   23,800 Jun-45 Scrapped 1975
22   National Bulk Carriers T3-S-BZ1 2854     Cancelled
23   National Bulk Carriers T3-S-BZ1 2855     Cancelled
22 Ulysses Oceanic Tankships Tanker   28,000 Jun-47 Scrapped 1966
23 Danginn D. K. Ludwig Yacht   722 Feb-50 Now "Henriette"
24 Bulkpetrol Oceanic Tankships Tanker   30,000 1948 Scrapped 1975
25 Bulkoil Universe Tankships Tanker   30,000 1949 Broke in two and sank off Nantucket 1969
26 Bulkoceanic Universe Tankships Tanker   30,000 1949 Broke in two and sank off Taiwan 1969
27 Bulkstar Universe Tankships Tanker   30,000 1949 Broke in two and sank off Cape Cod 1964
28 Bulktrader Universe Tankships Tanker   30,000 1950 Exploded and sank off Venezuela 1972