Groton Iron Works was a company formed in 1917 to build cargo 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 I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. The company owned two shipyards: one in

Noank, Connecticut Noank ( ) is a village in the town of Groton, Connecticut. This dense community of historic homes and local businesses sits on a small, steep peninsula at the mouth of the Mystic River with a long tradition of fishing, lobstering and boat-buildin ...

for wooden ships; and the other in

Groton, Connecticut Groton is a town in New London County, Connecticut located on the Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United States Navy. The Naval Submarine Base New London is ...

for steel ships. The focus of this article is the

yard.

Early property ownership

In 1916, Harry C. Rowe sold his 30-acre estate at Eastern Point to

Charles W. Morse Charles Wyman Morse (October 21, 1856 – January 12, 1933) was an American businessman and speculator who committed frauds and engaged in corrupt business practices. At one time he controlled 13 banks. Known as the "Ice King" early in his career ...

was president of United States Steamship Company, which was the parent company of Groton Iron Works and Virginia Shipbuilding Corporation. 4,993 shares of the 5,000 total shares of Groton Iron Works stock was owned by United States Steamship Company. Qualifying shares were owned by the following: four shares by C.W. Morse and his three sons; one by Mr. Guggenheim; one by Mr. Loft; one unknown. $3,500,000 was spent to construct Groton Iron Works, which employed 3,600 men.

Groton Iron Works officers

E.A. Morse, President H.F. Morse, Vice President B.W. Morse, Secretary

Steel cargo ship contracts

Emergency Fleet Corporation The Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) was established by the United States Shipping Board, sometimes referred to as the War Shipping Board, on 16 April 1917 pursuant to the Shipping Act (39 Stat. 729) to acquire, maintain, and operate merchant shi ...

contract #57 S.C. for six 8,800 dead-weight ton steamers was signed 11 August 1917.

contract #225 S.C. for six 9,400 dead-weight ton steamers was signed 20 April 1918. Three were eventually canceled due to the end of the war.

Cargo ships built in Groton

Subsequent property uses

On 23 July 1922, the

New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to December 31, 1968. Founded by the merger of ...

leased the property for use as a

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...

repair facility. On 30 January 1926,

Hickman Sea Sled The Hickman Sea Sled is an inverted vee planing hull invented by Albert Hickman. The Sea Sled is a direct forerunner of the modern high speed catamaran or tunnel hull. The reduced friction is due to a "trapped" gas film between the hull surface a ...

announced the lease of the jointer shop building. On 25 January 1927, Atlantic Coast Fisheries purchased the northern section of the property from Boston Iron and Metal Company, to fillet, freeze and package haddock. In 1929 they purchased the remaining property, then sold some to

Shell Oil Company Shell USA, Inc. (formerly Shell Oil Company, Inc.) is the United States-based wholly owned subsidiary of Shell plc, a UK-based transnational corporation " oil major" which is amongst the largest oil companies in the world. Approximately 18,000 ...

for the construction of a distributing center with seven tanks. In January, 1941, a syndicate headed by Alfred Holter purchased most of the property, intending to build freighters for Britain. Purchase price was $550,000 cash. On 5 February 1942, the US Navy purchased the property from Alfred Holter and

for $222,000 using condemnation proceedings. $9.5 million was spent to construct the

Victory Yard The Victory Yard was a temporary expansion of the General Dynamics Electric Boat facility in Groton, Connecticut, to dramatically increase submarine construction during World War II. Early property ownership On 5 February 1942, the US Navy purch ...

, where the

Electric Boat Company Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...

began building submarines on 22 July 1942. On 3 November 1943 a Federal Court Committee awarded an additional $203,000 to the former owners. On 13 January 1945, Electric Boat announced that $3,000,000 will be spent to convert the

to manufacture 105mm shells. On 18 December 1946,

Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered on 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York City. The company was established in 1849 in New York by two German entrepreneurs, Charles Pfizer ...

Inc purchased the property from the

War Assets Administration The War Assets Administration (WAA) was created to dispose of United States government-owned surplus material and property from World War II. The WAA was established in the Office for Emergency Management, effective March 25, 1946, by Executive Ord ...

. Purchase price was $911,999.

References

{{Reflist, refs= Robert Palmer & Son, Noank CT (later Groton Iron Works and Noank Shipbuilding)
. ''Shipbuilding History''. Retrieved on 27 June 2021. Kimball, Carol W.
Anecdotes give insight into Atlantic Coast Fisheries
. ''The Day''. 17 January 2005. p. B6. Retrieved on 16 January 2011. C. W. Morse Contracts
. ''Hearings before Select Committee on U. S. Shipping Board Operations''. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1920. p. 1088. Retrieved on 18 January 2011. C. W. Morse Contracts
. ''Hearings before Select Committee on U. S. Shipping Board Operations''. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1920. p. 1237. Retrieved on 18 January 2011. C. W. Morse Contracts
. ''Hearings before Select Committee on U. S. Shipping Board Operations''. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1920. p. CLXXIII. Retrieved on 18 January 2011. C. W. Morse Contracts
. ''Hearings before Select Committee on U. S. Shipping Board Operations''. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1920. p. CLXXIIV. Retrieved on 18 January 2011. C. W. Morse Contracts
. ''Hearings before Select Committee on U. S. Shipping Board Operations''. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1920. p. CXXXVI. Retrieved on 18 January 2011. C. W. Morse Contracts
. ''Hearings before Select Committee on U. S. Shipping Board Operations''. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1920. p. 1122. Retrieved on 18 January 2011. C. W. Morse Contracts
. ''Hearings before Select Committee on U. S. Shipping Board Operations''. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1920. p. 1131. Retrieved on 18 January 2011. C. W. Morse Contracts
. ''Hearings before Select Committee on U. S. Shipping Board Operations''. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1920. p. 1061. Retrieved on 18 January 2011. C. W. Morse Contracts
. ''Hearings before Select Committee on U. S. Shipping Board Operations''. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1920. p. 1215. Retrieved on 5 January 2011. C. W. Morse Contracts
. ''Hearings before Select Committee on U. S. Shipping Board Operations''. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1920. p. CCXLIX. Retrieved on 3 January 2011. Groton Iron Works Shipbuilding Plant
. ''International Marine Engineering''. April, 1919. pp. 246-250. Retrieved on 3 January 2011. Leases Groton Iron Works
. ''The New York Times''. 24 July 1922. Retrieved on 3 January 2011. New London 25 and 50 Years Ago
. ''The Day''. 30 January 1951. p. 6. Retrieved on 11 January 2011. Launching party, freighter Honnedaga, Groton
. ''Connecticut History Online''. Retrieved on 4 January 2011. Launching Party assembling, freighter Provincetown, Groton
. ''Connecticut History Online''. Retrieved on 4 January 2011. Big Fisheries Concern Buys Iron Works Tract To Establish New Plant
. ''The Day''. 25 January 1927. p. 1. Retrieved on 13 January 2011. Kimball, Carol W.
Former Groton plant has cold, fishy history
. ''The Day''. 21 February 2005. p. B3. Retrieved on 10 January 2011.
. ''Time''. 20 January 1941. Retrieved on 6 January 2011. Norwegian Fugitive From Nazis Here to Aid Britain
. ''St. Petersburg Times''. 11 January 1941. p. 24. Retrieved on 10 January 2011. Iron Works Property Turned Over to E.B.
. ''The Day''. 5 February 1942. p. 10. Retrieved on 13 January 2011. EB
. ''The Day''. 2 September 1995. p. A5. Retrieved on 13 January 2011.
. ''The New York Times''. 3 November 1943. Retrieved on 13 January 2011. Electric Boat Co., Groton, Gets “Very Large Order” For Manufacture of 105 MM Shells
. ''Lewiston Evening Journal''. 13 January 1945. p. 7. Retrieved on 8 January 2011. New London, Groton Salute Pfizer for Community Role; Plaque Given at Breakfast
. ''The Day''. 12 November 1954. p. 3. Retrieved on 10 January 2011.
. ''The New York Times''. 19 December 1946. Retrieved on 13 January 2011. Shipyards of the United States Defunct shipbuilding companies of the United States