The Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation (also operating as Todd Pacific) was an American corporation which built

escort carrier The escort carrier or escort aircraft carrier (U.S. hull classification symbol CVE), also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the United States Navy (USN) or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slow type of aircraft ...

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

s, cargo ships and auxiliaries 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 ...

and merchant marine 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 ...

in two yards in

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 ...

, Washington. It was the largest producer of destroyers (45) on the West Coast and the largest producer of escort carriers of various classes (56) of any United States yard active during World War II.

History

The

Todd Corporation The Todd Corporation is a large private New Zealand company with a value of $4.3 billion, owned and controlled by the Todd family and headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand. The corporation is currently led by chairman of the board, Henry Tait ...

, just having established itself in New York, acquired

Seattle Construction and Drydock Company The Seattle Construction and Drydock Company was a shipbuilding company based in Seattle, Washington. Between 1911 and 1918, it produced a substantial number of ships for both commercial and military uses. History Formally established in 1911, ...

(a.k.a. ''The Moran Brothers Shipyard'' of Klondike Gold Rush fame) in Seattle Harbor during World War I some time in 1916. The yard was acquired in 1918 by

Skinner & Eddy The Skinner & Eddy Corporation, commonly known as Skinner & Eddy, was a Seattle, Washington-based shipbuilding corporation that existed from 1916 to 1923. The yard is notable for completing more ships for the United States war effort during Worl ...

. Todd moved his Seattle operation to nearby Harbor Island where a repair facility was constructed. In 1917 the company also set foot in Tacoma, where the first work on facilities was underway in January 1917 and the first ship, the '' Tacoma'', was launched on March 28, 1918. 3 of 10 light cruisers and 22 cargo ships (7,500t) were built in the Tacoma yard (including , which survived till at least 1971), the and the ''N''-class submarines , and as well as 8 cargo ships of 7,500t and 6 cargo ships of 5,000t were built in Seattle. All cargo ships were delivered to 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 ...

. In addition to these government contracts, the Tacoma yard built 2 cargo ships (named '' Red Hook'' and ''

Hoboken Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,69 ...

'' after 2 of Todd's

New York Harbor New York Harbor is at the mouth of the Hudson River where it empties into New York Bay near the East River tidal estuary, and then into the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of the United States. It is one of the largest natural harbors in t ...

locations), 3 passenger ships and 6 barges. The ''Red Hook'' found its way into

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...

service as ''Naruo Maru'' and was sunk in 1944. Shipbuilding ceased in the Seattle yard in 1920 and in the Tacoma yard in 1924. William H. Todd died May 15, 1932. John D. Reilly became president of Todd Shipyards. In 1939, the old Tacoma shipyard in

Commencement Bay Commencement Bay is a bay of Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington. The city of Tacoma is located on the bay, with the Port of Tacoma occupying the southeastern end. A line drawn from Point Defiance in the southwest to Browns Point in th ...

was revived by Todd and

Kaiser Shipbuilding The Kaiser Shipyards were seven major shipbuilding yards located on the United States west coast during World War II. Kaiser ranked 20th among U.S. corporations in the value of wartime production contracts. The shipyards were owned by the Kaiser ...

together with the aid of some $15 million in capital provided by the U.S. Navy, for the production of vessels in anticipation of possible US entry into World War II. The money enabled the owners to expand the number of

way Way may refer to: Paths * a road, route, path or pathway, including long-distance paths. * a straight rail or track on a machine tool, (such as that on the bed of a lathe) on which part of the machine slides * Ways, large slipway in shipbuildin ...

s from three to eight in total. Following the enactment of the

Two-Ocean Navy Act The Two-Ocean Navy Act, also known as the Vinson-Walsh Act, was a United States law enacted on July 19, 1940, and named for Carl Vinson and David I. Walsh, who chaired the Naval Affairs Committee in the House and Senate respectively. The largest n ...

, Seattle-Tacoma was awarded a contract to build 25 destroyers. The government invested $9 million in a new destroyer construction facility on Harbor Island which was then built starting October 15, 1940 next to the existing repair dock founded in 1918. In February 1942 Todd bought out Kaiser's holding and sold the companies own interests in ''Permanente Metals'' and some time thereafter ''Seattle-Tacoma'' was reabsorbed into Todd Dry Dock & Construction, which eventually became

Todd Pacific Shipyards Vigor Shipyards is the current entity operating the former Todd Shipyards after its acquisition in 2011. Todd Shipyards was founded in 1916, which owned and operated shipyards on the West Coast of the United States, East Coast of the United St ...

. Todd sold the Tacoma shipyard to the Navy after the war ended, which in turn sold the site to the Port of Tacoma in 1959. Today the site is set for redevelopment as part of the Port's Commencement Bay Industrial Development District. The "Plant A" destroyer facility produced a single civilian ship, the luxury ferry Chinook, launched in 1947, but by 1952 oil terminals had been established in the spot. The original repair yard continued to be part of the Todd Corporation, now building new civilian and military ships and it remains active to this day as a facility of

Vigor Shipyards Vigor Shipyards is the current entity operating the former Todd Shipyards after its acquisition in 2011. Todd Shipyards was founded in 1916, which owned and operated shipyards on the West Coast of the United States, East Coast of the United St ...

World War II Ships built

Tacoma yard

()

Escort carrier The escort carrier or escort aircraft carrier (U.S. hull classification symbol CVE), also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the United States Navy (USN) or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slow type of aircraft ...

s (56) * 37 of 45 s ( C3-S-A1) ** several were completed / fitted out at

Willamette Iron and Steel Works Willamette Iron Works (also known as Willamette Iron and Steel Company or WISCO) was a general foundry and machine business established in 1865 in Portland, Oregon, originally specializing in the manufacture of steamboat boilers and engines. In ...

, Portland, Oregon * 19 of 19 s ** ... ** 3 completed at

Commercial Iron Works Commercial Iron Works was a manufacturing firm in Portland, Oregon, United States. Established in 1916, the company is best remembered today for its contribution to America's Emergency Shipbuilding Program during World War II. The company was fo ...

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

(CVE-110, CVE-126, CVE-121) ** 1 completed at

(CVE-108) Auxiliaries (14) * 2 of 2 s ( C3-S1-A3) ** , ** ordered October 23, 1940 * 4 of 4 s (C3 Mod.) ** ... * 5 of 23 s ( T1-MT-M1) ** ... * 3 of 6 s ** , , Cargo (5) * 5 of 95 C1-B (5 of 10 diesel variant C1-B) ** ''Cape Alava'' (MC-119) launched August 1, 1940, delivered to

American Mail Lines American Mail Line of Seattle, Washington was a commercial steamship service with routes to and from Seattle, Washington and the Far East. American Mail Line was founded in 1920, by Pacific Steamship Company also with a $500,000 investment from D ...

April 3, 1941 ** ''

Cape Flattery Cape Flattery () is the northwesternmost point of the contiguous United States. It is in Clallam County, Washington on the Olympic Peninsula, where the Strait of Juan de Fuca joins the Pacific Ocean. It is also part of the Makah Reservation, and ...

'' (MC-120) launched September 28, 1940, delivered to American Mail lines May 29, 1941 ** ''Cape Cleare'' (MC-121) launched November 29, 1940 ** ''Cape Fairweather'' (MC-122) launched April 11, 1941, renamed ''Oregon'', delivered to Pacific-Atlantic Steamship Corporation, sunk 1941 ** ''Cape Douglas'' (MC-123) launched June 10, 1941, renamed ''Idaho'' delivered to Pacific-Atlantic Steamship Corporation Ships of World War II produced before 1924 (incomplete) ** – torpedoed November 1942 on Atlantic convoy duty ( SC 107) ** SS Empire Wagtail – torpedoed December 1942 on Atlantic convoy duty ( ON 154) ** – torpedoed September 1941 on Atlantic convoy duty ( SC 42) ** – torpedoed off the coast of Virginia April 1942 ** – sunk by aerial torpedo as part of an Italian convoy ** Bienville / ''El Coston'' ** '' SS Empire Mallard'' ** '' Empire Tiger'' ** '' Empire Elk'' ** '' Willimantic'' (built in Seattle) other ships produced before 1924 (incomplete) ** ''Kennecott'' ** ''

Empire Gazelle An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

Seattle yard

Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding-destroyer plant harbor island 1945 01

Harbor Island Harbor Island is an artificial island in the mouth of the Duwamish River in Seattle, Washington, US, where it empties into Elliott Bay. Built by the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company, it was completed in 1909 and was then the largest art ...

() in 2 separate facilities at the north end of the island. In 1918 Todd moved out of the seattle waterfront and opened a repair facility on the northwestern corner. In 1940 additional slipways were added on the northeastern end. The expansion had all 5 building ways upon initial completion (2 destroyers each). In June 1945, 5 destroyers were building, the unfinished was about to be laid down and 2 destroyer tenders ( and - eventually aborted) were using up 1 full slipway each. Although the Seattle yard produced the largest number of destroyers on the West Coast,

Union Iron Works Union Iron Works, located in San Francisco, California, on the southeast waterfront, was a central business within the large industrial zone of Potrero Point, for four decades at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries. ...

was slightly more productive overall with 4 s, 9 s, 18 ''Fletchers'', 6 ''Sumners'', 3 ''Gearings'' and 12 s. Map of WW2 Shipyards building DD

Contracts awarded * NOD1502 7/40 destroyers $29,406,000 (= 5 Gleaves) * NOD1511 9/40 destroyers $109,726,000 (= 15 Fletcher) * NOD1502S 12/40 destroyers $29,406,000 (= 5 Gleaves) * NOD1760 3/41 gasoline tankers aog $10,700,000 (= 5 Patapsco, built in Tacoma) * OBS315 8/42 destroyers $40,799,000 (= 6 Fletcher) * OBS329 8/42 destroyers $107,535,000 (= 15 Sumner) * OBS10215 8/44 ship repairs $2,081,000 * total: $329,653,000 1 of 6 s * * - canceled incomplete 45 of 415

destroyers In navy, naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a Naval fleet, fleet, convoy or Carrier battle group, battle group and defend them against powerful short range attack ...

* 10 of 66 ** (May 1, 1941 - September 7, 1942) ** ... ** ... * 21 of 175 ** (March 8, 1942 - June 6, 1944) ** ... ** ... * 5 of 58 (as ''Todd Pacific'' according to some sources) ** ... * 9 of 98 (as ''Todd Pacific'' according to some sources) ** ... ** 1 additional, , was launched incomplete and never commissioned For the first 30 ships the allocation based on keel laid and launch dates can only be * Slip A: , * Slip B: , * Slip C: , * Slip D: , * Slip E: , * Slip F: , * Slip G: , * Slip H: , * Slip I: , * Slip J: , None of the 10 Gearings could have occupied the slip where Isle Royale was built. None of the 5 Sumners or Rooks could have been built at G, H, I, J. Rowan must have been built on G. At least 2 Gearings must have been built following a Gearing and no 3 Gearings could have been built on the same slip. Assuming a slip was not left unoccupied for 82 days only to build another destroyer, no more destroyers were built on H. The same is true for I (54 days gap) and J (40 days gap). Even then Gurke must have followed Rooks with a 25-day gap and the purely analytical approach can't account for that. Ship repairs may be responsible and could cause any length of gap. What is certain is that destroyer production slowed down in 1944. In the

yard, no new keels were laid after April 1944 and slipways apparently went unused by September 1944.

Todd dry dock

Todd Seattle Drydock, Harbor Island in 1945 (BA 342855)

conversions of ... (incomplete) * , ** see also Two-Ocean Navy Act#AUX ANV * * * * ''SS Cape Cleare'' to troop transport (1943)

Pacific Reserve Fleet, Tacoma

After the war the

took over the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding shipyard and for use as part of the

United States Navy reserve fleets The United States Navy maintains a number of its ships as part of a reserve fleet, often called the "Mothball Fleet". While the details of the maintenance activity have changed several times, the basics are constant: keep the ships afloat and s ...

, also called a ''mothball fleet''. The Pacific Reserve Fleet, Tacoma was used to store the now many surplus ships after

. Some ships in the Commencement Bay Reserve Fleet were reactivated for the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. The Navy sold the shipyard to the

Port of Tacoma The Port of Tacoma is an independent seaport located in Tacoma, Washington. The port was created by a vote of Pierce County citizens on November 5, 1918. The ''Edmore'' was the first ship to call at the port in 1921. The port's marine cargo opera ...

in 1959. The ships stored at Pacific Reserve Fleet, Tacoma were either scrapped or moved to other

reserve fleet A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed; they are partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; a ...

s.shipbuildinghistory.com Todd Tacoma
/ref> * Example ships: *

USS Lunga Point USS ''Lunga Point'' (CVE-94), originally named ''Alazon Bay'', was a of the United States Navy. It was named for Lunga Point on the northern coast of Guadalcanal, the site of a naval battle during World War II. The ship notably participated in s ...

was placed in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Tacoma in 1946 and removed in June 1955 and recommissioned as CVU-94. *

USS Kwajalein USS ''Kwajalein'' (CVE-98) was the forty-fourth of fifty s built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was named after the Battle of Kwajalein, in which American forces captured Kwajalein Atoll. The ship was launched in May 1944, ...

was placed in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Tacoma in 1946 and removed in June 1955 and recommissioned as CVU-98 a utility aircraft carrier. *

USS Tinian (CVE-123) USS ''Tinian'' (CVE-123) was a of the United States Navy. Ordered and constructed during World War II, ''Tinian'' never entered active service and was assigned to the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Tacoma after being completed. In June 1955, the ship was ...

a Commencement Bay-class escort carrier, was stored at Reserve Fleet, Tacoma, being completed in 1946, too late for World War II. On June 12, 1955, the ship was reclassified as an escort helicopter aircraft carrier and re-designated CVHE-123.

Shipbuilding in Puget Sound

* Elliot Bay ** Seattle waterfront ***

No. 1 ***

Moran Brothers Shipyard The Seattle Construction and Drydock Company was a shipbuilding company based in Seattle, Washington. Between 1911 and 1918, it produced a substantial number of ships for both commercial and military uses. History Formally established in 1911, ...

**** Moran Company **** Seattle Construction and Drydock Company **** Skinner & Eddy No. 2 *** Nielson & Kelez ** West Seattle ***

Seattle North Pacific Shipbuilding Corporation Steel refs: East Coast Gulf Coast West Coast * See also ** Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation#Shipbuilding in Puget Sound ** Moore Dry Dock Company#Shipbuilding in Oakland and Alameda Great Lakes Contracts and Cancella ...

***

Ames Shipbuilding and Drydock Company Steel refs: East Coast Gulf Coast West Coast * See also ** Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation#Shipbuilding in Puget Sound ** Moore Dry Dock Company#Shipbuilding in Oakland and Alameda Great Lakes Contracts and Cancel ...

** Harbor Island *** Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding ***

Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company was a major shipbuilding and construction company, located in Seattle, Washington, on the southwestern corner of Harbor Island, an artificial island in Elliott Bay. The Bridge and Dredging Company created t ...

**** Associated Shipbuilders ****

Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company (a.k.a. Lockheed Shipbuilding), was a shipyard in Seattle, Washington with Yard 1 on Harbor Island and Yard 2 at what is now Jack Block Park at Seattle Terminal 5, both at the mouth of the West Wate ...

*** J. F. Duthie & Company * Commencement Bay ** Todd Construction and Drydock Company *** Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding **

Western Boat Building Co Western Boat Building Company was a company based in Tacoma, Washington from 1916 until 1982. The company was founded by Martin Petrich, Joe M. Martinac and William Vickart. Within a few years, Joe Martinac left the partnership to go to the Tacoma S ...

Tacoma Boatbuilding Company Tacoma Boatbuilding Company (sometimes Tacoma Boat) was a shipyard at 1840 Marine View Drive, Tacoma, Washington, in the United States. It was established in 1926 and closed in 1992. History Tacoma Boat was established in 1926 and built man ...

* Bainbridge Island **

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 ...

* Bremerton **

Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, officially Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF), is a United States Navy shipyard covering 179 acres (0.7 km2) on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Washington in uninterrupted u ...

* Everett ** Everett-Pacific Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company * Lake Union ** Lake Union Dry Dock Company * Lake Washington **

Lake Washington Shipyard Lake Washington Shipyards was a shipyard in the northwest United States, located in Houghton, Washington (today Kirkland) on the shore of Lake Washington, east of Seattle. Today, the shipyards are the site of the lakeside Carillon Point busines ...