Bethlehem Shipbuilding San Pedro
33°43′48″N 118°16′12″W / 33.72996°N 118.26993°W
Bethlehem Shipbuilding San Pedro was a major shipbuilding company on Terminal Island in San Pedro, California owned by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation. To support the World War 2 demand for ships Bethlehem Shipbuilding San Pedro built: US Navy Destroyers and after the war tugboats. The yard became involved in World War II production in the early shipbuilding expansions initiated by the Two-Ocean Navy Act of July 1940. At its peak during the war about 6,000 worked at the yard, Bethlehem Shipbuilding San Pedro shipyard was opened in 1918 as Southwestern Shipbuilding by Western Pipe & Steel. Western Pipe & Steel sold the shipyard to Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation in 1925. Shipbuilding ended after World War 2 in 1946. In 1983 the shipyard was sold to Southwest Marine. In 1997 Southwest Marine operated four shipyards, which they sold to The Carlyle Group. Carlyle Group renamed the shipyard US Marine Repair. In 2002 US Marine Repair sold all six of its yards to United Defense Industries. In 2005 it was sold to BAE Systems but the yard was not used and the yard is now part of the Port of Los Angeles. The shipyard was located at 1047 South Seaside Ave, San Pedro.[1]
World War II[edit]
Bethlehem Shipbuilding San Pedro destroyers built from 1942 to 1945: [2]
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- 26 of 415 destroyers
- 4 of 30 Benson-class
- 10 of 175 Fletcher-class
- 5 of 58 Allen M. Sumner-class
- 3 of 12 Robert H. Smith-class destroyer minelayers
- 4 of 98 Gearing-class
- 4 Hisada-class harbor tugs
- USS Acoma (YTB-701)
- YT Arawak YTM-702, removed from US Navy in December 1985 [3]
- YT Canarsee, US Navy sold in 1975
- YT Moratok, US Navy sold in 1985.
Southwestern Shipbuilding[edit]
Southwestern was the second largest of three steel shipyards in the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach active during the World War I shipbuilding boom, responsible for 28% of the tonnage built there for the United States Shipping Board.
Many of the ships were Design 1019 ships built under the USSB's Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) contacts.[4][5] Ships built:
| Ship name | Type | Tons | Delivered | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Carnifax | Cargo | 6,150 | Jan-19 | Renamed to Exford in 1928, Pan Royal in 1930, in collision and lost in 1943 |
| West Caruth | Feb-19 | Renamed to Exmoor in 1923, Antonio Tripcovich in 1924, Seisho Maru in 1928, torpedoed and lost in 1944 | ||
| West Catanace | Mar-19 | Renamed to Atlantic in 1923, Theodore in 1947, Archon in 1951, scrapped in 1952 | ||
| West Sequana | Apr-19 | Renamed to Golden Cloud in 1928, Waimea in 1938, Marcar in 1950, Carmar in 1952, Madelaine in 1955, scrapped in 1958 | ||
| West Cavanal | Jun-19 | Renamed to Edgar Bowling in 1923, Texmar in 1927, Irkutsk in 1945, scrapped in 1966 | ||
| West Cawthon | Jul-19 | Renamed to Empire Bison in 1940, torpedoed and lost in 1940 | ||
| West Cayote | Aug-19 | Renamed to Washington in 1928, bombed and lost in 1942 | ||
| West Chetac | Jul-19 | Torpedoed and lost in 1942 | ||
| West Inskip | Cargo | 6,000 | Sep-19 | Renamed to Charcas in 1926, Carreta in 1940, Parita Sun in 1947, scrapped in 1953 |
| West Chicopee | Dec-19 | Renamed Bakersfield, renamed to Chagres in 1941, Mirafjord in 1947, San Salvatore in 1950, scrapped in 1953 | ||
| West Neris | Dec-19 | Renamed to Irish Oak in 1941, torpedoed and lost in 1943 | ||
| West Niger | Jan-20 | Renamed to Nevada in 1938, wrecked in 1932 | ||
| West Nilus | Cargo | 5,650 | Mar-20 | Sunk as breakwater at Normandy in 1944 |
| West Niveria | Apr-20 | Renamed to Golden Coast in 1928, Delawarean in 1937, Empire Hawksbill in 1940, torpedoed and lost in 1942 | ||
| West Nomentum | May-20 | Renamed to Pennsylvania in 1928, Pan in 1947, Tanar in 1949, in collision and sank in 1959 | ||
| West Norranus | Jun-20 | Renamed to Pacific Pine in 1926, Maine in 1937, Lvov in 1945, Istra in 1951, scrapped in 1958 | ||
| West Notus | Jul-20 | Shelled and scuttled in 1942 | ||
| West Numidia | Tanker | 5,650 | Aug-20 | Renamed Hollywood, wrecked and lost in 1945 |
| Mary Luckenbach | Cargo | 8,600 | Dec-20 | Renamed to C. B. Watson in 1936, Indiana in 1947, Al Horreya in 1954, Mansoura in 1957, scrapped in 1963 |
| Barge | 165 | Apr-20 | ||
| SS Montabello | Tanker | 8,272 | Mar-21 | Torpedoed and lost in 1941 |
| La Placentia | Apr-21 | Scrapped in 1948 | ||
| La Purisima | Oct-21 | Renamed to Taganrog in 1943, Octorara in 1944, La Purisima in 1946, scrapped in 1947 | ||
| Scopas | Tanker | 5,900 | Jul-21 | Scrapped in 1939 |
| Silvanus | Aug-21 | Renamed to SS Papoose in 1926 (ON 226583), torpedoed and lost in 1942 | ||
| Semiramis | Sep-21 | scuttled in 1942, raised and renamed to Kyoko Maru in 1943, torpedoed and lost in 1943 |
See also[edit]
