The Pusey and Jones Corporation was a major

shipbuilder 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 ...

and industrial-equipment manufacturer. Based in

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 ...

, it operated from 1848 to 1959. Shipbuilding was its primary focus from 1853 until the end of World War II, when the company converted the shipyard to produce machinery for paper manufacturing. The yard built more than 500 ships, from large cargo vessels to small warships and yachts, including '' Volunteer'', the winner of the 1887

America's Cup The America's Cup is a sailing competition and the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one from the yacht club that currently holds the trophy (known ...

History

The company began in 1848, when Joshua L. Pusey and John Jones formed a partnership in Wilmington, Delaware, to run a machine shop in space rented from a

whaling Whaling is the hunting of whales for their products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that was important in the Industrial Revolution. Whaling was practiced as an organized industry as early as 875 AD. By the 16t ...

company. The shipyard sat between the

Christina River The Christina River is a tributary of the Delaware River, approximately 35 miles (56 km) long, in northern Delaware. It also flows through small areas of southeastern Pennsylvania and northeastern Maryland. Near its mouth, the river ...

and the main line of the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...

. In 1851, Edward Betts and Joshua Seal, who were operating an iron foundry in Wilmington, purchased an interest in the business. The name of the company became Betts, Pusey, Jones & Seal. In 1854, Pusey and Jones built the first U.S. iron-hulled sailing vessel: a

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

named Mahlon Betts after Edward's father, who had built the foundry. At the beginning of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

the company began building vessels for the U.S. military. The first was a

sloop of war During the 18th and 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship of the Royal Navy with a single gun deck that carried up to 18 guns. The rating system of the Royal Navy covered all vessels with 20 or more guns; thus, the term encompassed all ...

, which required immediate expansion of the workforce. The company also built

engines An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...

and

boilers A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, central ...

for other shipbuilding firms. In 1887, the company built the first steel-hulled yacht to win the America's Cup, "Volunteer". During World War I, the firm grew to more than 2,000 employees. It established the Pennsylvania Shipbuilding Corporation shipyard in Gloucester City, New Jersey, with four ways capable of launching ships up to 12,500 tons and two ways of up to 7,000 tons. Shortly thereafter, the New Jersey Shipbuilding Corporation was formed and their shipyard, which was virtually an addition to the Pennsylvania S.B. yard, was planned to have six slipways for building 5,000-ton cargo steam ships. The keel of the first 7,000dwt tanker was laid on 9 September 1916. These two yards delivered 20 ships to 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 ...

, all requisitions: * 6 tankers of 7,000dwt * 11 cargo ships of 12,500dwt ** Yard#7, ''War Serpent'', launched as ''

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

'' * 3 cargo ships of 5,000dwt The Wilmington yard delivered 14 vessels, all requisitions, and two minesweepers for the

United States 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 ...

: * 6 cargo, 2,600t * 8 cargo, 3,000t * 2 of 49 s ** , After the business slump of the early 1920s, the company reorganized in 1927 under businessman Clement C. Smith, becoming Pusey and Jones Corporation. The company focused on building large luxury steam and motor

yachts A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a ...

for wealthy patrons. As

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 ...

approached, military orders increased. The highest employment was reached during World War II, when more than 3,600 employees worked in the shipyards, plants and offices of the company. Pusey and Jones built 19 Type C1 ships for the U.S. Maritime Commission. Other craft such as

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

s were built, along with specialty and smaller vessels. Many commercial and private vessels originally built by the company were also converted to military use. On Liberty Fleet Day — September 27, 1941 — the yard launched the SS ''Adabelle Lykes''. After World War II, Pusey and Jones converted the shipyard's facilities to manufacture

papermaking Papermaking is the manufacture of paper and cardboard, which are used widely for printing, writing, and packaging, among many other purposes. Today almost all paper is Pulp and paper industry, made using industrial machinery, while handmade pape ...

machinery. The company closed in 1959.

Notable vessels

References

* * * *

External links

Pusey and Jones
paper industry website

shipbuildinghistory.com

shipbuildinghistory.com

by Patrick Harshbarger

yorkship.com

usmm.org * ttp://www.wrecksite.eu/ship-builder-owner.aspx Ship builders and Owners(list) wrecksite.eu
Wilmington Strike Ends; Workers Return Today to Pusey & Jones Shipyards
''New York Times'', December 5, 1941 *
Volunteer
Americascup.com

* ttp://www.mariners-l.co.uk/WWIShipBuildersUSA.htm WWI Standard Built Ships, Shipbuilding Yardsbr>Photos of Pusey and Jones ships and facilities
Digital exhibit about a ship built at Pusey and Jones {{Authority control Defunct shipbuilding companies of the United States Maritime history of Delaware Wilmington Riverfront Companies based in Wilmington, Delaware American companies established in 1848 Manufacturing companies established in 1848 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1959 1959 disestablishments in Delaware America's Cup yacht builders 1848 establishments in Delaware Papermaking in the United States Industrial machine manufacturers American companies disestablished in 1959 Defunct manufacturing companies based in Delaware

History

Notable vessels

See also

References

External links