James Rees, a Welshman, established this shipyard, which was originally a machine shop and engine works called Rees & Thorn. In 1878, they began building ships. It is claimed that they built not only the first steel-hulled boat in America - the "Francisco Montoya", in 1878 - but also the first boat with electric light throughout - the "Kate Adams", in 1882. It is also notable for building many knockdown (KD) boats for service in South America. The yard closed in 1930. It was located at Duquesne Way (now Fort Duquesne Boulevard) and Fancourt Street (later Fourth Street and roughly where Stanwix Street is now). See the site from the air on Google here. If anyone can add to the table below, which is clearly far from complete, please e-mail me at timcolton@aol.com.
Hull # O.N. Original Name Original Owner Vessel Type Tons Built Disposition na E. A. Woodruff Corps of Engineers Snag Boat 1876 Helena Fort Benton Tptn. Co. Steamship 1878 Sank 1891 Francisco Montoya Magdalena Steam Nav. Steamship 1878 For South America Buckeye State Pittsburgh & Cincinnati Steamship 1878 ? 76049 J. B. O'Brien Towboat 61 1878 Later S. S. Prentiss Victoria Steamship 1880 For South America Venezuela Zulia River Navigation Steamship 1880 For South America Benner U.S. Government Medical Boat 1880 Saratoga Lake Steam Catamaran 1880 U.S. Government Launch 1880 U.S. Government Tug 1881 U.S. Government Tug 1881 U.S. Government Tug 1881 3188 Boaz Tug 623 1882 Rober Carliator Steamship 1882 For South America De Castro Steamship 1882 For South America Chattahoochee Chattahoochee River Trade Steam Packet 436 1882 Will S. Hays W. H. Brown's Sons Steamship 1882 Kate Adams Memph. & Ark. Packet Steam Packet 1882 Burnt 1888 Chickasaw Memph. & White R. Packet Steamship 1883 Tenafly 134 1885 161543 Voyager Towboat 99 1885 Mary Disston Anclote River, Florida Steamship 1885 Mexico Tres Hermanos Thebaud Brothers Steamship 1885 na Charles R. Suter Corps of Engineers Snag Boat 1886 Eugene Arkansas River Packet Co. Steamship 1887 Ethel Tippecanoe Lake, Indiana Steamship 1887 Baltimore A. Booth & Sons Towboat 1887 na Missouri Corps of Engineers Snag Boat 510 1888 Storm Conneaut Lake, PA Steamship 1889 Bailey Gatzert Seattle-Tacoma Steamship 1890 Georgia Oaks Lake Coeur de Lion, ID Steamship 1891 Lize Kranewski and Peasant Steamship 35 1893 92348 M. D. Wayman Towboat 242 1891 92509 M. Dougherty Towboat 43 1893 96228 Harry No. 2 Towboat 48 1893 145653 Troubadour Yacht 15 1893 157405 Dowling & Sons Towboat 45 1894 Later E. F. Jackson J. N. Harbin Arkansas River Packet Co. Steamship 1895 na Beta Corps of Engineers Dredge 600 1896 77307 J. K. Davison Dredge 259 1898 Will H. Isom N. American Tptn. Steamship 1901 Vesta Vesta Coal Sternwheel Towboat 142 1902 na Swan Corps of Engineers Snag Boat 264 1902 Mexico Hidalgo Thebaud Brothers Steamship 1904 Nicaragua Jas. Deitrick U.S. & Nicaragua Co. Steamship 1904 202543 Henry A. Laughlin Jones & Laughlin Steel Sternwheel Towboat 151 1905 na T. P. Roberts Corps of Engineers Towboat 206 1906 202126 Scimitar II Steamboat 256 1906 To CoE 1921 S. S. Brown Memphis and Vicksburg Steamship 643 1906 205738 B. F. Jones, Jr. Jones & Laughlin Steel Sternwheel Towboat 91 1908 220723 Chatham Freighter 27 1908 Oregon Foreign Christian Miss. Soc. Mission Steamer 1909 Brazil Olivia Brazilian Owners KD Riverboat 160 1912 Brazil Itacoatiara Brazilian Owners KD Riverboat 160 1913 Brazil Campinas Brazilian Owners KD Riverboat 160 1913 Brazil Aracaju Brazilian Owners KD Riverboat 160 1913 Brazil Gaiola Julio Guimaraes KD Riverboat 160 1913 Now Benjamin Guimaraes, still active 212813 Idlewild West Memphis Packet Co. Steam Packet 260 1914 Now Belle of Louisville, museum in Louisville KY 212008 G. W. Cobbett Sternwheel Towboat 191 1915 Scrapped 1952 212522 Aliquippa Jones & Laughlin Steel Sternwheel Towboat 191 1915 Scrapped 1952 na Nolin River Corps of Engineers Dipper Dredge 210 1915 214180 A. Gallagher Ferry 10 1916 Brazil Parahyba KD Riverboat 160 1916 215523 Early Bird Towboat 10 1917 217232 W. H. Clingerman Carnegie Steel Sternwheel Towboat 234 1918 Now W. P. Snyder. Jr., museum in Marietta OH 218194 Victory Sternwheel Towboat 240 1919 218203 Waren Elsey Sternwheel Towboat 240 1919 218584 C. S. 1 Towboat 17 1919 218994 Homestead Carnegie Steel Sternwheel Towboat 234 1919 na Evelyn Corps of Engineers Towboat 30 1920 na Monallo Corps of Engineers Derrick Boat 470 1921 221138 Relief Towboat 30 1921 221494 C. S. 2 Towboat 40 1921 na Capt. Chas. D. Harris Corps of Engineers Sternwheel Towboat 335 1921 Colombia Ayacucho Soc. Colombiana de Tptes Steamboat Burnt and sank 1961