The Enterprise Foundry Company was incorporated in 1908. On 28 November 1940 the company name was changed to Enterprise Engine & Foundry Company to reflect the changed nature of the business. The original foundry was established in 1886. The company continued to make large diesel engines into the late 1940s. There are a few known Enterprise engines remaining.

Beginning

In 1886, Martens and two business partners, James William Heaney and A. Anderson, developed a new business supplying industrial equipment castings. Their primary focus was on gold mining machinery, consisting mainly of compression cylinder castings for large engines. After the notorious

1906 San Francisco earthquake At 05:12 Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906, the coast of Northern California was struck by a major earthquake with an estimated moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''). High-intensity s ...

and fire, the Enterprise Engine and Machinery Company played a significant role in the rebuilding of the city. Their recovery activities provided Martens and his partners additional opportunities to stimulate the growth of and the momentum to expand their business.

Crucible steel

In 1915, the company acquired a

crucible steel Crucible steel is steel made by melting pig iron (cast iron), iron, and sometimes steel, often along with sand, glass, ashes, and other fluxes, in a crucible. In ancient times steel and iron were impossible to melt using charcoal or coal fi ...

foundry A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals ...

. Shortly after this purchase, Martens and his partners established a

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wit ...

and bronze foundry in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

. In 1917, the company constructed an

electric arc furnace An electric arc furnace (EAF) is a furnace that heats material by means of an electric arc. Industrial arc furnaces range in size from small units of approximately one-tonne capacity (used in foundries for producing cast iron products) up to ...

for use in its steel foundry. This was the only foundry of its type on the west coast, and it ultimately replaced the old crucible steel process. In the same year, a new engine department was created, and a team of engineers was hired to design and manufacture various types of heavy-duty engines fuelled by gas and distillates.

Engines

The first engines produced by the team were single-cylinder, rated at eight

horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are th ...

. The following engines were twin-cylinder, rated at . In a short time, designs were developed for engine models capable of producing up to . Stemming from the success of their gas and distillate fuel engines, the engineers set out to create a line of

diesel engines The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-cal ...

. At this time, the cost of operating a diesel engine was approximately 20 cents per hour, compared to the $2.75 for gasoline engines. This economical Enterprise Diesel engine became very popular in a number of industries which had previously utilized gas powered engines.

Merger with Western Machinery Company

In 1924, The Enterprise Engine and Machinery Company merged with the Western Machinery Company of

. This merger made the new organization the premier manufacturer of internal combustion engines on the west coast. In an effort to diversify the range of products, the company began selling oil burners and food processing equipments.

World War II

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Enterprise built hundreds of diesel engines 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

Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) 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, 19 ...

for tugs, harbor craft, small vessels, and auxiliary electric generators on larger ships. In addition, many Enterprise engines were sold to drive electric power generators in cities and towns across America. During that time the company operated three plants in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a ...

(or

Richmond, California Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905, and has a city council.

South San Francisco South San Francisco is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, located on the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area. The city is colloquially known as "South City". The population was 66,105 at the 2020 census. ...

and

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

In early 1941 the capacity of the San Francisco plant at 18th between Alabama and Florida streets was tripled with the addition of a new 19,500sqft machine shop. * : one 350 hp diesel * Pusey & Jones of

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christin ...

: 2 tugs for the Curtis Bay Towing Company in 1939 using four-cycle 6cyl. 320hp engines, detailed article: * 2 engines for built at

Boston Navy Yard The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. It was established in 1801 as part of the recent establishment of t ...

in 1938 * 10 650hp 6cyl. engines for 5 diesel-electric harbor tugs building in the

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 m ...

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoun ...

and

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nort ...

Navy Yards. (detailed article): , , , , * tugboat ''Keith'' 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 f ...

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 populou ...

: two 1,000hp four-cycle 6cyl. engines (detailed article) * the Dutch East Indies government ordered 29 totaling 18,680hp in 1941 (before May). * 12 of 32 s (all 12 that were built in West Coast yards) were equipped with Enterprise engines in a diesel-electric configuration. * 12 of 12 s (

T1 tanker The T1 tanker or T1 are a class of sea worthy small tanker ships used to transport fuel oil before and during World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War. The T1 tanker classification is still in use today. T1 tankers are about in length and are a ...

) by the

St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company The St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company was created in Jacksonville, Florida during World War II to build Liberty ships. Company history The company was established by local shipbuilder and repairer Merrill-Stevens with $17 million invested by ...

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

: , , , , , , , , , , , * APc: 23 .. 31, 101 ... 103, 108 ... 111 * 6 V2-ME-A1 tugs built by Birchfield Shipbuilding & Boiler Co. in

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

(1,000hp 8-cyl. direct-drive): ''

Port Angeles Port Angeles ( ) is a city and county seat of Clallam County, Washington, United States. With a population of 19,960 as of the 2020 census, it is the largest city in the county. The population was estimated at 20,134 in 2021. The city's harb ...

'', ''

Port Blakely Port Blakely is a community of Bainbridge Island, Washington in the western United States. It is located on the east side of the island, slightly to the south. The center of Port Blakely is generally defined as the intersection of Blakely Hill Ro ...

'', ''Port Discovery'', ''Port Ludlow'', ''Port Madison'', ''Port Orchard'' * 8 Army tugs (LT-1 ... LT-8) built by Jakobson Shipyard, New York in 1943 each using one four-cycle 8-cyl. engine in direct drive configuration (detailed article) * TODO V4-M-A1 tugs * TODO C1-M-AV1 auxiliaries Some photographs of the facilities and of a 6 cylinder diesel engine:

Merger with Adel Precision Products Company

In the mid-1950s, after many decades of growth, Enterprise Engine & Foundry Company merged with Adel Precision Products Company of Burbank, part of the General Metals Corporation. This gave rise to a substantial increase of the company's engineering and production capacity and its testing and research capability. The Enterprise had the necessary resources allowing them to manufacture diesel engines ranging from to . These are now being utilized in almost every conceivable type of prime-mover application from powering boats and pumping oil to generate electricity. From its modest beginnings in 1886, Enterprise had become a mammoth division of a major American corporation.

Developments since 1960

Between 1960 and 1990, Enterprise Engine & Foundry Company changed its ownership numerous times. These transitional decades were accompanied by a major downturn in domestic demand for large power engines. The strong US dollar and rising interest rates hurt Enterprise's export sales. In the late 1960s, Enterprise Engine & Foundry Company was purchased by Delaval Turbine. Then in the 1970s, Delaval Turbine was acquired by

Transamerica Corporation The Transamerica Corporation is an American holding company for various life insurance companies and investment firms operating primarily in the United States, offering life and supplemental health insurance, investments, and retirement service ...

. In 1987, Transamerica elected to spin off the Delaval operations to its shareholders in the form of a dividend. The name was changed to IMO Delaval. In 1988, IMO Delaval sold the Enterprise after market services to Cooper Industries, which in turn, spun off its oil and gas related holdings to Cameron Corporation, previously known as Cooper Cameron Corporation
Cooper Machinery Services
is the current

original equipment manufacturer An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. It is a common industry term recognized and used by many professional or ...

for Enterprise engines.

External links

Information about Enterprise Diesel Engines on Old Tacoma Marine Inc

Map of known remaining Enterprise diesel engines

Cooper Machinery Services - Enterprise O.E.M.

References

{{Reflist Companies based in San Francisco Engine manufacturers of the United States Marine engine manufacturers