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PACECO Corp., formerly the Pacific Coast Engineering Company, is an American industrial fabricator and mechanical engineering company headquartered in Haywood, California. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui E&S. PACECO focuses on the production of container handling cranes, which are branded as PORTAINER and TRANSTAINER. On 22 February 2024, the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
announced that as part of its 20-billion-dollar scheme to upgrade and secure the country's port infrastructure, Mitsui E&S and PACECO are planning to resume manufacturing cranes in the US.


History

PACECO was previously 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
Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...
and then
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 ...
. To support the
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 ...
demand for ships, PACECO
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 ...
Tugboats A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, such ...
. As early as February 1920, PACECO was reported to be bidding on a contract to make alterations or improvements to a Japanese steamer in Seattle. Started as a mechanical engineering company, PACECO began operations in its Oakland shipyard in 1922. The Oakland shipyard at the 14th Street terminus (Oakland Outer Harbor) was acquired by the US. Navy in 1940 for World War II needs. PACECO moved the shipyard to 350 Blanding Avenue, Alameda. The new yard did prefab sub assemblies for the other Bay Area shipyards, like the
Richmond Shipyards The four Richmond Shipyards, in the city of Richmond, California, United States, were run by Permanente Metals and part of the Kaiser Shipyards. In World War II, Richmond built more ships than any other shipyard, turning out as many as three ships ...
. In 1943, PACECO built its first of five US Navy tugboats.After the war, PACECO built tugboats, barges, and container cranes. The first
quay A wharf ( or wharfs), quay ( , also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more Berth (mo ...
side container
gantry crane A gantry crane is a Crane (machine), crane built atop a wikt:gantry, gantry, which is a structure used to straddle an object or workspace. They can range from enormous "full" gantry cranes, capable of lifting some of the heaviest loads in the wor ...
was developed by PACECO in 1959. PACECO was sold to
Fruehauf Trailer Corporation Fruehauf Trailer Corporation, previously Fruehauf Trailer Company (1918–1963) and Fruehauf Corporation (1963–1989), was an American company engaged in the manufacture and sale of truck Semi-trailer, trailers, and other machinery and equipment ...
in 1967. Fruehauf ended shipbuilding in 1976 and changed to build primarily
container crane A container crane (also container handling gantry crane or ship-to-shore crane) is a type of large dock (maritime), dockside gantry crane found at container terminals for loading and unloading intermodal containers from container ships. Containe ...
and
container chassis A container chassis, also called intermodal chassis or skeletal trailer, is a type of semi-trailer designed to securely carry an intermodal container. Chassis are used by truckers to deliver containers between ports, railyards, container depot ...
. The Alameda shipyard was on the south side of the Tidal Canal, just west of the
Park Street Bridge The Park Street Bridge is a double-leaf Bascule bridge, bascule drawbridge (American English), drawbridge spanning 372 feet of the Oakland Estuary in the San Francisco Bay Area. It links the cities of Oakland, California, Oakland and Alameda, C ...
on the
Oakland Estuary The Oakland Estuary is the strait in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, separating the cities of Oakland, California, Oakland and Alameda, California, Alameda and the Alameda (island), Alameda Island from the East Bay mainland. On its weste ...
in the
San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...
. , the site was a vacant lot.


Ships

Notable ships: * Baylander (IX-514): United States Navy Helicopter Landing Trainer laid down by PACECO on December 28, 1967, as Yard No. 238, in Alameda. * Alki Fire Boat * Snoqualmie (fireboat) * Five Woban Class District Harbor Tug: Mawkaw (YT 182), Negwagon (YT 188), Nepanet (YT 189), Orono (YT 190) and Osamekin (YT 191). Each with a displacement of 237 tons, a length of 100 feet, a beam 28 feet, a draft 9 feet. Top speed 12 kts, crew of 17 and power from a Diesel-electric, single propeller with 1,000 shp. * 12 YFU US Navy Utility Boat 180 tons. YFU 71 to YFU 82 in 1967 and 1968. * LCU 1637 a US Navy Landing Craft at 190 tons in 1970, This ship the only one in it class, with a sea simulator platform (ASSP), and was crewed civilians from the Radio Corp. of America (RCA). * ''Carquinez'' Ferry at 537 tons, built in 1956, later renamed ''Blackbeard'' then ''Noble Phoenix''. State of California ran between Martinez and Benicia until 1962. A length of 169 feet, a beam of 52 feet and a depth of 13.5 feet with a diesel engine, 1,000 hp.Puget Sound Navigation Company,, ''Carquinez'' Ferry


See also

*
California during World War II California during World War II was a major contributor to the World War II effort. California's long Pacific Ocean coastline provided the support needed for the Pacific War. California also supported the European theatre of World War II, war in ...
*
Maritime history of California The maritime history of California can be divided into several periods: the Native American period; European exploration period from 1542 to 1769; the Spanish colonial period, 1769 to 1821; the Mexican period, 1821 to 1847; and United States ...
*
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. ...
*
Richmond Shipyards The four Richmond Shipyards, in the city of Richmond, California, United States, were run by Permanente Metals and part of the Kaiser Shipyards. In World War II, Richmond built more ships than any other shipyard, turning out as many as three ships ...
* Kneass Boat Works *
Pacific Bridge Company Pacific Bridge Company was a large engineering and construction company. During World War II, Pacific Bridge Company of Alameda, California was selected to build US Navy Auxiliary Repair Docks (ARD) a type of Auxiliary floating drydock and Type B ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pacific Coast Engineering American Theater of World War II 1940s in California American boat builders