Bath Iron Works (BIW) is a major United States shipyard located on the

Kennebec River The Kennebec River (Abenaki language, Abenaki: ''Kinəpékʷihtəkʷ'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed June 30, 2011 river within the U.S. state of Maine. It ri ...

in Bath, Maine, founded in 1884 as Bath Iron Works, Limited. Since 1995, Bath Iron Works has been a subsidiary of

General Dynamics General Dynamics Corporation (GD) is an American publicly traded, aerospace and defense corporation headquartered in Reston, Virginia. As of 2020, it was the fifth-largest defense contractor in the world by arms sales, and 5th largest in the Uni ...

. It is the fifth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2008. BIW has built private, commercial, and military vessels, most of which have been ordered by the United States Navy.

History

Bath Iron Works was incorporated in 1884 by General

Thomas W. Hyde Thomas Worcester Hyde (January 16, 1841 – December 14, 1899) was an American Union Army colonel, a state senator from Maine, and the founder of the Bath Iron Works, one of the major shipyards in the United States. He wrote two books about his ...

, a native of Bath who served in the American Civil War. After the war, he bought a shop that made windlasses and other iron hardware for the wooden ships built in Bath's many shipyards. He expanded the business by improving its practices, entering new markets, and acquiring other local businesses. By 1882, Hyde Windlass was eyeing the new and growing business of iron shipbuilding, and it incorporated as Bath Iron Works in 1884. On February 28, 1890, BIW won its first contract for complete vessels: two iron gunboats for the Navy. One of these ships was the , the first ship launched by the company. In 1892, the yard won its first commercial contract for the 2,500-ton steel passenger steamer . In the 1890s, the company built several yachts for wealthy sailors. In 1899, Hyde was suffering from Bright's Disease and resigned from management of the shipyard, leaving his sons Edward and John in charge. The shipyard began construction of that same year, the only battleship ever built in Bath. It dominated the yard for five years until its launching in 1904, and was at times the only ship under construction. The yard faced numerous challenges because of the weight of armor and weapons. In sea trials, ''Georgia'' averaged for four hours, making her the fastest ship in her class and the fastest battleship in the United States Navy at the time. The company continued to rely on Navy contracts, which provided 86-percent of the value of new contracts between 1905 and 1917. The yard also produced fishing trawlers, freighters, and yachts throughout the first half of the century. These included ''Vanda'', ''Hi-Esmaro'', ''Aras I'' and ''Aras II'', ''Caroline'', and ''Corsair IV'', which later served as a cruise ship before sinking off

Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , also , nah, Acapolco), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has bee ...

, Mexico in 1949. The shipyard was at peak production during World War II (1943–1944) and launched a destroyer every 17 days. Bath Iron Works ranked 50th among United States corporations in the value of World War II military production contracts. In 1981, Falcon Transport ordered two tankers, the last commercial vessels built by BIW. MightyServantRoberts-gedreht-

was commissioned at Bath in 1986, and it survived a mine explosion which tore a hole in its engine room and flooded two compartments. Over the next two years, BIW repaired the ship in unique fashion. The

guided missile frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

was towed to the company's dry dock in Portland, Maine, and put up on blocks, where the damaged engine room was cut out of the ship. Meanwhile, workers in Bath built a 315-ton replacement, and the module was floated south to Portland, placed on the dry dock, slid into place under the frigate, jacked up, and welded into place. In 1995, Bath Iron Works was bought by General Dynamics. In 2001, the company wrapped up a four-year effort to build the Land Level Transfer Facility, an enormous concrete platform for final assembly of its ships, instead of building them on a sloping way so that they could slide into the Kennebec at launch. Hulls are now moved by rail from the platform horizontally onto a moveable dry dock, which greatly reduced the work involved in building and launching the ships. The , 28,000-ton dry dock was built by China's Jiangdu Yuchai Shipbuilding Company for $27 million. In 2015, Bath Iron Works signed contracts with US Navy to build new

Arleigh Burke-class destroyer The ''Arleigh Burke'' class of guided-missile destroyers (DDGs) is a United States Navy class of destroyer built around the Aegis Combat System and the SPY-1D multi-function passive electronically scanned array radar. The class is named for ...

s, as well as to conduct maintenance sustainment support of Independence-class littoral combat ships built by competitor Austal USA. The shipyard delivered and and is working on and . The DDG block buy for Bath also includes , , and . On March 27, Bath received a $610.4 million contract modification to build ''John Basilone''. This ship was funded in the 2015 defense appropriations act. In 2016, Dirk Lesko became president of Bath Iron Works. In 2020, 4,300 workers, all members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, voted to go on strike after the company and the union failed to agree to new labor contracts. Lesko resigned unexpectedly on April 7, 2022, the same day the union local announced that it had come to an agreement with the shipyard. On May 5, 2022, Charles F. Krugh was appointed president. A General Dynamics employee since 2011, Krugh had lately been a vice president in the company's Gulfstream Aerospace subsidiary.

Notable ships built

*Yachts ** ''Aphrodite'' completed for Oliver Hazard Payne 1899, the largest American built steam yacht at the time ** ''Ranger'', successful

America's Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one f ...

defender ** ''Aras II'', Presidential Yacht known as USS ''Williamsburg'' ** ''

Corsair IV A corsair is a privateer or pirate, especially: * Barbary corsair, Ottoman and Berber pirates and privateers operating from North Africa * French corsairs, privateers operating on behalf of the French crown Corsair may also refer to: Arts and ...

'', large yacht built for

J. P. Morgan Jr. John Pierpont Morgan Jr. (September 7, 1867 – March 13, 1943) was an American banker, finance executive, and philanthropist. He inherited the family fortune and took over the business interests including J.P. Morgan & Co. after his father J. P ...

* Lightvessels **

Diamond Shoal Lightship No. 71 (LV-71) Diamond Shoal Lightship No. 71 (LV-71) was a lightship of the United States Lighthouse Service. She is most remembered for her sinking in 1918 during World War I when a German U-boat attacked her off North Carolina. Her shipwrecked remains wer ...

** Nantucket Lightship 66 ** Nantucket Lightship 106 * Gunboat ** USS ''Machias'', Spanish–American War and World War I * Naval ram ** * Monitor ** * protected cruiser ** World War I * ** , launched in 1904 USSChesterCL1

* ** World War I * s ** World War I ** World War I * 5 of 21 s ** World War I – Rum Patrol ** World War I ** World War I – Rum Patrol ** World War I – Rum Patrol ** World War I * 2 of 4 s ** World War I – Rum Patrol ** World War I – Rum Patrol * 1 of 6 ** World War I – Rum Patrol * 1 of 6 ** World War I * 2 of 6 s ** World War I – Rum Patrol ** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) p.103 World War I – Attack on Pearl Harbor * 1 of 6 ** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) p.276 World War I –

Guadalcanal Campaign The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in th ...

– Operation Flintlock – Battle of Saipan – Philippines campaign (1944–45) HMS Campbeltown and Castleton

* 8 of 111 s ** Fahey, James C. ''The Ships and Aircraft of the United States Fleet'' Ships and Aircraft (1939) p.17 World War I – Destroyers for Bases Agreement ** World War I – Destroyers for Bases Agreement ** World War I ** Destroyers for Bases Agreement ** Destroyers for Bases Agreement –

St. Nazaire Raid The St Nazaire Raid or Operation Chariot was a British amphibious attack on the heavily defended Normandie dry dock at St Nazaire in German-occupied France during the Second World War. The operation was undertaken by the Royal Navy (RN) a ...

** Destroyers for Bases Agreement ** Destroyers for Bases Agreement ** Destroyers for Bases Agreement * 3 of 156 s USS Pruitt (DD-347)

** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) p.212 Attack on Pearl Harbor –

** Attack on Pearl Harbor – Battle of Empress Augusta Bay ** Attack on Pearl Harbor USCGC Icarus (WPC-110)

* ** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) p.380 ** ** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) p.383 ** ** sank ''U-352'' ** ** sank ''U-157'' * 1 of 8 ''Farragut''-class destroyers (1934) ** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) p.114 Attack on Pearl Harbor –

Battle of the Coral Sea The Battle of the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. Taking place in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, the batt ...

Oftsie, R.A., RADM USN ''The Campaigns of the Pacific War'' United States Government Printing Office (1946) p.55 – Battle of Midway –

– Battle of the Eastern Solomons – Battle of the Philippine SeaTillman, Barrett ''Clash of the Carriers'' (2005) pp.301-306 * The J-class yacht ''Ranger'', 1936 * 2 of 18 s ** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) p.118 Battle of TassafarongaOftsie, R.A., RADM USN ''The Campaigns of the Pacific War'' United States Government Printing Office (1946) p.140 Philippines campaign (1944–45) ** Battle of Tassafaronga – Philippines campaign (1944–45) – sunk in test ''Able'' of Operation Crossroads * 3 of 6 s ** ** **

Invasion of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...

* 2 of 12 s ** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) p.126

Oftsie, R.A., RADM USN ''The Campaigns of the Pacific War'' United States Government Printing Office (1946) p.54 ** Battle of MidwayOftsie, R.A., RADM USN ''The Campaigns of the Pacific War'' United States Government Printing Office (1946) p.74 – Battle of the Santa Cruz IslandsOftsie, R.A., RADM USN ''The Campaigns of the Pacific War'' United States Government Printing Office (1946) p.122 – Naval Battle of GuadalcanalOftsie, R.A., RADM USN ''The Campaigns of the Pacific War'' United States Government Printing Office (1946) p.128 – Philippines campaign (1944–45) * 8 of 66 s ** invasions of Sicily, Italy and

Southern France Southern France, also known as the South of France or colloquially in French language, French as , is a defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi ...

** invasions of Sicily, Italy and

** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) p.129 invasions of North Africa and

** invasions of North Africa and

** invasions of North Africa, Sicily and Italy ** invasions of North Africa, Sicily, Italy and

** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) p.132 invasions of North Africa, Normandy,

and Okinawa ** invasions of North Africa,

and Okinawa * 31 of 175 ** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) p.135

Guadalcanal campaign The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in th ...

– Philippines campaign (1944–45) – Korean War – Vietnam War ** Naval Battle of GuadalcanalOftsie, R.A., RADM USN ''The Campaigns of the Pacific War'' United States Government Printing Office (1946) p.127

–

Naval Battle of Vella Lavella The was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II fought on the night of 6 October 1943, near the island of Vella Lavella in the Solomon Islands. It marked the end of a three-month fight to capture the central Solomon Islands, as pa ...

Oftsie, R.A., RADM USN ''The Campaigns of the Pacific War'' United States Government Printing Office (1946) p.148 – Philippines campaign (1944–45) – Korean War – Vietnam War **

–

– Philippines campaign (1944–45) – Korean War – Vietnam War **

** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) p.138

– Philippines campaign (1944–45) – Korean War **

– Philippines campaign (1944–45) – Battle of Surigao Strait – Korean War **

– Battle of Empress Augusta BayOftsie, R.A., RADM USN ''The Campaigns of the Pacific War'' United States Government Printing Office (1946) p.153

Battle of Cape St. George The Battle of Cape St. George was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II fought on 25 November 1943, between Cape St. George, New Ireland, and Buka Island (now part of the North Solomons Province in Papua New Guinea). It was ...

Oftsie, R.A., RADM USN ''The Campaigns of the Pacific War'' United States Government Printing Office (1946) p.159 – Battle of the Philippine Sea – Philippines campaign (1944–45) **

– Philippines campaign (1944–45) **

– Battle of Empress Augusta Bay – Philippines campaign (1944–45) –

Battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by United States Army (USA) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) forces against the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The initial invasion of ...

– Battle of Empress Augusta Bay –

– Battle of the Philippine Sea – Philippines campaign (1944–45) **

– Battle of the Philippine Sea –

Battle of Iwo Jima The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Navy (USN) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJ ...

– Battle of Empress Augusta Bay – Battle of the Philippine Sea – Philippines campaign (1944–45) –

– Battle of the Philippine Sea –

– Battle of the Philippine Sea – Philippines campaign (1944–45) –

** Philippines campaign (1944–45) –

– Korean War – Vietnam War ** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) p.141 Philippines campaign (1944–45) ** Battle of the Philippine Sea – Philippines campaign (1944–45) –

** Philippines campaign (1944–45) –

– Korean War ** Philippines campaign (1944–45) –

– Philippines campaign (1944–45) – Battle of Surigao Strait ** Philippines campaign (1944–45) –

– Korean War ** Battle of the Philippine Sea – Philippines campaign (1944–45) ** Battle of the Philippine Sea – Philippines campaign (1944–45) – Vietnam War ** Mariana and Palau Islands Campaign – Philippines campaign (1944–45) –

– Vietnam War ** Battle of the Philippine Sea – Philippines campaign (1944–45) ** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) p.143 Battle of Saipan – Philippines campaign (1944–45) – Battle of Surigao Strait –

** Battle of Saipan ** Battle of Saipan ** Philippines campaign (1944–45) * 14 of 58 s ** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) pp.146-7

– Philippines campaign (1944–45) – Korean War **

– Philippines campaign (1944–45) –

– Korean War – Vietnam War **

– Philippines campaign (1944–45) –

– Korean War – preserved National Historic Landmark in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

– Philippines campaign (1944–45) – Korean War – Vietnam War **

** Philippines campaign (1944–45) –

– Korean War ** Philippines campaign (1944–45) – Korean War – Vietnam War ** Philippines campaign (1944–45) –

– Korean War – Vietnam War ** Philippines campaign (1944–45) – Korean War **

– Korean War –

Gulf of Tonkin Incident The Gulf of Tonkin incident ( vi, Sự kiện Vịnh Bắc Bộ) was an international confrontation that led to the United States engaging more directly in the Vietnam War. It involved both a proven confrontation on August 2, 1964, carried out b ...

– Vietnam War **

– Korean War **

* 6 of 12 s **

* 30 of 98 s ** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) p.148 World War II – Korean War – Vietnam War ** World War II – Korean War – Vietnam War ** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) p.150 Korean War ** World War II – Korean War – Vietnam War –

Battle of Dong Hoi A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

** World War II – Vietnam War ** Vietnam War ** Korean War – Vietnam War ** ** (Experimental ship completed with aluminum superstructure and high-horsepower engines) ** Vietnam War ** Vietnam War ** ** Korean War – Vietnam War ** Korean War – Vietnam War ** ** Vietnam War ** Korean War – Vietnam War ** Vietnam War ** Korean War ** Vietnam War ** ** Recovered

astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

John Glenn John Herschel Glenn Jr. (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016) was an American Marine Corps aviator, engineer, astronaut, businessman, and politician. He was the third American in space, and the first American to orbit the Earth, circling ...

in Friendship 7 on 20 February 1962 ** Korean War – Vietnam War ** ** Vietnam War ** Korean War – Vietnam War ** Korean War – Vietnam War ** Vietnam War ** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) p.152 (no overseas deployments – used exclusively for ASW research) ** Vietnam War * s ** Blackman, Raymond V. B. ''Jane's Fighting Ships'' (1970/71) p.458 ** ** USS John S

* s ** Blackman, Raymond V. B. ''Jane's Fighting Ships'' (1970/71) p.435 ** Vietnam War * s ** Blackman, Raymond V. B. ''Jane's Fighting Ships'' (1970/71) p.439 ** ** Vietnam War ** Vietnam War ** ** Vietnam War ** Vietnam War ** Vietnam War ** Vietnam War * s ** Blackman, Raymond V. B. ''Jane's Fighting Ships'' (1970/71) p.437 ** ** ** ** D185 ** D186 ** D187 * ''Farragut''-class destroyers (1958) ** Blackman, Raymond V. B. ''Jane's Fighting Ships'' (1970/71) p.432 ** Vietnam War * s ** Blackman, Raymond V. B. ''Jane's Fighting Ships'' (1970/71) p.431 ** ** Vietnam War * s ** Blackman, Raymond V. B. ''Jane's Fighting Ships'' (1970/71) p.429 ** ** Vietnam War ** Vietnam War ** Vietnam War * ** Blackman, Raymond V. B. ''Jane's Fighting Ships'' (1970/71) p.456 * s ** Blackman, Raymond V. B. ''Jane's Fighting Ships'' (1970/71) p.452 ** ** * s ** Clement, Janet Ann, LT USNR "The FFG-7 Program: A Shipbuilding Status Report" ''United States Naval Institute Proceedings'' (June 1981) p.109 ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** , launched August 31, 1984. One of four U.S. Navy ships in commission to have sunk an enemy vessel with shipboard weaponry, the others being the , , and , ** , launched in 1984 and repaired after being punctured by a

mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging * Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun ...

in 1988 ** * s ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** , 21 Feb 2008 shot down the errant USA 193 satellite with a modified SM3 missile. * s ** , commissioned July 4, 1991. ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** , launched in 2005 ** ** , launched in 2006 ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** USS ''Daniel Inouye'' (DDG-118) ** USS ''Carl M. Levin'' (DDG-120) ** USS ''John Basilone'' (DDG-122) ** USS ''Harvey C. Barnum Jr.'' (DDG-124) ** USS ''Louis H. Wilson Jr.'' (DDG-126) ** USS ''Patrick Gallagher'' (DDG-127) ** USS ''William Charette'' (DDG-130) * s ** ** **

References

External links

Bath Iron Works websiteUSS ''Samuel B. Roberts'' (FFG-58) under repair at BIW's Portland dry dock
{{Authority control 1995 mergers and acquisitions America's Cup yacht builders American companies established in 1884 Bath, Maine Companies based in Sagadahoc County, Maine Defense companies of the United States General Dynamics Kennebec River Industrial buildings and structures in Maine Manufacturing companies based in Maine Manufacturing companies established in 1884 Manufacturing plants in the United States Shipbuilding companies of the United States Shipyards of the United States 1884 establishments in Maine Shipyards building World War II warships

History

Notable ships built

References

Further reading

External links