Site Record
Metadata
Site# |
205 |
Site Name |
New England Shipbuilding Corporation |
Description |
In December 1940, before the United States had entered the war, the British Government signed a contract with the Todd Shipyard Corporation for the construction of 60 merchant ships. The construction of these Ocean-class cargo ships was to take place at two brand-new shipyards run by the Todd-Bath Iron Shipbuilding Corporation - one yard at Richmond, California, and the other at South Portland, Maine. In South Portland, the area around Cushing's Point was selected as ideal for a shipyard. This first shipyard, the Todd-Bath Iron yard (known as the "East Yard") was located on the site of the old Cumberland Shipyard, at the eastern end of Broadway. Soon after construction of the East Yard began, plans for the West Yard were underway. The West Yard was constructed by the South Portland Shipbuilding Corporation, overseen by the U.S. Maritime Commission, to start building Liberty ships for our own merchant marine fleet. The yard construction began in the spring of 1941. On November 18, 1942, the final Ocean ship was completed and delivered and the Todd-Bath yard remained in operation, constructing Liberty ships. In December, 1942, the two yards merged and became known as South Portland Shipbuilding Corporation. Effective April 1, 1943, South Portland Shipbuilding Corporation changed its name to New England Shipbuilding Corporation. By the end of the war, the South Portland shipyards had constructed 30 Ocean ships and 244 Liberty ships. |
