EMERGENCY SHIPBUILDERS OF WWII

Builders of Wooden Ships and Barges

Most recent update: August 2021.

The Maritime Commission only built wooden ships and barges reluctantly, at a point in the war when the steel shipbuilders were all at full capacity.  The first batch of contracts was for oceangoing dry bulk barges to carry coal.  This design, designated B3-F1, was 194 feet long, with a deadweight of 2,438 tons.  Eleven shipyards built 30 of these barges and 11 of a larger design, designated B5-G1, which was 274 feet long, with a deadweight of 4,455 tons.  Wooden tugs were built to go with the wooden barges.  The design, designated V3-S-AH2, was 157 feet long, with a 1,000-hp steam reciprocating engine: 14 of these were built by 3 shipbuilders and 8 of these were transferred to Britain, with names beginning with AT, for American Tug.  Later, a second design was built, designated V2-M-AL1, was 66 feet long, with a 240-hp diesel engine: 35 of these were built by 7 shipbuilders and all but one were transferred to Britain as TUSAs, for Tugs, USA.  The TUSAs were numbered 200 thru 234 - see the second table below - but there is apparently no record of which tug was which TUSA.  If anyone has such a record, please send me a copy at timcolton@aol.com
Hull #

Name

 USMC # USMC Type Delivery Disposition
Camden Shipbuilding Co., Camden ME
8 Pine Tree I 851 B3-F1 May-43  
9 Pine Tree II 852 B3-F1 Jun-43  
10 Pine Tree III 853 B3-F1 Jul-43  
11 Pine Tree IV 854 B3-F1 Aug-43  
12 Pine Tree V 855 B3-F1   Cancelled
Hodgson-Greene-Haldeman, Long Beach CA
11 Redwood I 1069 B3-F1 Jul-43  
12 Redwood II 1070 B3-F1 Jul-43  
13 Redwood III 1071 B3-F1 Aug-43  
14 Redwood IV 1072 B3-F1 Aug-43  
15 Redwood V 1073 B3-F1 Aug-43  
Casco Shipbuilding Co., Freeport ME
1 Red Oak I 1074 B3-F1 Aug-43  
2 Red Oak II 1075 B3-F1 Sep-43  
3 Red Oak III 1076 B3-F1 Oct-43  
4 Red Oak IV 1077 B3-F1   Cancelled
5 Red Oak V 1078 B3-F1 Dec-43  
Marinette Marine Corp., Marinette WI
1 White Pine I 1079 B3-F1 Jul-43  
2 White Pine II 1080 B3-F1 Aug-43  
3 White Pine III 1081 B3-F1 Sep-43  
4 White Pine IV 1082 B3-F1 Oct-43  
5 White Pine V 1083 B3-F1 Nov-43  
6 Port Austin 1683 V2-M-AL1 Dec-43 To Britain as a TUSA
7 Port Homer 1684 V2-M-AL1 Dec-43 To Britain as a TUSA
8 Port Hope 1685 V2-M-AL1 Dec-43 To Britain as a TUSA
9 Port Sanilac 1686 V2-M-AL1 Feb-44 To Britain as a TUSA
10 Port William 1687 V2-M-AL1 Feb-44 To Britain as a TUSA
11 Port Wing 1688 V2-M-AL1 Feb-44 To Britain as a TUSA
Waterways Engineering Corp., Green Bay WI
1 Hemlock I 1084 B3-F1 Apr-44  
2 Hemlock II 1085 B3-F1 Apr-44  
3 Hemlock III 1086 B3-F1   Cancelled
Seabell Shipbuilding Co., Seattle WA
1 Douglas Fir I 1087 B3-F1 Sep-43  
2 Douglas Fir III 1088 B3-F1 Nov-43  
3 Douglas Fir III 1089 B3-F1 Dec-43  
4 Douglas Fir IV 1090 B3-F1 Feb-44  
5 Douglas Fir V 1091 B3-F1 Mar-44  
Richmond Shipbuilding Co., South Gardiner ME
1 White Ash I 1142 B3-F1 Sep-43  
2 White Ash II 1143 B3-F1 Dec-43  
3 White Ash III 1144 B3-F1 Feb-44  
Belfast Shipbuilding Co., Belfast ME
1 White Oak I 1218 B3-F1 Jul-43  
2 White Oak II 1219 B3-F1 Jul-43  
Anacortes Shipways Co., Anacortes WA
1 Western Larch I 1237 B5-G1 Nov-43  
2 Western Larch II 1238 B5-G1 Jan-44  
3 Western Larch III 1239 B5-G1 Mar-44  
4 Western Larch IV 1240 B5-G1   Cancelled
5 Western Larch V 1241 B5-G1   Cancelled
6 Western Larch VI 1242 B5-G1   Cancelled
Columbia River Packers Assn., Astoria OR
1 Oregon Pine I 1243 B5-G1 Jan-44  
2 Oregon Pine II 1244 B5-G1 May-44  
3 Oregon Pine III 1245 B5-G1 Oct-44  
4 Oregon Pine IV 1246 B5-G1   Cancelled
5 Oregon Pine V 1247 B5-G1   Cancelled
6 Oregon Pine VI 1248 B5-G1   Cancelled
Corpus Christi Shipbuilding Co., Corpus Christi TX
1 Sustainer 1345 V3-S-AH2 Feb-45 Intended for Britain as Atworth but to USSR as Sustainer
Puget Sound Shipbuilding Co., Olympia WA
14 Compeller 1410 V3-S-AH2 May-44 To Britain as Atherida, sold 1948, scrapped
15 Dexterous 1411 V3-S-AH2 Jun-44 To Britain as Athelney, to Trinidad 1945, to Caymans 1948, scrapped 1951
16 Mighty 1412 V3-S-AH2 Jul-44 To Britain as Atil, sold 1948, scrapped
17 Secure 1413 V3-S-AH2 Aug-44 To Britain as Attigny, sold 1948, later Lenaship, scrapped 1955
18 Forthright 1414 V3-S-AH2 Sep-44 To Britain as Attock, to USN as YTB 610, to USSR 1944 as Forthright
19 Unnamed 1415 V3-S-AH2   Cancelled
Standard Shipbuilding Co., San Pedro CA
1 Power 1415 V3-S-AH2 Apr-44 To Britain as Atengo, to Italy 1947 as Titano (A 5325), scrapped 1974
2 Steadfast 1416 V3-S-AH2 May-44 To Britain as Atako, wrecked and lost 1944
3 Durable 1417 V3-S-AH2 May-44 To Britain as Ataran, to Italy 1947 as Ciclope (A 5319), scrapped
4 Spirited 1418 V3-S-AH2 Jun-44 To Britain as Atolia, to Trinidad 1948, to Caymans 1951, scrapped
5 Helper 1419 V3-S-AH2 Jul-44 To Britain as Atoyac, to Italy 1949 as Nereo, used for spares
6 resister 1420 V3-S-AH2 Aug-44 To Britain as Atiamuri, to Italy 1947, to Israel 1954
7 Superb 1473 V3-S-AH2 Aug-44 To Britain as Atwood, to Trinidad 1948, to Caymans 1951, scrapped
8 Robust 1474 V3-S-AH2 Sep-44 To Britain as Atmore, sold 1948, scrapped
Steinbach Ironworks, Tillamook OR
1563 Port Sewall 1563 V2-M-AL1 Jan-44 To Britain as a TUSA
1564 Port Kennedy 1564 V2-M-AL1 Feb-44 To Britain as a TUSA
1565 Port Reading 1565 V2-M-AL1 Mar-44 To Britain as a TUSA
Eureka Shipbuilding Co., Eureka CA
1 Port Costa 1566 V2-M-AL1 Jan-44 To Britain as a TUSA
2 Port San Luis 1567 V2-M-AL1 Feb-44 To Britain as a TUSA
3 Port Chicago 1568 V2-M-AL1 Mar-44 To Britain as a TUSA
4 Port Gamble 1569 V2-M-AL1 Apr-44 To Britain as a TUSA
5 Port Tobacco 1570 V2-M-AL1 Jun-44 To Britain as a TUSA
6 Port Haywood 1571 V2-M-AL1 Jul-44 To US Navy as YTL 718, sold 1947 as Limpiar VI
Arlington Shipbuilding & Engineering Corp., Jacksonville FL
1 Port Inglis 1584 V2-M-AL1 Nov-43 To Britain as a TUSA
2 Port Mayaca 1585 V2-M-AL1 Dec-43 To Britain as a TUSA
3 Port Orange 1586 V2-M-AL1 Jan-44 To Britain as a TUSA
4 Port Richey 1587 V2-M-AL1 Feb-44 To Britain as a TUSA
5 Port St. Joe 1588 V2-M-AL1 Mar-44 To Britain as a TUSA
6 Port Tampa City 1589 V2-M-AL1 Mar-44 To Britain as a TUSA
Texas Shipbuilding Co., Galveston TX
1 Port Arthur 1590 V2-M-AL1 Dec-43 To Britain as a TUSA
2 Port Bolivar 1591 V2-M-AL1 Jan-44 To Britain as a TUSA
3 Port Lavaca 1592 V2-M-AL1 Jan-44 To Britain as a TUSA
4 Port Neches 1593 V2-M-AL1 Feb-44 To Britain as a TUSA
5 Port O'Connor 1594 V2-M-AL1 Feb-44 To Britain as a TUSA
6 Port Sullivan 1595 V2-M-AL1 Mar-44 To Britain as a TUSA
7 Port Sulphur 1689 V2-M-AL1 Mar-44 To Britain as a TUSA
8 Port Treverton 1690 V2-M-AL1 Apr-44 To Britain as a TUSA
Siletz Boatworks, Kernville OR
67 Port Stanley 1596 V2-M-AL1 Feb-44 To Britain as a TUSA
68 Port Townsend 1597 V2-M-AL1 Feb-44 To Britain as a TUSA
Arthur G. Blair Co., Yonkers NY
1 Port Ewen 1598 V2-M-AL1 Oct-43 To Britain as a TUSA
2 Port Gibson 1599 V2-M-AL1 Nov-43 To Britain as a TUSA
3 Port Jefferson 1600 V2-M-AL1 Nov-43 To Britain as a TUSA
4 Port Leyden 1601 V2-M-AL1 Dec-43 To Britain as a TUSA
DISPOSITION OF TUSAS
TUSA #         Disposition
200         No details
201         Sold 1946 in Egypt
202         Returned to U.S. 1947
203         Returned to U.S. 1947
204         Sold 1947 in Egypt
205         Returned to U.S. 1947
206         To Yugoslavia 1945
207         Retained by U.S.
208         To Greece 1946
209         Retained by U.S.
210         To Greece 1946
211         To Yugoslavia 1945
212         To Italy 1946
213         To Italy 1946
214         To Italy 1946
215         To Italy 1946
216         To Greece 1946
217         To Greece 1946
218         Returned to U.S. 1947
219         Sold 1947 in Malta
220         Sold 1947 in Malta
221         Returned to US 1947
222         To Italy 1946
223         To Italy 1946
224         Sold 1948 in Australia
225         Sold 1947 in India
226         Sold 1948 in Australia
227         Sold 1948 in Australia
228         Sold 1947 in India
229         No details
230         Sold 1948 in Australia
231         Sold 1947 in Singapore
232         Sold 1948 in Australia
233         Sold 1947 in Burma
234         Sold 1948 in Australia