Shipbuilding History

Shipyard construction records and other maritime stuff.

This web site is concerned with documenting the construction records of U.S. and Canadian shipbuilders and boatbuilders.  It also includes data on the construction of ships in U.S. and Canadian yards by type.  Most of the data come from authoritative sources, but nobody's perfect and there are bound to be errors as well as omissions: please send corrections and additions to TimColton@aol.com.

U.S. SHIPYARD CONSTRUCTION RECORDS

Click here for the Index to the 771 U.S. Shipyards with Construction Records

12 Major Shipbuilders: 6 Active ("The Big Six"), 6 Inactive

74 Large Shipbuilders: 20 Active ("The 2nd Tier"), 54 Inactive

305 Small Shipbuilders and Boatbuilders: 82 Active, 223 Inactive

15 U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Yards and Bases: 5 Active (as Repair Yards), 10 Inactive

75 Emergency Shipbuilders: 45 from WWI, 30 from WWII

96 Emergency Boatbuilders: 15 from WWI, 81 from WWII

96 Emergency Builders of Wood and Concrete Vessels: 72 from WWI, 24 from WWII

22 Builders of Large Yachts: 9 Active, 13 Occasional or Inactive

35 Builders of Small Yachts Who Were Active in Wartime: 15 in WWI, 35 in WWII

45 Significant Shipbuilders from Before WWI

Plus: ~1500 Other Yards that Have Occasionally Built Ships or Boats - 16 tables

CANADIAN SHIPYARD CONSTRUCTION RECORDS

Click here for the Index to the 128 Canadian Shipyards with Construction Records

20 Large Canadian Shipbuilders: 3 Active Today, 17 Inactive

50 Small Canadian Shipbuilders and Boatbuilders: 12 Active Today, 38 Inactive

20 Wartime Canadian Shipbuilders: 19 from WWI, 1 from WWII

38 Wartime Canadian Boatbuilders: All from WWII

Plus: ~200 Other Canadian Yards That Have Occasionally Built Ships or Boats - 7 tables

CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS IN THE U.S. BY TYPE

U.S. Navy Ships and Submarines - 26 tables

U.S. Navy Small Ships, Boats and Craft - 64 tables

U.S. Coast Guard Cutters and Craft - 13 tables

U.S. Army Small Ships, Boats and Craft - 18 tables

N.O.A.A. and Other Government Research Vessels - 3 tables

Ships Built for the U.S. Shipping Board in WWI - 12 tables

Ships Built for the U.S. Maritime Commission in WWII - 25 tables

Ships and Rigs Built in the U.S. Since WWII - 15 tables

CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS IN CANADA BY TYPE

Canadian Naval Ships and Boats - 12 tables

Canadian Coast Guard and RCMP Ships and Boats - 4 tables

Merchant Ships Built in Canada in Wartime - 2 tables

Ships and Rigs Built in Canada Since WWII - 9 tables

CURRENT SHIPBUILDING ACTIVITY

  Current U.S. and Canadian Shipbuilding and Boatbuilding Contracts - updated May 16

  Directory of U.S. and Canadian Shipyards - updated April 22

Directory of U.S. and Canadian Maritime Memorials and Museums - updated April 11

Shipbuilding Contract Awards Announced in 2013 - updated May 16

Deliveries of Ships, Boats and Oceangoing Barges in 2013 - updated April 22

Deliveries of Ships, Boats and Oceangoing Barges in 2012 - updated March 4

Deliveries of Inland Barges in 2013 - updated May 3

Deliveries of Inland Barges in 2012 - updated January 16

Status of Major Merchant Shipbuilding Programs - updated December 4

Status of Major Government Shipbuilding Programs - updated May 1

Major U.S. Navy Shipbuilding Contracts - updated December 22

PLUS: A HOST OF OTHER STATISTICS

Shipbuilding Industry Data - 66 tables

Shipping Industry Data - 16 tables

The US-Flag Commercial Fleet, by Type - 23 tables

The World Fleet of LNG and Large LPG Carriers - 7 tables

The World Fleet of Offshore Drilling Rigs - 6 tables

Click HERE to Search This Site

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Click HERE to read my memoir "Staying Afloat"

Click HERE to switch to my other site, "Maritime Memos"

Click HERE to read my "Shipbuilding History" column in

Click HERE for a list of the principal Sources of the data in these tables

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