Bethlehem Steel Corporation Shipbuilding Division was created in 1905 when the

Bethlehem Steel The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Until its closure in 2003, it was one of the world's largest steel-producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its success ...

Corporation of

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Northampton and Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Bethle ...

, acquired the

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

-based shipyard

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. ...

. In 1917, it was incorporated as Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Limited. The division's headquarters were moved to

Quincy, Massachusetts Quincy ( ) is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county. Quincy is part of the Greater Boston area as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in ...

, after acquiring the

Fore River Shipyard Fore River Shipyard was a shipyard owned by General Dynamics Corporation located on Weymouth Fore River in Braintree, Massachusetts, Braintree and Quincy, Massachusetts. It began operations in 1883 in Braintree, and moved to its final location on ...

in 1913. In 1940, Bethlehem Shipbuilding was the largest of the "Big Three" U.S. shipbuilders that could build any ship, followed by Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock and

New York Shipbuilding The New York Shipbuilding Corporation (or New York Ship for short) was an American shipbuilding company that operated from 1899 to 1968, ultimately completing more than 500 vessels for the U.S. Navy, the United States Merchant Marine, the United ...

Corporation (New York Ship). Bethlehem expanded shortly before and during

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 ...

as a result of the Long Range Shipbuilding Program and later the

Emergency Shipbuilding program The Emergency Shipbuilding Program (late 1940 – September 1945) was a United States government effort to quickly build simple cargo ships to carry troops and materiel to allies and foreign theatres during World War II. Run by the U.S. Maritim ...

orchestrated by the

United States Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 1950. The co ...

and the Two Ocean Navy program and its war-time successors by the military establishment. In 1964, the now-corporate headquarters moved to

Sparrows Point, Maryland Sparrows Point is an industrial area in unincorporated Baltimore County, Maryland, United States, adjacent to Edgemere. Named after Thomas Sparrow, landowner, it was the site of a very large industrial complex owned by Bethlehem Steel, known ...

, southeast of

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, whose shipyard had been acquired in 1916. The Quincy / Fore River yard was sold to General Dynamics Corporation in the mid-1960s, and closed in 1986. The

Alameda Works Shipyard The Alameda Works Shipyard, in Alameda, California, United States, was one of the largest and best equipped shipyards in the country. The only building remaining from the yard is the Union Iron Works Powerhouse, which is listed on the National ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

was closed by Bethlehem Steel in the early 1970s, while the

facility (former

) was sold to

British Aerospace British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft manufacturer, aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer that was formed in 1977. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. ...

in the mid-1990s and survives today as

BAE Systems BAE Systems plc is a British Multinational corporation, multinational Aerospace industry, aerospace, military technology, military and information security company, based in London. It is the largest manufacturer in Britain as of 2017. It is ...

San Francisco Ship Repair. Bethlehem Steel ceased shipbuilding activities in 1997 in an attempt to preserve its core steelmaking operations. The Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation Hospital, first built to treat injured workers, was assigned to be a

San Francisco Designated Landmark This is a list of San Francisco Designated Landmarks. In 1967, the city of San Francisco, California, adopted Article 10 of the Planning Code, providing the city with the authority to designate and protect landmarks from inappropriate alteration ...

in December 2022.

Shipyards

Shipyards owned or operated by Bethlehem:

New York

* Became part of Bethlehem with the purchase of United Shipyards on June 2, 1938 for $9,320,000 **

Bethlehem Mariners Harbor USS ''Bache'', Bethlehem Staten Island first Fletcher-class destroyer built in 1942 Bethlehem Staten Island also called Bethlehem Mariners Harbor was a large shipyard in Mariners Harbor, Staten Island, New York. The shipyard started building s ...

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

, New York (1938–1963). **

Bethlehem Brooklyn 56th Street The Morse Dry Dock and Repair Company was a major late 19th/early 20th century ship repair and conversion facility located in New York City. Begun in the 1880s as a small shipsmithing business known as the Morse Iron Works, the company grew to ...

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

(1938-1963). ** Bethlehem Brooklyn 27th Street (1938-1963). ** Hoboken Shipyard,

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Hoboken is part of the New York metropolitan area and is the site of Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub. As of the ...

(1938–1984). ** they were called the Staten Island Works, the Brooklyn 56th Street Works, the Brooklyn 27th Street Works and the Hoboken Works of the New York Plant of the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation. * Bethlehem Elizabethport,

Elizabethport, New Jersey Elizabeth is a City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Bayonne Naval Drydock,

Bayonne, New Jersey Bayonne ( ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey, in the Gateway Region on Bergen Neck, a peninsula between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill Van Kull to the south, and New York ...

. Bethlehem used this drydock for ship repairs. Most workers were from Hoboken Shipyard.

Boston

(1913–1963). Sold to General Dynamics Corporation. * Victory Plant Shipyard,

(1917–1919). The "Victory Yard" was constructed to build destroyers and free up the Fore River Yard for other vessels including the battlecruiser-turned-aircraft carrier . *

Bethlehem Hingham Shipyard The Bethlehem Hingham Shipyard of Hingham, Massachusetts, was a shipyard in the United States from 1941 until 1945. Located on Weymouth Back River, it was owned by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Company and operated by the nearby Fore River Shipyard ...

Hingham, Massachusetts Hingham ( ) is a town in northern Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Part of the Greater Boston region, it is located on the South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore of Massachusetts. At the 2020 ...

(1940–1945). *

Bethlehem Atlantic Works Bethlehem Atlantic Works of East Boston, Massachusetts, was a shipyard in the United States from 1853 until 1984.At ...

East Boston, Massachusetts East Boston, nicknamed Eastie, is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, which was annexed by the city of Boston in 1836. Neighboring communities include Winthrop, Massachusetts, Winthrop, Revere, Mas ...

(1853–1984).

Baltimore

* Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard,

(1914–1997). *

Bethlehem Fairfield Shipyard The Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard of Baltimore, Maryland, was a shipyard in the United States from 1941 until 1945. Located on the south shore of the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River which serves as the Baltimore Harbor, it was owned by the Be ...

, (1940–1945). * Bethlehem Key Highway Shipyard, Baltimore. The upper yard was sold to AME/Swirnow in 1983. The site now holds Ritz Carlton and Harborview communities next to

Baltimore Museum of Industry The Baltimore Museum of Industry is a museum in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Located in an old cannery complex, the museum has exhibits on various types of manufacturing and industry from the early 20th century. There are several hands-o ...

. * Bethlehem Fort McHenry Shipyard, Baltimore. The lower yard on Locust Point peninsula, it was sold to General Ship Repair in 1983. Now some

Port of Baltimore The Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore is a Port, shipping port along the tidal basins of the three branches of the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, on the upper northwest shore of the Chesapeake Bay. It is the nation's la ...

terminals.

San Francisco

, California (1917–1981). ** also called the Potrero Works and the Risdon Works of the Union plant of Bethlehem Steel *

Alameda, California Alameda ( ; ; Spanish for "Avenue (landscape), tree-lined path") is a city in Alameda County, California, United States, located in the East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), East Bay region of the Bay Area. The city is built on an informal archipe ...

(1916–1956). ** also called the Alameda Works of the Union plant of Bethlehem Steel * Hunters Point Drydocks,

Hunters Point, San Francisco, California Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn ...

(1908–1920). Acquired by the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

Others

* Bethlehem Shipbuilding San Pedro on

Terminal Island Terminal Island, historically known as , is a largely artificial island located in Los Angeles County, California, between the neighborhoods of Wilmington, Los Angeles, Wilmington and San Pedro, Los Angeles, San Pedro in the city of Los Angeles ...

, formerly ''Southwestern Shipbuilding''. * Bethlehem Steel Wilmington (aka

Harlan and Hollingsworth Harlan & Hollingsworth was a Wilmington, Delaware, manufacturing firm that built railroad cars and became one of the first iron shipyards in the United States. It operated under various names from 1837 to 1904, when it was purchased by Bethlehem ...

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

(1904–1925, 1941–1945). * Bethlehem Beaumont Shipyard,

Beaumont, Texas Beaumont is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, located in Southeast Texas on the Neches River about east of Houston (city ...

(1948–1989). A major U.S. manufacturer of offshore drilling rigs, it produced 72. * Bethlehem Sabine,

Port Arthur, Texas Port Arthur is a city in the state of Texas, United States of America, located east of metro Houston. Part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, the city lies primarily in Jefferson County, with a small extension in Orange County. ...

, (1985–1995). Sold to Texas Drydock Inc. in 1995.Bethlehem Steel Dedicates Its New Sabine Yard In Port Arthur, Texas Maritime Reporter, Dec. 1985
/ref>

References

External links

Ship christening photos, including at the Wilmington Yard
- Maritime Business Strategies

- globalsecurity.org
Bethlehem Steel Corporation and Bethlehem Ship Corporation photograph collection
at

Hagley Museum and Library The Hagley Museum and Library is a nonprofit educational institution in unincorporated New Castle County, Delaware, near Wilmington. Covering more than along the banks of the Brandywine Creek, the museum and grounds include the first du Po ...

Bethlehem Steel Corporation. Shipbuilding Division Photographs, circa 1900-1945
at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park {{Authority control 1905 establishments in Maryland 1997 disestablishments in Delaware American companies established in 1905 Bethlehem shipyards Defunct manufacturing companies based in Delaware Defunct manufacturing companies based in Maryland Defunct shipbuilding companies of the United States Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1997 Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1905