JAMES REES & SONS

Pittsburgh PA

Most recent update: May 16, 2016.
James Rees, a Welshman, established this shipyard, which was originally a machine shop and engine works called Rees & Thorn.  In 1878, they began building ships.  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.  The yard closed in 1930.  It was located at Duquesne Way (now Fort Duquesne Boulevard) and Fancourt Street (later Fourth Street and roughly where Stanwix Street is now).  See the site from the air on Google here.  If anyone can add to the table below, which is clearly far from complete, please e-mail me at timcolton@aol.com.
Hull # O.N. Original Name Original Owner Vessel Type Tons Feet Built Disposition
  na E. A. Woodruff Corps of Engineers Snag Boat     1876  
    Helena Fort Benton Tptn. Co. Steamship     1878 Sank 1891
    Francisco Montoya Magdalena Steam Nav. Steamship     1878 For South America
    Buckeye State Pittsburgh & Cincinnati Steamship     1878  
? 76049 J. B. O'Brien   Towboat  61   1878 Later S. S. Prentiss
    Victoria   Steamship     1880 For South America
    Venezuela Zulia River Navigation Steamship     1880 For South America
    Benner U.S. Government Medical Boat     1880  
      Saratoga Lake Steam Catamaran     1880  
      U.S. Government Launch     1880  
      U.S. Government Tug     1881  
      U.S. Government Tug     1881  
      U.S. Government Tug     1881  
  3188 Boaz   Tug 623   1882  
    Rober Carliator   Steamship     1882 For South America
    De Castro   Steamship     1882 For South America
    Chattahoochee Chattahoochee River Trade Steam Packet 436   1882  
    Will S. Hays W. H. Brown's Sons Steamship     1882  
    Kate Adams Memph. & Ark. Packet Steam Packet     1882 Burnt 1888
    Chickasaw Memph. & White R. Packet Steamship     1883  
    Tenafly     134   1885  
  161543 Voyager   Towboat 99   1885  
    Mary Disston Anclote River, Florida Steamship     1885  
  Mexico Tres Hermanos Thebaud Brothers Steamship     1885  
  na Charles R. Suter Corps of Engineers Snag Boat     1886  
    Eugene Arkansas River Packet Co. Steamship     1887  
    Ethel Tippecanoe Lake, Indiana Steamship     1887  
    Baltimore A. Booth & Sons Towboat     1887  
  na Missouri Corps of Engineers Snag Boat 510   1888  
    Storm Conneaut Lake, PA Steamship     1889  
    Bailey Gatzert Seattle-Tacoma Steamship     1890  
    Georgia Oaks Lake Coeur de Lion, ID Steamship     1891  
    Lize Kranewski and Peasant Steamship 35   1893  
  92348 M. D. Wayman   Towboat 242   1891  
  92509 M. Dougherty   Towboat 43   1893  
  96228 Harry No. 2   Towboat 48   1893  
  145653 Troubadour   Yacht 15   1893  
  157405 Dowling & Sons   Towboat 45   1894 Later E. F. Jackson
    J. N. Harbin Arkansas River Packet Co. Steamship     1895  
  na Beta Corps of Engineers Dredge 600    1896  
  77307 J. K. Davison   Dredge 259    1898  
    Will H. Isom N. American Tptn. Steamship     1901  
    Vesta Vesta Coal Sternwheel Towboat 142   1902  
  na Swan Corps of Engineers Snag Boat 264   1902  
  Mexico Hidalgo Thebaud Brothers Steamship     1904  
  Nicaragua Jas. Deitrick U.S. & Nicaragua Co. Steamship     1904  
  202543 Henry A. Laughlin Jones & Laughlin Steel Sternwheel Towboat 151   1905  
  na T. P. Roberts Corps of Engineers Towboat 206   1906  
  202126 Scimitar II   Steamboat 256   1906 To CoE 1921
    S. S. Brown Memphis and Vicksburg Steamship 643   1906  
  205738 B. F. Jones, Jr. Jones & Laughlin Steel Sternwheel Towboat 91   1908  
  220723 Chatham   Freighter 27   1908  
    Oregon Foreign Christian Miss. Soc. Mission Steamer     1909  
  Brazil Olivia Brazilian Owners KD Riverboat 160   1912  
  Brazil Itacoatiara Brazilian Owners KD Riverboat 160   1913  
  Brazil Campinas Brazilian Owners KD Riverboat 160   1913  
  Brazil Aracaju Brazilian Owners KD Riverboat 160   1913  
  Brazil Gaiola Julio Guimaraes KD Riverboat  160   1913 Now Benjamin Guimaraes, still active
  212813 Idlewild West Memphis Packet Co. Steam Packet 260   1914 Now Belle of Louisville, museum in Louisville KY
  212008 G. W. Cobbett   Sternwheel Towboat 191   1915 Scrapped 1952
  212522 Aliquippa Jones & Laughlin Steel Sternwheel Towboat 191   1915 Scrapped 1952
  na Nolin River Corps of Engineers Dipper Dredge 210   1915  
  214180 A. Gallagher   Ferry 10   1916  
  Brazil Parahyba   KD Riverboat 160   1916  
  215523 Early Bird   Towboat 10   1917  
  217232 W. H. Clingerman Carnegie Steel Sternwheel Towboat 234   1918 Now W. P. Snyder. Jr., museum in Marietta OH
  218194 Victory   Sternwheel Towboat 240   1919  
  218203 Waren Elsey   Sternwheel Towboat 240   1919  
  218584 C. S. 1   Towboat 17   1919  
  218994 Homestead Carnegie Steel Sternwheel Towboat 234   1919  
  na Evelyn Corps of Engineers Towboat 30   1920  
  na Monallo Corps of Engineers Derrick Boat 470   1921  
  221138 Relief   Towboat 30   1921  
  221494 C. S. 2   Towboat 40   1921  
  na Capt. Chas. D. Harris Corps of Engineers Sternwheel Towboat 335   1921  
  Colombia Ayacucho Soc. Colombiana de Tptes Steamboat       Burnt and sank 1961