The Greenport Basin and Construction Company, known by various names throughout its history, but most recently named the Greenport Yacht & Shipbuilding Company, is a

shipbuilder Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...

Greenport, Suffolk County, New York Greenport is a village in Suffolk County, on the North Fork of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 2,197 at the 2010 census. The Incorporated Village of Greenport is located entirely within the Town of Southold and is ...

. It was established in the 19th century by brothers Pliny C. Brigham and Theodore W. Brigham.Kenneth J. Blume, ''Historical Dictionary of the U.S. Maritime Industry'', p. 203, 2011.Greenport Basin, Greenport NY
," ''Shipbuildinghistory.com''. One local history relates: The company built dozens of ships for the

United States 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 ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and

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 ...

, as well as building

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

s for private customers. In 1917 the company became involved in a tax case against the United States, in which it protested the assessment of an "excess profits" tax. The case made its way to the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

, where the company finally lost the decision in 1923.
Greenport Basin & Constr. Co. v. United States
', 260 U.S. 512 (1923). In 1970, the company was acquired by Stephen Clarke, and thereafter turned its attention from ship construction to ship maintenance and repairs, and

historic preservation Historic preservation (US), built heritage preservation or built heritage conservation (UK), is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. It is a philos ...

of ships.

Ships built or converted

Notable ships built by the company include: In addition, the

USS Patriot (PYc-47) USS ''Patriot'' (PYc-47), formerly the ''Katoura'', was built in 1930 by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company in Bristol, Rhode Island United States and purchased by the United States Navy, for $1.00, from Mr. A. Loomis of New York City on 20 Se ...

, built in 1930 by the

Herreshoff Manufacturing Company Nathanael Greene Herreshoff (March 18, 1848 – June 2, 1938) was an American naval architect, mechanical engineer, and yacht design innovator. He produced a succession of undefeated America's Cup defenders between 1893 and 1920. Biography Her ...

Bristol, Rhode Island Bristol is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, US as well as the historic county seat. The town is built on the traditional territories of the Pokanoket Wampanoag. It is a deep water seaport named after Bristol, England. The population of B ...

, was converted for Navy service as a

submarine chaser A submarine chaser or subchaser is a small naval vessel that is specifically intended for anti-submarine warfare. Many of the American submarine chasers used in World War I found their way to Allied nations by way of Lend-Lease in World War II. ...

by Greenport Basin and Construction Company, in 1940.

References

{{reflist Shipbuilding companies of New York (state) Companies based in Suffolk County, New York 19th-century establishments in New York (state)