ca. 1905. This drydock is believed to be the Dockton drydock on Vashon Island circa 1905. It was the only drydock in the south Puget Sound at that time for large boats. See TPL 1007 for another view of the drydock.

Boat & ship industry; Piers & wharves;

Foundation Co., Yard #4, located on the Tacoma Tideflats - Rigger Storage and Water Tank, May 10, 1918. The Riggers Store House measured 32' x 27'6", 14' high, 880 sq. feet and built at a cost of $250. The water tank cost $1241 to build and consisted of a 25' diameter tank 16' high and a 26 x26 platform, 18' high. Due to the fact that most of the machinery was steam driven, an abundance of water was very important.

Exterior 1919 view of Babare Brothers Shipyards. The plant, located on five acres in Old Town, was one of Tacoma's pioneer shipbuilding facilities. The Babare Brothers consisted of George and Nick Babare, whose Croatian-born father Stephen was a master shipbuilder. Employing some 300 workers in 1918, the plant was busy building large wooden steamers for the government. The yard contained two building slips, each served by gantry cranes, a modern sawmill and in-demand machine shop. Prior to the Babare Brothers entry into government work, they built cannery tenders and purse seine boats for fishermen and canneries in Oregon, Washington and Alaska. They were prepared to return to this type of work after the government's demand for ships decreased. On November 30, 1919, the Tacoma Daily Ledger reported that the Babare Brothers had obtained a site along the Hylebos Waterway. (Pacific Marine Review, August, 1918, p. 90-article) G37.1-180

Babare Brothers Shipbuilding (Tacoma); Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1910-1920;

The dining room staff at Todd Shipyards on the tideflats posed for a group portrait in February of 1919 in front of what is believed to be the shipyard's dining hall. The unidentified woman in dark dress and white collar in back row may be the supervisor. The massive $1,000,000 shipbuilding plant, covering a 30-block area located around 100 Alexander Avenue, required many workers in all categories. Known formally as the Todd Dry Dock & Construction Corp., the shipyard provided a company hotel with room for over 600 men, a large dining facility, and began building modest homes for sale to shipyard employees in 1919. G33.1-132

Todd Dry Dock & Construction Corp. (Tacoma); Employee eating facilities--Tacoma; Restaurant workers--Tacoma--1910-1920;

Daily operations at Todd Shipyards as photographed in March of 1919. Todd Dry Dock & Construction Corporation had bought land along Commencement Bay in 1917 and built a modern shipyard. They delivered eleven cargo ships in 1919. TPL-1526; G37.1-176 (www.shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/2large/inactive/toddtacoma.htm--list of ships built)

Todd Dry Dock & Construction Corp. (Tacoma); Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1910-1920;

Jacona at dock. The 7,600-ton freighter "Jacona" had been launched on November 20, 1918 by Todd Dry Dock & Construction Co. and delivered to her owners on May 9, 1919. Later in 1930 she was converted into a floating power generation station. TPL-1677

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1910-1920; Cargo ships--Tacoma--1910-1920;

ca. 1920. Ship under construction or being repaired at Skansie Shipbuilding Co. yard at Gig Harbor, circa 1920. Skansie Brothers was founded in 1912 by four Yugoslavian brothers, Pete, Mitchell, Andrew and Joe Skansie. TPL-688, BU-13900

This is one of Tacoma's shipyards in the Tideflats in a photograph taken on September 8, 1922. A crane and stacks of lumber are visible across from the large building in this deteriorated print. G36.1-011

Hoisting machinery; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1920-1930;

These are believed to be buildings in an unidentified Tacoma shipyard. This September, 1922, photograph also shows the nearness of railroad tracks to the buildings to make it easier for lumber to be transported. G36.1-085 (print has deteriorated)

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Railroad tracks--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Ferry under construction in late January of 1923. Two men appear to be taking a breather from painting the ferry's exterior. Photograph ordered by Western Boat Co. (print has deteriorated)

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Ferries--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Medusa on the ways. The USS Medusa, a $4,000,000 repair ship for the Pacific fleet, is pictured prior to launching at the Bremerton Navy Yard in April of 1923. The "Medusa," the first ship of her kind to be built on the Pacific coast, had a displacement of 10,000 tons. Her launching was rather unusual, as she did not not slide down the ways into water as normal but instead, water was poured into the construction dock where she was built. When floated, she was towed to her new berth and the dock emptied. She was 483-feet, 9 inches long and resembled a huge ocean liner except for the small guns mounted on her. The USS Medusa was launched on April 16, 1923, with Mrs. Burns Poe of Tacoma acting as sponsor. G37.1-121 (TNT 4-4-23, p. 17; TDL 4-7-23, p. 1-article; TDL 4-17-23, p. 1-article)

Boat & ship industry--Bremerton--1920-1930; Launchings--Bremerton--1920-1930;

Ship propeller. Three unidentified men stand between the blades of a ship propeller at Todd Dry Dock & Construction's plant along the Hylebos Waterway in July of 1924. Todd Dry Dock's employees consisted of shipbuilders, engineers and boilermakers. TPL-1424; G37.1-118

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Todd Dry Dock & Construction Corp. (Tacoma);

This is the SS Bienville, nearly ready for launching, in early July of 1924. The combination freighter/passenger vessel was built by Todd Dry Dock & Construction for the Atlantic Steamship line of the Southern Pacific. She would be launched on July 16, 1924. The Bienville is a single screw steamer with a sea speed of 16 knots. After much fanfare, she was delivered to her owners in November but would suffer massive damage due to fire while undergoing repairs in New Orleans in March of 1925. G37.1-112 (TNT 7-9-24, p. 4; TNT 3-19-25, p. 1-article on fire; TDL 3-28-25, p. 1-article on fire)

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Boats--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Stern of the SS Bienville. The Bienville would be launched the following day, July 16, 1924, from Todd Dry Dock & Construction facilities. The combination freighter/passenger vessel, 445 feet in length with a 57-foot beam, could hold 346 passengers. She was built at a cost of over one million dollars and would be used to travel between New York and New Orleans. The Bienville would catch on fire in mid-March of 1925 while being overhauled in New Orleans. The ship was ablaze from stem to stern but all aboard escaped. G37.1-113 (TNT 6-21-24, p. 1,9-articles; TNT 3-19-25, p. 1-article on fire; TDL 3-28-25, p. 1-article on fire)

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Boats--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Small boat under construction at Babare Mfg. Co. site in August of 1924. The Babare brothers, George & Nick, were pioneer shipbuilders with original plant in Old Town. They had moved their facility to 3517 E. 11th St. along the Hylebos Waterway. G37.1-106

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Boats--Tacoma--1920-1930;

The SS Bienville. The 445-foot Bienville had been launched at Todd Dry Dock facilities on July 16, 1924, and four months later, was nearly ready to be delivered to her owners in New York. A crane, in the process of lifting, is on the dock next to the ship. The Bienville would conduct short ship trials on November 17th and then be moved to the Port of Tacoma piers on November 19th to load initial cargo after her trial run. Over 2500 tons of goods, including machinery, 2000+ tons of hay and a large number of canned goods, will be stored aboard. The Bienville fell victim to fire in mid-March of 1925 while undergoing repairs in New Orleans and was severely damaged. G49.174 (TNT 11-12-24, p. 1-article; TNT 11-14-24, p. 1-article TNT 3-19-25, p. 1-article on fire; TDL 3-28-25, p. 1-article on fire)

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Boats--Tacoma--1920-1930; Hoisting machinery;

The ferry "Wollochet" was under construction at the Skansie Shipyard in Gig Harbor early in April of 1925. Her 150 horsepower engine had been placed in late February. The 100-foot diesel ferry would replace the ferry "Transit" early in June, traveling from the 6th Ave. slip at Titlow Beach to points on Wollochet Bay and Fox Island. The Skansie Brothers Shipyard was founded in 1912 by four Yugoslavian Brothers: Pete, Mitchell, Andrew and Joe Skansie. The company was a pioneer in the construction of automobile ferries and diesel engine ferries. (TNT 4/21/1925, pg. 1; TNT 2-28-25, p. 5-article on engine) TPL-693; G37.1-168

Ferries--1920-1930; Skansies Shipbuilding Co. (Gig Harbor); Boat & ship industry--Gig Harbor;

ca. 1926. Boat under construction. M1400 being launched. (WSHS)

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Launchings--Tacoma--1920-1930;

On June 10, 1926, thirteen World War I era wooden warships lay at anchor in one of the shallow inlets of Henderson Bay. The vessels had been built by Seaborn Shipbuilding Co., Wright Shipbuilding Co. and Tacoma Ship Building Co. in Tacoma for the French and intended for service during World War I, but when the war ended, the work was stopped and none of the remaining ships were completed. They previously were moored in Lake Union, Seattle. They were purchased for salvage by Washington Tug and Barge Co. and towed to the mouth of Minter Creek and then out into the inlet at high tide. The cabins and super structure were broken up, doused in kerosene and at 11:45 p.m. would be set on fire. (photograph is damaged (line) upper right corner) TPL-125 (TNT 6/11/1926, pg. 1)

At dawn on June 11, 1926, blackened shells were all that remained of 13 wooden World War I warships anchored in an inlet of Henderson Bay. The ships, built by Seaborn Shipbuilding Co., Wright Shipbuilding Co. and Tacoma Ship Building Co. in Tacoma for the French and incomplete at the end of the war, had been moored in Lake Union in Seattle. After being sold for scrap, they were towed to the mouth of Minter Creek and floated out at high tide to an inlet on Henderson Bay. They were then broken up, doused with kerosene and set on fire. After the controlled blaze burned itself out, iron and other salvageable metals would be collected. TPL-127, Bowen 26393 (TNT 6/11/1926, pg. 1)

Shortly after midnight on June 11, 1926, the one and a half million dollar bonfire of World War I era warships was at its height. During WWI Seaborn Shipbuilding Co., Wright Shipbuilding Co. and Tacoma Ship Building Co. on the Tacoma tideflats had a contract to build 20 3,000-ton five-mast auxiliary schooners for France. When the war ended in 1918 thirteen partially completed ships still rested in the ways of the shipyard. Unfinished, they were towed to Seattle and moored in Lake Union until years later when they were sold for salvage. They were towed to the mouth of Minter Creek which feeds into Henderson Bay and set on fire. From midnight to dawn, a red glow from the fires lit up Tacoma's northwestern sky. When the fire had burned itself out, iron and other metals were collected from the ruins. (TNT 6/11/1926, pg. 1) TPL-126 Information provided by patron: The first few wrecks were burnt at Richmond Beach starting sometime after 1923, some wreckers including Nieman & Marcus continued working there up until the 1930s, while the one in Minter River was used at least twice, 13 ships were burnt in Jun 1926 and 5 ships were burnt in Aug. 1927. As late as 1930, residents complainined about the burning at Henderson Bay, preferring them to revert to Richmond Beach. I believe that the author of the Victoria Daily Times clipping (Victoria Colonist, Victoria B.C. 5/31/1926 p.8) with the ships names has gotten the location wrong, but they all are named as being laid up at Lake Union in 1921. Articles mentioned can be found in the clipping file TACOMA - INDUSTRIES - SHIPBUILDING

In November of 1926, the workmen at Skansie Shipbuilding Company posed with the two ferries that they were building in their ways in Gig Harbor. The smaller ferry boat at the left, the "City of Steilacoom", was nearing completion. The larger boat was being built for the Tacoma-Gig Harbor run and would carry up to 75 cars. A larger ways had been built to accommodate the increased size of the ferry. It was scheduled to be launched between February 15 and March 15 and to be completed by April 15. The "City of Steilacoom" was the 12th boat finished by Skansie's since the first of the year. In 1926, the Skansie yard employed 36 workmen. (TNT 11/19/1926, pg. 10) BU 13893, Boland # B15944;

Ferries--1920-1930; Skansies Shipbuilding Co. (Gig Harbor); Boat & ship industry--Gig Harbor;

Ferry "Wollochet" docked at the Skansie's Shipbuilding Co.'s dock on November 12, 1926. It had been built by the Gig Harbor firm the previous year. TPL-680; G37.1-171

Ferries--1920-1930; Skansies Shipbuilding Co. (Gig Harbor); Boat & ship industry--Gig Harbor; Piers & wharves--Gig Harbor;

Employees of the Skansie Shipbuilding Company, in Gig Harbor, posed around a Fairbanks Morse engine intended for the "Defiance," the Pt. Defiance to Gig Harbor ferry which had been launched on January 16, 1927. By the mid 1920's, ferries were being designed to carry automobiles. The Skansie Brothers yard in Gig Harbor was one of the first to build the auto ferries. The "Defiance" had an 70-car capacity. Mitchell Skansie pioneered the use of diesel engines in ferries and the "Defiance" had a 360 hp engine which could travel with a speed of 10 knots. (Neal & Janus "Puget Sound Ferries") G66.1-091 (TNT 1-15-27, p. 14-article; TNT 1-17-27, p. 15-article)

Ferries--1920-1930; Skansies Shipbuilding Co. (Gig Harbor); Boat engines;

The new Point Defiance to Gig Harbor ferry, "Defiance." The 180-foot wooden ferry constructed of Douglas fir, with a capacity of 70 cars, was built by the Skansie Shipbuilding Co. in Gig Harbor and started on her Gig Harbor run on April 3, 1927. She had her "builders trial test" the day before. The new ferry was designed to speed up traffic between Tacoma and the Gig Harbor peninsula. She was licensed to carry 500 foot passengers and 70 cars. Skansie Brothers was founded in 1912 by four Yugoslavian brothers, Pete, Mitchell, Andrew and Joe Skansie. Beginning in 1922, the company was one of the first yards to build automobile ferries. They also were pioneers in the use of diesel ferry engines. By 1926, Mitchell Skansie had also begun an early ferry service company called the Washington Navigation Co. It had taken over operation of all ferries in Pierce County on January 1, 1927. By the 1930's, the company had many ferries running on contracted routes in the south Puget Sound. (Neal & Janus "Puget Sound Ferries") TPL-8269; G66.1-101 (TNT 1-15-27, p. 14-article; TNT 1-17-27, p. 15-article; TDL 4-2-27, p. 1-article; TDL 4-3-27, A-11)

Ferries--1920-1930; Skansies Shipbuilding Co. (Gig Harbor);

ca. 1930. View of Pier No. 1 and the waterfront of Seattle - looking toward the city from the water. Buildings in photograph include: Luckenbach Steamship Co. Inc. on Pier No. 1, and the L. C. Smith Tower in the background. To the right is the Pacific Steamship Co. (building labeled Pier A.)

Luckenbach Steamship Co. Inc. (Seattle); Pacific Steamship Co. (Seattle); Smith Tower (Seattle); Port of Seattle (Seattle);

On April 15, 1931, after spending two weeks loading lumber and timber at the Defiance Mill, 4601 Ruston Way, the four masted "Commodore" left port in Tacoma for the Hawaiian Islands. It was towed to the Straits of Juan de Fuca by the tug Goliath. The last of the off shore sailing fleet in regular service on Puget Sound, it was the first sailing vessel to visit Tacoma in more than two years. The wooden four masted topsail schooner of 1,500 tons was built in 1919 by the JH Price Construction Co., a Lake Washington yard, for Norwegian owners and was named "Blaatind." By 1920, it was owned by a Seattle company and was renamed "Commodore." She sailed with lumber to Hawaii long past the demise of the remainder of the west coast sailing fleet. By 1942, she had passed through many hands to South African owners. They had her towed to South America and knocked apart for lumber to build houses. Bowen 05-761 (TNT 4/16/1931, pg. 20; "Marine History of the Pacific Northwest" H.W. McCurdy) TPL-9411

Double launching of two new U.S. Navy Destroyers, "Cushing" and "Perkins" at Navy Yard Shipbuilding dock on December 31, 1935. Huge crowds lined both sides of the waterway; some were standing in front of wooden buildings while others were seated on benches. The crowd at the Navy Yard launching was estimated at 8,000. (Bremerton Sun).

Launchings--Bremerton--1930-1940; Spectators--Bremerton;

Launching of two new U.S. Navy Destroyers, "Cushing" and "Perkins," at Bremerton Navy Yard shipbuilding dock on December 31, 1935. Over 8,000 people stood to watch the double christening. Miss Katherine A. Cushing, Adm. T.T. Craven, Mrs. Isabel Anderson, and Governor Clarence D. Martin were among the participants. (Bremerton Sun).

Launchings--Bremerton--1930-1940; Warships--Bremerton--1930-1940;

Admiral T. T. Craven and Mrs. Isabel Anderson at the launching of two new U.S. Navy Destroyers, "Cushing" and "Perkins," at Bremerton Navy Yard on December 31, 1935. Mrs. Anderson is holding the encased christening bottle. The "Perkins" was named after her father, George Hamilton Perkins, a Civil War hero. (Bremerton Sun).

Launchings--Bremerton--1930-1940; Warships--Bremerton--1930-1940; Craven, T.T.; Anderson, Isabel;