Peterson Builders Incorporated (PBI) was an American constructor of small to medium naval, commercial and other ships and boats. The company maintained a shipyard in

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin Sturgeon Bay is a city in and the county seat of Door County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 9,646 at the 2020 Census. The city is well-known regionally for being the largest city of the Door Peninsula, after which the county is n ...

, spare parts and logistics business in

Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

and ship repair operations in

Ingleside, Texas Ingleside is a city in Nueces and San Patricio Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. Its population was 9,519 at the 2020 census. Ingleside was the home to Naval Station Ingleside. On August 24, 2005, the BRAC Committee voted to close the base. ...

Products

The company constructed submarine chasers,

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, training craft, harbor security boats,

patrol boat A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and the ...

s, landing craft,

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...

s, diving tenders, personnel boats, torpedo retrievers, salvage ships, and sailboats for the navies of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, the Netherlands, Burma, Iran, Ethiopia, Korea, Vietnam, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Philippines, the Dominican Republic, Thailand, Peru, Turkey, Greece, and Liberia as well as the United States Army and National Science Foundation. The company was a prime contractor for the United States Navy. It also constructed

ferries A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water tax ...

fireboat A fireboat or fire-float is a specialized watercraft with pumps and nozzles designed for fighting shoreline and shipboard fires. The first fireboats, dating to the late 18th century, were tugboats, retrofitted with firefighting equipme ...

s for local and state governments. In 1974, PBI produced a unique floating aquarium for the New England Aquarium. During the company's 65 years company delivered nearly 300 vessels beginning with fishing vessel through a crane barge for the Army Corps of Engineers in 1995 PBI was best known for the

s constructed mostly during the 1950s and 1960s and beginning again in the late 1980s. While Peterson focused mostly on smaller vessels, it constructed several long roll-on/roll-off ships for the American Heavy Lift Shipping Company and salvage ships for the US Navy exceeding .

Closure

On June 16, 1995, Second generation owner and CEO Ellsworth Peterson announced that the company was for sale. Unlike other area shipbuilders On September 25, 1995, former chief financial officer Larry Maples announced his intention to purchase and operate the company under the name Poseidon Shipbuilding LLC. By November, Maple was reportedly unable to secure the necessary financing. PBI shut down in January 1996, All that remains of the Sturgeon Bay shipyard is a historical marker in what is now Graham Park and a girls little league baseball field, PBI Field at Memorial Field Complex, named for the company.Park Facilities
''City of Sturgeon Bay'', (Archived May 5, 2014)

References

{{Reflist Door County, Wisconsin Defunct shipbuilding companies of the United States Manufacturing companies established in 1933 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1996 Defunct companies based in Wisconsin

Products

Closure

See also

References