James Griffiths & Sons, Inc. was founded by Captain James Griffiths (1861-1943) in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

in 1885. James Griffiths was from

Newport, Wales Newport ( cy, Casnewydd; ) is a city and Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county borough in Wales, situated on the River Usk close to its confluence with the Severn Estuary, northeast of Cardiff. With a population of 145,700 at the 2 ...

, where he was a captain of a ship. He started as an agent for

NYK Line Nippon Yūsen Kabushiki Kaisha (Japan Mail Shipping Line), also known as NYK Line, is a Japanese shipping company and is a member of the Mitsubishi ''keiretsu''. The company headquarters are located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It operates a flee ...

of Japan. James Griffiths ran the company with his sons: Stanley and Bert. James Griffiths & Sons, Inc. entered into a venture with the Olympic Steamship Company in 1936 to form the Consolidated Olympic Company. Consolidated Olympic Company had routes to

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, Seattle and

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

, called the Olympic-Griffiths Line. The Olympic-Griffiths Line ship was the SS ''Olympic Pioneer'' was a 7,216-ton cargo ships, common freight was lumber and newsprint. Other ships operated were leased.

James Griffiths shipyard

In 1916 James Griffiths purchased the

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...

Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding Company Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding Company was a shipyard in Puget Sound that operated from 1903 until 1959 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, United States. The shipyard was built as an expansion of Hall Bros. Marine Railway & Shipbuilding C ...

Bainbridge Island Bainbridge Island is a city and island in Kitsap County, Washington. It is located in Puget Sound. The population was 23,025 at the 2010 census and an estimated 25,298 in 2019, making Bainbridge Island the second largest city in Kitsap County. ...

, Washington. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the shipyard built

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

s: s and s. In 1948 Griffiths the sold the shipyard.

World War II

James Griffiths & Sons, Inc. fleet of ships were used to help the World War II effort. During World War II James Griffiths & Sons, Inc. operated Merchant navy ships for the

United States Shipping Board The United States Shipping Board (USSB) was established as an emergency agency by the 1916 Shipping Act (39 Stat. 729), on September 7, 1916. The United States Shipping Board's task was to increase the number of US ships supporting the World War ...

. During World War II James Griffiths & Sons, Inc. was active with charter shipping with the

Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 195 ...

and

War Shipping Administration The War Shipping Administration (WSA) was a World War II emergency war agency of the US government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the United States needed for fighting the war. Both shipbuilding under the Maritime Co ...

. James Griffiths & Sons, Inc. operated

Liberty ship Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Mass ...

s and

Victory ship The Victory ship was a class of cargo ship produced in large numbers by North American shipyards during World War II to replace losses caused by German submarines. They were a more modern design compared to the earlier Liberty ship, were slight ...

s for the merchant navy. The ship was run by its James Griffiths & Sons, Inc. crew and the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

supplied

United States Navy Armed Guard United States Navy Armed Guard units were established during World War II and headquartered in New Orleans.World War II U.S. Navy Armed Guard and World War II U.S. Merchant Marine, 2007-2014 Project Liberty Ship, Project Liberty Ship, P.O. Box 2 ...

s to man the deck guns and radio.World War II U.S. Navy Armed Guard and World War II U.S. Merchant Marine, 2007-2014 Project Liberty Ship, Project Liberty Ship, P.O. Box 25846 Highlandtown Station, Baltimore, M

/ref>

Ships

file:Liberty ship at sea.jpg,

of World War II

James Griffiths & Sons, Inc. ships

*''Olympic Pioneer'', was Liberty ship ''James A. Drain'', acquired in 1947, sold in 1962 *''Griffson'', Cargo, 2,259 tons built in 1916, built by Winslow Marine Railway & Shipbuilding Company in Winslow *''Anyox'', Cargo, 1,287 tons built in 1917, built by Winslow Marine Railway & Shipbuilding Company in Winslow *''Sueja III'', Yacht, 179 tons, built in 1926, built by Winslow Marine Railway & Shipbuilding Company in Winslow, renamed ''Salvage Queen'' in 1941, renamed ''Sheng-Li'' in 1946, burnt Whangpoo River in 1948

Liberty ships operated

* ''Edmond Mallett'' * ''Edward A. MacDowell'' * ''Nicholas J. Sinnott'' * ''Rufus W. Peckham'' * ''William Cullen Bryant''

Victory ships operated

* ''Douglas Victory''

Ships built by Captain James Griffiths

Ships built by Captain James Griffiths 1919 to 1947:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:James Griffiths and Sons, Inc. Defunct shipping companies of the United States American companies established in 1885