Birchfield Shipbuilding & Boiler Co., Inc., Tacoma WA

Little is known about this company, which was located on the west side of the Blair Waterway, in the port of Tacoma.  The yard built some fishing vessels in the years immediately after the war but has been gone for a long time now.  If anyone has any information either about the yard itself or about the ships it built, please send it to me at tim@coltoncompany.com

Hull # Original Name Original Owner Type Type MC # Tons Delivered Disposition
  WLI-65302 US Coast Guard Buoy Tender       1942 From 1964 Blueberry (WLI-65302). Sold 1976 as fishing Blueberry. Active
1 Port Angeles US Maritime Commission Tug V2-ME-A1 432   Nov-42 To US Navy 1942 as Hiawatha (YT/YTB/YTM 265), Sold 1990 as Hiawatha, then Point San Pablo, Delta Lindsey.
2 Port Blakely US Maritime Commission Tug V2-ME-A1 433   Dec-42 To US Navy 1942 as Pocahontas (YT/YTB/YTM 266), sold 1972 as Sea Lark, then Lark, Sea Lark..
3 Port Discovery US Maritime Commission Tug V2-ME-A1 434   Dec-42 To US Navy 1942 as Pogatacut (YT/YTB/YTM 267), sold private 1970, scrapped
4 Port Ludlow US Maritime Commission Tug V2-ME-A1 435   Mar-43 To US Navy 1942 as Red Cloud (YT/YTB/YTM 268), scrapped 1987
5 Port Madison US Maritime Commission Tug V2-ME-A1 436   Apr-43 To US Navy 1942 as Sakarissa (YT/YTB/YTM 269), to MARAD 1974 as TD 64, now at Amphib. Forces Memorial Museum
6 Port Orchard US Maritime Commission Tug V2-ME-A1 437   May-43 To US Navy 1942 as Santanta (YT/YTB/YTM 270), sold 1972 as Sea Fox, scrapped?
  [one of following] US Army Freighter     168g 1943 Sold 1947 as Tai Fung, conv to barge 1950.
7   US Army Freighter FS 48 167g  1943 Sold as Birchfield, then fishing Wm Fraser, now Viking.
8   US Army Freighter FS 49   1943  
9   US Army Freighter FS 50 199g  1943 Sold as Tolstoi, then Heron.. Existence in doubt 1991
10   US Army Freighter FS 51  168g 1943 To the Philippines as Governor Roosevelt. Existence in doubt 1989
11   US Army Freighter FS 52   1943  
12   US Army Freighter FS 53   1943  
13   US Army Freighter FS 54  168g 1943 To the Philippines as Governor Stimson. Existence in doubt 1989
14   US Army Freighter FS 55   1943  
15   US Army Freighter FS 91 168g  1943-44 To the Philippines as Princesa de Beliran. Existence in doubt 1989
16   US Army Freighter FS 92   1943-44  
17   US Army Freighter FS 93   1943-44  
18   US Army Freighter FS 94   1943-44  
19   US Army Freighter FS 95 168g  1943-44 To the Philippines as Governor Murphy. Existence in doubt 1989
20   US Army  Freighter FS 96   1943-44  
21   US Army Tug ST 680 156g 1944-45 Sold 19xx as Naytellinas. 
22   US Army Tug ST 681 156g 1944-45  
23   US Army Tug ST 682 156g 1944-45  
24   US Army Tug ST 683 156g 1944-45 Sold 194x as Aspen, then Ocean Joy,  Macduff. Existence in doubt 2001
25   US Army Tug ST 684 156g 1944-45  
26   US Army Tug ST 685 156g 1944-45  
    US Navy Tug YTL 575 54g 1945 Sold 1946 as San Francisco, then Tory M, now Tori
    US Navy Tug YTL 593 51g 1945 Sold 1961 as Renown. Active
    US Navy Tug YTL 594 53g 23-Oct-45 Sold 1982 as YTL 594, then John N. Active
    US Navy Tug YTL   53g 1945 [numbers of YTLs built not known]
  Bluebell US Coast Guard    WAGL 313   24-Mar-45 Later WLI 313. Active, based in Portland OR
  Chicken of the Sea Harold Morgan Fishing     476g 1945 Later Southern Seas. Sank 1968 in Panama
  McClure Bay   Fishing     88g 1945 [builder “Birchfield & Copper River” may be different]
38 ? Al Davies Fishing       1946  
  Deep Sea Deep Sea Trawlers Inc  Fishing     197 1947 Active.
  Jimmy M   Fishing       1948  
  Libby No. ?? Libby, McNeil and Libby Fishing       1949? [five Libby boats built 1949-1951]
  Libby No. 9 Libby, McNeil and Libby Fishing       1949?  
  Libby No. 10 Libby, McNeil and Libby Fishing       1950?  
  Libby No. 11 Libby, McNeil and Libby Fishing       1950?  
  Libby No. 12 Libby, McNeil and Libby  Fishing     27 1947? Active.
  Zimovia Wayne A. Davenport Fishing     35 1948 Active.
  ? Alfred & Robert Erickson Fishing       Jul-48  
  Situk Libby, McNeil and Libby  Motor Scow      35 1949 Later fishing. Active.
  Esther B   Fishing       1949  
  Carmelita II (Mexico) Fishing       1950  
  Jeanne Lynn   Fishing       c1950  
    US Navy   RPC     1965-1967? [24 river patrol craft built for service in Viet Nam]
  Mistress Russell P Parks unknown     14 1986 [builder “Birchfield Boiler Inc” – perhaps a rebuild in 1986?]