'' Light Vessel No.57'' at Toledo, Ohio History-navy-mil-CoxasUSS-Puritan

Craig Shipbuilding was a

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other Watercraft, floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation th ...

company in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

. To support the

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 ...

demand for ships Craig Shipbuilding

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are shipbuilding, built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes m ...

switched over to military construction and built:

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

Submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

s and Cargo Ships. Craig Shipbuilding was started in 1906 by John F. Craig. John F. Craig had worked in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

with his father, John Craig (1838-1934), and Blythe Craig, both shipbuilders, their first ship was built in 1864 at Craig Shipbuilding Toledo. John F. Craig opened his shipbuilding company in

Port of Long Beach The Port of Long Beach, administered as the Harbor Department of the City of Long Beach, is a container port in the United States, which adjoins Port of Los Angeles. Acting as a major gateway for US–Asian trade, the port occupies of land wi ...

on the south side of Channel 3, the current location of Pier 41 in the inner harbor, becoming the port's first shipyard. In 1908 Craig Shipbuilding was given the contract to finishing dredging of the

inner harbor and to dredge the channel connecting it to the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

. In 1917 Craig sold the shipyard to the short-lived ''California Shipbuilding Company''. but then opened a new shipyard next to the one he just sold and called it the Long Beach Shipbuilding Company. The Long Beach Shipbuilding Company built cargo ships in 1918, 1919, and 1920 for the

United States Shipping Board The United States Shipping Board (USSB) was a corporation 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 ...

. In 1918 California Shipbuilding started to have difficulties completing contracts that it had purchased with the Craig Shipyard, including two submarines and a lighthouse tender. In 1921, Craig purchased his original shipyard back and renamed it back to Craig Shipbuilding. At the same time he renamed the Long Beach Shipbuilding to Craig Shipbuilding and ran both as one company. The tow shipyard did repair work on built yachts. 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 ...

started a shipbuilding program in 1939, to support the

World War 2 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilisin ...

demand for ships. Craig leased the Long Beach Shipbuilding yard to the

Consolidated Steel Corporation The Consolidated Steel Corporation was an American steel and shipbuilding business. Formed on 18 December 1928, the company built ships during World War II in two main locations: Wilmington, California, and Orange, Texas. It was created by the mer ...

. Consolidated Steel built Type C1-B and C1-M cargo merchant ships and two Type P1 passenger ships at the leased yard from prefabricated sections erected at their Maywood plant inland. Consolidated Steel operated two other large shipyards, one nearby in the

Port of Los Angeles The Port of Los Angeles is a seaport managed by the Los Angeles Harbor Department, a unit of the Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles. It occupies of land and water with of waterfront and adjoins the separate Port of Long Beach. Promoted as "Amer ...

West Basin in Wilmington, which was also supplied by Maywood, the other in

Orange, Texas Orange is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Texas, United States. The population was 19,324 at the 2020 census. It is the easternmost city in Texas, located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, and is from Houston. ...

, and two other small boatyards. After World war 2, the Consolidated-leased yard closed. Craig shipyard continued to do repair work as the Long Beach Marine Repair and closed in 1970.

Craig Shipbuilding Toledo

Notable ships built at Craig Shipbuilding Toledo (1864-1905), later purchased by a syndicate of investors in 1905 and renamed

Toledo Shipbuilding Company The Toledo Shipbuilding Company was a shipyard located on Toledo, Ohio. History The Toledo Shipbuilding Company was founded in 1905 when a syndicate of investors purchased the Craig Shipbuilding Company in Toledo, Ohio. The group was composed of L ...

, and then purchased in 1945 by the

American Ship Building Company The American Ship Building Company was the dominant shipbuilder on the Great Lakes before the Second World War. It started as Cleveland Shipbuilding in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1888 and opened the yard in Lorain, Ohio, in 1898. It changed its name t ...

. Run today by the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority: *Two schooners, the ''James H. Seguine'' and ''Edwin Kirk'' in 1864 at Keyport, New Jersey *''Amelia G. Ireland'', built at Wicomico Creek, Maryland in 1866 * Schooner ''Jane Ralston'' for Robert W. Linn. Craig started partnership with Linn: Linn & Craig * ''Manistique'' in 1882 as John Craig & Son (with George Losee Craig); son John Franklin Craig joins in 1889; yard moves to Toledo. *''E.G. Crosby'' (1903) *''City of South Haven'' *''Lakeside'' *''City of Benton Harbor'', the subject of a Supreme Court case *''Indianapolis'' *''Chippewa'' * SS ''George M. Cox'' (SS ''Puritan'') 1901 steel passenger screw-steamer, 495 tons, wrecked May 27, 1933. * ''Detroiter'', 1902 *'' Light Vessel No.57'' * SS ''City of South Haven'' * SS ''Harriet B.'' * SS ''Puritan'' * ''John C. Barr'' tug *

Grays Reef Light The Grays Reef Light is a lighthouse located in northeastern Lake Michigan, west of Waugoshance Island in Bliss Township, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. History In the 1880s, as shipments of iron ...

* SS ''Grand Haven'' *LV55, LV56, and LV57 at the

Lansing Shoals Light Station The Lansing Shoals Light Station is a lighthouse located in northeastern Lake Michigan, southeast of Point Patterson, in Newton Township, Mackinac County, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. History: ...

Light vessel A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship that acts as a lighthouse. It is used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction. Although some records exist of fire beacons being placed on ships in Roman times, the ...

s * United States lightship ''Nantucket'' (LV-58) * Many tugs, propellers, barges, car ferries, light ships and passenger boats

Craig Shipbuilding Long Beach Yard

On May 19, 1908, the ''Western Dredging and Marine Construction Co.'', of which John F. Craig was president and C. H. Windham general manager and treasurer was contracted to complete for $600,000 all dredging of the harbor, including that of Channels 1, 2, 3 and Slips 4 and 6, the turning basin and the ocean entrance at the mouth of San Gabriel River. Included was the purchase of the new electric dredge for $65,000. Notable ships built at Craig Shipbuilding Long Beach Yard (1906 to 1 January 1916, when it was bought by the California Shipbuilding Company) and (1922-1934): *''Windham'', first ship launching on 14 November 1908, attended by 1500 spectators, a 110 ft long all steel dredge named after C. H. Windham, mayor of Long Beach *, built 1912 *, sister ship of the Paraiso, built 1913 * completed by California S.B. Co. ** USLHT ''Cedar'', US Coast Guard lighthouse/buoy tender, 1,890 tons, 1917 ** USS ''L-6'' (SS-45), US Navy submarine, 1917 ** USS ''L-7'' (SS-46), US Navy submarine, 1917 * ''Infanta'', built 1930 for the actor

John Barrymore John Barrymore (born John Sidney Blyth; February 14 or 15, 1882 – May 29, 1942) was an American actor on stage, screen, and radio. A member of the Drew and Barrymore theatrical families, he initially tried to avoid the stage, and briefly a ...

(120-foot steel-hulled cruiser) *'' Velero III'', built 1931 for

George Allan Hancock George Allan Hancock (July 26, 1875 – May 31, 1965) was the owner of the Rancho La Brea Oil Company. He inherited Rancho La Brea, including the La Brea Tar Pits which he donated to Los Angeles County. He also developed Hancock Park, Los Angele ...

* USS ''Amethyst'', built 1931 * ''Georganna'', built 1925 * ''Caroline'', built 1931 for Eldridge R. Johnson, later converted to motor torpedo boat tender *''

Geoanna ''Geoanna'' was a steel auxiliary schooner built in 1934 by Craig Shipbuilding Company in Long Beach, California. ''Geoanna'' was requisitioned during World War II for service briefly with the U.S. Navy before transfer to the U.S. Army for Southwe ...

'', 1934 schooner In 1932 Craig reconditioned 2 cargo vessels (''Point Ancha'', ''Point Lobos'') for Swayne & Hoyt, including the installation of a low pressure turbine at the exhaust end of the triple-expansion engine to increase the speed of the ships.

Long Beach Shipbuilding Company

The yard was the smallest of the three steel shipyards in the Ports of Los Angeles and

Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

active during the World War I shipbuilding boom, responsible for 17% of the tonnage produced there. The

Llewellyn Iron Works Llewellyn Iron Works was a foundry in 19th- and 20th-century Los Angeles and Torrance, California, United States. History Brothers Reese J. Llewellyn, Reese Llewellyn, David Llewellyn, William Llewellyn, and John Llewellyn, of River Amman, Amm ...

of Los Angeles produced engines for a number of yards on the West Coast. It is unknown whether a particular hull was towed to them for outfitting or their engine delivered to the yard. Other notable ships built at Long Beach Shipbuilding Company Long Beach Yard (1918-1921): * ''Edythe'', yacht built in 1920 for owner John F. Craig; 186 tons; later sold and renamed ''Melodie'' * launched 10 December 1919 for the California & Mexico SS Co. Built at a cost of $250,000. The vessel was equipped with 2 Winton diesels of 350 hp each driving 2 screws. Captain Terry of Swayne & Hoyt. First trip south scheduled for early February. Able to carry 1500 tons of cargo, 42 first class and 22 second class passengers, cost of $300,000. In February 1920 the keel of the second ship (350 tons, 127 ft long) had been laid. * A 131 ft length, 21 ft beam motor yacht for Craig with two 150 hp engines to be launched Jan 1920. * "steamship" ''Casco'' launched 5 August 1920 for the California & Mexico SS Co.

California & Mexico Steamship Company

This company was established in 1915 with John F. Craig as president, but due to World War I, it was a dormant operation until its service was inaugurated with the launch of the . The line was to establish a trade route between Los Angeles and ports on the west coast of Mexico north of

Mazatlán Mazatlán () is a city in the Mexican list of states of Mexico, state of Sinaloa. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding , known as the Mazatlán Municipality. It is located on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast across from th ...

. The round trips were planned to include La Paz, Topolobampo, Mazatlan, San Bias, Manzanilio and at times Guaymas and last 25 days. J. McMillan was general manager and Chas. G. Krueger, Los Angeles agent was also local agent for Swayne & Hoyt on their traffic passing through San Pedro. In August 1921 the company advertised as representing Swayne & Hoyt (whose volume of course was much bigger than the company's own sailings), and as having offices in 794 Pacific Electric Building and operating on the Fifth Street Wharf in Los Angeles Harbor.

Consolidated Steel at the Long Beach Shipyard

The Llewellyn Iron Works, builder of marine engines for ships launched from Long Beach during World War I was one of the companies merged into Consolidated Steel. Consolidated did not build any engines during World War II. See: Consolidated Steel Corporation#Long Beach shipyard

Shipbuilding in Los Angeles and Long Beach

* West Basin ** Consolidated Steel Wilmington ** Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company ** Western Pipe and Steel * Terminal Island ** Southwestern Shipbuilding Company *** Bethlehem San Pedro **

California Shipbuilding Corporation __NOTOC__ California Shipbuilding Corporation built 467 Liberty and Victory ships during World War II, including ''Haskell''-class attack transports. California Shipbuilding Corporation was often referred to as Calship. History In 1916 the ' ...

** Al Larson Boat Shop * Long Beach ** Long Beach Shipbuilding Company *** Consolidated Steel Long Beach ** United Concrete Pipe Corporation, Steel Shipbuilding Division

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Craig Shipbuilding American boat builders Ships built in Toledo, Ohio