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 natural river within the U.S. state of Ma ...

in Bath, Maine, founded in 1884 as Bath Iron Works, Limited. Since 1995, Bath Iron Works has been a subsidiary of General Dynamics, one of the world's largest defense companies. 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, a native of Bath who served in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. 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 ( , ; ), is a city and Port of Acapulco, major seaport in the Political divisions of Mexico, state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Located on a deep, semicirc ...

, Mexico in 1949. The shipyard was at peak production during World War II (1943–1944), launching 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. Ffg58minedamage2

was commissioned at Bath in 1986. 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 was towed to the company's dry dock in

Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

, 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 Jiangdu Yuchai Shipbuilding Company for $27 million and shipped from China. In 2015, Bath Iron Works signed contracts with US Navy to build new ''Arleigh Burke''-class destroyers, 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. The shipbuilders agreed to a 3-year pact and returned to work after 63 days of strike. 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.

Offsite facilities

Bath Iron Works operates several offsite facilities in the surrounding mid-coast Maine region, their purposes range from administration to structural fabrication.

West Bath

• ''West Bath Warehouse'' • The facility closest to the main yard, located on 76 New Meadows Road, West Bath. Its primary responsibilities are storage and distribution of materials to other BIW facilities, primarily the main yard.

Brunswick

The neighboring city of Brunswick, Maine, Contains the most Bath Iron Works offsite facilities of any single municipality. • ''Structural Fabrication'' • Built in 1940 under the name "Harding's Plant", the Structural Fabrication facility is among the largest outside of the main yard. • ''Outfit Fabrication'' • Previously known as "East Brunswick Manufacturing Facility (EBMF)", the Outfit Fabrication facility is responsible for the production of non-structural parts and assemblies more efficient to build on the shop floor, and later ship into the main yard. • ''Tech Center'' • The Tech Center is where many Planners, Designers, and Engineers work.

Notable ships built

*Yachts ** SY ''Eleanor'' (1894) 803 ton steam yacht for W. A. Slater ** ''Aphrodite'' completed for Oliver Hazard Payne 1899, the largest American built steam yacht at the time ** ''Ranger'', successful America's Cup defender ** ''Aras II'', Presidential Yacht known as USS ''Williamsburg'' ** '' Corsair IV'', large yacht built for J. P. Morgan Jr. * Lightvessels ** Diamond Shoal Lightship No. 71 (LV-71) ** Nantucket Lightship 66 ** Nantucket Lightship 106 *

Gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-steam ...

** USS ''Machias'',

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

and

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

* Naval ram ** * Monitor ** * protected cruiser **

* ** , launched in 1904 USSChesterCL1

* **

* s **

* 5 of 21 s **

– Rum Patrol **

* 2 of 4 s **

– Rum Patrol **

– Rum Patrol * 1 of 6 **

* 2 of 6 s **

– Rum Patrol ** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) p.103

–

Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...

* 1 of 6 ** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) p.276

–

Guadalcanal Campaign The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by the United States, was an Allies of World War II, Allied offensive against forces of the Empire of Japan in the Solomon Islands during th ...

– Operation Flintlock – Battle of Saipan –

Philippines campaign (1944–45) Philippines campaign may refer to various military campaigns that have been fought in the Philippine Islands, including: Spanish colonial period (1565–1898) *Numerous revolts against Spain during the Spanish colonial period; see Philippine revo ...

* 8 of 111 s ** Fahey, James C. ''The Ships and Aircraft of the United States Fleet'' Ships and Aircraft (1939) p.17

– Destroyers for Bases Agreement **

** Destroyers for Bases Agreement ** Destroyers for Bases Agreement – St. Nazaire Raid ** Destroyers for Bases Agreement ** Destroyers for Bases Agreement ** Destroyers for Bases Agreement * 3 of 156 s ** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) p.212

–

– Battle of Empress Augusta Bay **

* ** 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

– Battle of the Coral SeaOftsie, 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

** Battle of Tassafaronga –

– sunk in test ''Able'' of Operation Crossroads * 3 of 6 s ** ** ** Invasion of Normandy * 2 of 12 s ** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) p.126 Battle of the Coral SeaOftsie, 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 –

* 8 of 66 s ** invasions of

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Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and

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

** invasions of

and

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

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

and

** invasions of

and

** invasions of

and

** invasions of

and

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

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

and Okinawa ** invasions of

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 the United States, was an Allies of World War II, Allied offensive against forces of the Empire of Japan in the Solomon Islands during th ...

–

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

–

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

** 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 LavellaOftsie, R.A., RADM USN ''The Campaigns of the Pacific War'' United States Government Printing Office (1946) p.148 –

–

– Naval Battle of Vella Lavella **

–

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

–

– Battle of Surigao Strait –

– 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. GeorgeOftsie, R.A., RADM USN ''The Campaigns of the Pacific War'' United States Government Printing Office (1946) p.159 – Battle of the Philippine Sea –

–

– Battle of Empress Augusta Bay –

–

Battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa Island, Okinawa by United States Army and United States Marine Corps forces against the Imperial Japanese Army during the Pacific War, Impe ...

– Battle of Empress Augusta Bay – Battle of Cape St. George – Battle of the Philippine Sea –

– Battle of the Philippine Sea –

Battle of Iwo Jima The 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 (IJA) during World War II. The American invasion, desi ...

– Battle of Empress Augusta Bay – Battle of the Philippine Sea –

–

– Battle of the Philippine Sea –

–

** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) p.141

** Battle of the Philippine Sea –

–

– Battle of Surigao Strait **

–

** Battle of the Philippine Sea –

–

** Mariana and Palau Islands Campaign –

–

** Battle of the Philippine Sea –

** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) p.143 Battle of Saipan –

– Battle of Surigao Strait –

** Battle of Saipan ** Battle of Saipan **

* 14 of 58 s ** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) pp.146-7 Invasion of Normandy –

–

** Invasion of Normandy –

–

** Invasion of Normandy –

–

– preserved National Historic Landmark in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

** Invasion of Normandy –

–

** Invasion of Normandy **

–

– Gulf of Tonkin Incident –

–

* 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 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

–

** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) p.150

–

– Battle of Dong Hoi **

–

** ** (Experimental ship completed with aluminum superstructure and high-horsepower engines) **

** **

–

** **

–

** ** Recovered

astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a List of human spaceflight programs, human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member of a spa ...

John Glenn John Herschel Glenn Jr. (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016) was an American Marine Corps aviator, astronaut, businessman, and politician. He was the third American in space and the first to orbit the Earth, circling it three times in 1 ...

in Friendship 7 on 20 February 1962 **

–

** **

–

** Silverstone, Paul H. ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' Doubleday & Company (1968) p.152 (no overseas deployments – used exclusively for ASW research) **

* 3 of 13 s ** Blackman, Raymond V. B. ''Jane's Fighting Ships'' (1970/71) p.458 ** ** * 2 of 4 s ** Blackman, Raymond V. B. ''Jane's Fighting Ships'' (1970/71) p.435 **

* 9 of 18 s ** Blackman, Raymond V. B. ''Jane's Fighting Ships'' (1970/71) p.439 ** **

** **

* 4 of 23 s ** Blackman, Raymond V. B. ''Jane's Fighting Ships'' (1970/71) p.437 ** ** ** ** D185 ** D186 ** D187 * 2 of 10 ''Farragut''-class destroyers (1958) ** Blackman, Raymond V. B. ''Jane's Fighting Ships'' (1970/71) p.432 **

* 3 of 9 s ** Blackman, Raymond V. B. ''Jane's Fighting Ships'' (1970/71) p.431 ** **

* 5 of 9 s ** Blackman, Raymond V. B. ''Jane's Fighting Ships'' (1970/71) p.429 ** **

* 1 of 11 s ** Blackman, Raymond V. B. ''Jane's Fighting Ships'' (1970/71) p.456 * 3 of 6 s ** Blackman, Raymond V. B. ''Jane's Fighting Ships'' (1970/71) p.452 ** ** * 24 of 71 s ** Clement, Janet Ann, LT USNR "The FFG-7 Program: A Shipbuilding Status Report" ''United States Naval Institute Proceedings'' (June 1981) p.109 ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** , launched in 1984 and repaired after being punctured by a mine in 1988 ** * 8 of 27 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 website

USS ''Samuel B. Roberts'' (FFG-58) under repair at BIW's Portland dry dock
{{PTF boat 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 Shipyards of Maine 1884 establishments in Maine Shipyards building World War II warships PTF boat

History

Offsite facilities

West Bath

Brunswick

Notable ships built

References

Further reading

External links