Fore River Shipyard

The Fore River Shipyard of Quincy, Massachusetts, more formally known as the Fore River Ship and Engine Building Company, was a shipyard in the United States from 1883 until 1986. Located on the Weymouth Fore River, the yard began operations in 1883 in Braintree, Massachusetts before being moved downstream to its permanent location in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1901. The shipyard helped build early U.S. submarines and many ships commissioned by the United States Navy, including the World War II battleship USS Massachusetts (BB-59) and aircraft carriers USS Wasp (CV-7) and USS Bunker Hill (CV-17). In the 1960s, the yard was purchased by General Dynamics. It continued to produce ships for the navy until being converted to LNG tanker production before finally closing in 1986.

The yard built the Thomas W. Lawson, the largest pure sailing ship ever built, and ARA Rivadavia, one of two foreign battleships built in the United States. It was home to the "Goliath" crane, for a time the second-largest shipbuilding crane in the world. It is also the likely origin of the World War II "Kilroy was here" graffiti character.

Early history and war years
Started by Thomas A. Watson in 1883, the shipyard was located on the Weymouth Fore River near East Braintree, Massachusetts. In 1901, the yard was moved to Quincy in the eastern part of the Quincy Point neighborhood. By the time that the Russo-Japanese War broke out in 1904, the company was operated under the direction of former Admiral Francis T. Bowles, who had become the company's president in a late 1903 reorganization, displacing Thomas Watson, who assumed the title Chairman of the Board. Watson, who was pleased with how Bowles ran the yard, stepped aside in 1904.

In 1913, Bethlehem Steel purchased the yard. It built many renowned warships and Liberty ships during World War II. John J. Kilroy, the apparent originator of the famous "Kilroy was here" graffiti, was a welding inspector at Fore River during the war years.

General Dynamics years
Fore River changed hands again in 1964, when it was purchased by General Dynamics Corporation. The shipyard became General Dynamics Quincy Shipbuilding Division, and General Dynamics invested $23 million to improve the shipyard to make it more competitive. The yard constructed several ships for the U.S. Navy, including nuclear-powered submarines, ammunition ships, replenishment oilers, and dock landing ships. The shipyard converted to building LNG tankers during its final years. Despite a last minute attempt at an employee buyout, the shipyard closed for good in 1986. Although shipbuilding operations ceased at that time, the name of the yard continues to be used, and the location is still referred to as Fore River Shipyard.

Post-closing years
In 1994, USS Salem (CA-139)&mdash;the last all-gun heavy cruiser ever built&mdash;returned to the Quincy yard, becoming the centerpiece of the United States Naval Shipbuilding Museum. Following several abortive attempts to restart the shipyard as a shipbuilding center, Daniel J Quirk, a local auto dealer, bought the property in 2004 for use as a motor vehicle storage and distribution facility, but it still serves also as a port for commuter boats to Boston and Hull run by Harbor Express for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). The yard is also used by Jay Cashman, Inc., for heavy construction and marine equipment services, by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority as a sewage sludge heat-drying and pelletizing facility, and by Fore River Transportation Corporation for short line freight rail service to CSXT South Braintree.

Goliath crane
An important facility at the shipyard was the "Goliath" crane, at one point the second largest shipbuilding crane in the world. Constructed in 1975 for building LNG tankers, the crane was a prominent part of the harbor skyline for over thirty years. In early 2008, the 328 ft tall crane located at the former shipyard was sold to Daewoo-Mangalia Heavy Industries S. A., a joint-venture company of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd. of South Korea and former state shipyard 2 Mai Mangalia S. A. of Romania, which dismantled it in July, 2008 for relocation to Mangalia, Romania.

On August 14, 2008, ironworker Robert Harvey was killed when a portion of the Goliath crane collapsed during dismantlement. Work on the crane's removal was halted for two months while local and federal officials investigated the accident, but the work later resumed and was completed in early 2009. As a result of their investigation, on January 13, 2009 the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration  imposed fines totalling $68,000. A barge carrying the crane was christened the USS Harvey in honor of the fallen worker and left the shipyard on March 7, 2009 en route to Romania.

The August 2008 fatal incident was preceded by two other deaths involving demolition of the main gantry at the shipyard on January 26, 2005. The earlier incident resulted in an OSHA ruling against Testa Corporation of Lynnfield, Massachusetts, including a proposed $60,400 fine. Following the 2005 collapse, violations involving improper cleanup and removal of asbestos found in debris left by the accident resulted in a $75,000 penalty imposed against Testa by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.

U.S. Navy warships
Numerous famous warships were built at the Fore River Shipyard. A partial list is below. The date in parentheses indicates the date the ship was commissioned by the U.S. Navy, and not the date of its launch.

Aircraft carriers

 * USS Lexington (CV-2) (1927) Battle of the Coral Sea
 * USS Wasp (CV-7) (1940) Guadalcanal Campaign
 * USS Lexington (CV-16) (1943) Battle of the Philippine Sea - Philippines campaign (1944-45)
 * USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) (1943) Battle of the Philippine Sea - Philippines campaign (1944-45) - Battle of Okinawa
 * USS Wasp (CV-18) (1943) Battle of the Philippine Sea - Philippines campaign (1944-45)
 * USS Hancock (CV-19) (1944) Philippines campaign (1944-45) - Battle of Okinawa - Vietnam War
 * USS Philippine Sea (CV-47) (1946) Korean War

Battleships

 * USS New Jersey (BB-16) (1906)
 * USS Rhode Island (BB-17) (1906)
 * USS Vermont (BB-20) (1907)
 * USS North Dakota (BB-29) (1910)
 * USS Nevada (BB-36) (1916) World War I - Attack on Pearl Harbor - Invasion of Normandy and invasions of Southern France and Okinawa
 * USS Massachusetts (BB-59) (1942) Naval Battle of Casablanca - Philippines campaign (1944-45) - invasion of Okinawa

Cruisers

 * USS Birmingham (CL-2) (1908) World War I
 * USS Salem (CL-3) (1907) World War I
 * USS Raleigh (CL-7) (1924) Attack on Pearl Harbor
 * USS Detroit (CL-8) (1923) Attack on Pearl Harbor
 * USS Northampton (CA-26) (1930) Doolittle Raid - Battle of Midway - Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands - Battle of Tassafaronga
 * USS Portland (CA-33) (1933) Battle of the Coral Sea - Battle of Midway - Battle of the Eastern Solomons - Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands - Naval Battle of Guadalcanal - Battle of Surigao Strait - invasion of Okinawa
 * USS Quincy (CA-39) (1936) Battle of Savo Island
 * USS Vincennes (CA-44) (1937) Doolittle Raid - Battle of Midway - Battle of Savo Island
 * USS San Diego (CL-53) (1941) Naval Battle of Guadalcanal - Battle of the Philippine Sea - invasion of Okinawa
 * USS San Juan (CL-54) (1941) Guadalcanal Campaign - Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands - Battle of the Philippine Sea - Philippines campaign (1944-45) - Battle of Okinawa
 * USS Vincennes (CL-64) (1943) Battle of the Philippine Sea - Philippines campaign (1944-45) - Battle of Okinawa
 * USS Pasadena (CL-65) (1943) Battle of Okinawa
 * USS Springfield (CL-66) (1944) Battle of Okinawa
 * USS Topeka (CL-67) (1944) Battle of Okinawa - Vietnam War
 * USS Baltimore (CA-68) (1942) Battle of the Philippine Sea - Philippines campaign (1944-45) - Battle of Okinawa
 * USS Boston (CA-69) (1942) Battle of the Philippine Sea - Philippines campaign (1944-45) - Vietnam War
 * USS Canberra (CA-70) (1943) Battle of the Philippine Sea - Vietnam War
 * USS Quincy (CA-71) (1943) Invasion of Normandy and invasion of Southern France
 * USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) (1944) Battle of Okinawa
 * USS St. Paul (CA-73) (1944) World War II - Korean War - Vietnam War
 * USS Columbus (CA-74) (1944)
 * USS Helena (CA-75) (1945) Korean War
 * USS Providence (CL-82) (1944) Vietnam War
 * USS Manchester (CL-83) (1946) Korean War
 * USS Oregon City (CA-122) (1945)
 * USS Albany (CA-123) (1945)
 * USS Rochester (CA-124) (1945) Korean War
 * USS Des Moines (CA-134) (1946)
 * USS Salem (CA-139) (1949)
 * USS Northampton (CLC-1) (1953)
 * USS Long Beach (CGN-9) (1961) Vietnam War

Destroyers
Built at the Hingham Shipyard
 * USS Sterett (DD-27) (1909)
 * USS Perkins (DD-26) (1910)
 * USS Walke (DD-34) (1911)
 * USS Duncan (DD-46) (1913)
 * USS Cushing (DD-55) (1915)
 * USS Tucker (DD-57) (1916)
 * USS Sampson (DD-63) (1916)
 * USS Rowan (DD-64) (1916)
 * USS Little (DD-79) (1918) World War I - Guadalcanal campaign
 * USS Kimberly (DD-80) (1918) World War I
 * USS Sigourney (DD-81) (1918) World War I - Destroyers for Bases Agreement
 * USS Gregory (DD-82) (1918) World War I - Guadalcanal campaign
 * USS Stringham (DD-83) (1918) World War I - Guadalcanal campaign - Battle of the Philippine Sea - Battle of Okinawa
 * USS Dyer (DD-84) (1918) World War I
 * USS Colhoun (DD-85) (1918) World War I - Guadalcanal campaign
 * USS Stevens (DD-86) (1918) World War I
 * USS Bell (DD-95) (1918) World War I
 * USS Stribling (DD-96) (1918) World War I
 * USS Murray (DD-97) (1918)
 * USS Israel (DD-98) (1918)
 * USS Luce (DD-99) (1918) World War I
 * USS Maury (DD-100) (1918)
 * USS Lansdale (DD-101) (1918)
 * USS Mahan (DD-102) (1918)
 * USS Palmer (DD-161) (1919) invasion of North Africa - Philippines campaign (1944-45)
 * USS Thatcher (DD-162) (1919) Destroyers for Bases Agreement
 * USS Walker (DD-163) (1919)
 * USS Crosby (DD-164) (1919) Guadalcanal campaign - Philippines campaign (1944-45) - Battle of Okinawa
 * USS Meredith (DD-165) (1919)
 * USS Bush (DD-166) (1919)
 * USS Cowell (DD-167) (1919) Destroyers for Bases Agreement
 * USS Maddox (DD-168) (1919) Destroyers for Bases Agreement
 * USS Foote (DD-169) (1919) Destroyers for Bases Agreement
 * USS Kalk (DD-170) (1919) Destroyers for Bases Agreement
 * USS Belknap (DD-251) (1919) Philippines campaign (1944-45)
 * USS McCook (DD-252) (1919) Destroyers for Bases Agreement
 * USS McCalla (DD-253) (1919) Destroyers for Bases Agreement
 * USS Rodgers (DD-254) (1919) Destroyers for Bases Agreement
 * USS Osmond Ingram (DD-255) (1919) World War II
 * USS Bancroft (DD-256) (1919) Destroyers for Bases Agreement
 * USS Welles (DD-257) (1919) Destroyers for Bases Agreement
 * USS Aulick (DD-258) (1919) Destroyers for Bases Agreement
 * USS Turner (DD-259) (1919)
 * USS Gillis (DD-260) (1919) Battle of Okinawa
 * USS Farragut (DD-348) (1934) Attack on Pearl Harbor - Battle of the Coral Sea - Battle of the Eastern Solomons - Battle of the Philippine Sea
 * USS Phelps (DD-360) (1935) Attack on Pearl Harbor - Battle of the Coral Sea - Battle of Midway
 * USS Clark (DD-361) (1935) World War II
 * USS Moffett (DD-362) (1935) World War II
 * USS Balch (DD-363) (1936) Doolittle Raid - Battle of Midway - Guadalcanal campaign
 * USS Gridley (DD-380) (1936) Guadalcanal campaign - Battle of the Philippine Sea - Philippines campaign (1944-45)
 * USS Craven (DD-382) (1937) Battle of Vella Gulf - Battle of the Philippine Sea
 * USS Benson (DD-421) (1939) invasions of Sicily, Italy and Southern France
 * USS Mayo (DD-422) (1940) invasion of Italy
 * USS Bancroft (DD-598) (1941) World War II
 * USS Barton (DD-599) (1942) Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands - Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
 * USS Boyle (DD-600) (1942) invasions of North Africa, Sicily and Southern France
 * USS Champlin (DD-601) (1942) invasion of Sicily
 * USS Nields (DD-616) (1942) invasions of Sicily and Southern France
 * USS Ordronaux (DD-617) (1942) invasions of Sicily and Southern France
 * USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. (DD-850) (1945) Korean War
 * USS Rupertus (DD-851) (1945) Korean War - Vietnam War
 * USS Leonard F. Mason (DD-852) (1946) Korean War - Vietnam War
 * USS Charles H. Roan (DD-853) (1946)

Submarines

 * First five Imperial Japanese Navy submarines, known as the Holland Type VII's, built (in relative secrecy) at Fore River in 1904.
 * USS Octopus (SS-9) (1906)
 * USS Viper (SS-10) (1907)
 * USS Cuttlefish (SS-11) (1907)
 * USS Tarantula (SS-12) (1907)
 * USS Stingray (SS-13) (1909)
 * USS Tarpon (SS-14) (1909)
 * USS Bonita (SS-15) (1909)
 * USS Snapper (SS-16) (1909)
 * First Spanish submarine Isaac Peral (A-0) (1916)

O class

 * USS O-3 (SS-64) (1917)
 * USS O-4 (SS-65) (1917)
 * USS O-5 (SS-66) (1917)
 * USS O-6 (SS-67) (1917)
 * USS O-7 (SS-68) (1917)
 * USS O-8 (SS-69) (1917)
 * USS O-9 (SS-70) (1918)
 * USS O-10 (SS-71) (1918)

R class

 * USS R-1 (SS-78) (1918)
 * USS R-2 (SS-79) (1918)
 * USS R-3 (SS-80) (1918)
 * USS R-4 (SS-81) (1918)
 * USS R-5 (SS-82) (1918)
 * USS R-6 (SS-83) (1919)
 * USS R-7 (SS-84) (1919)
 * USS R-8 (SS-85) (1919)
 * USS R-9 (SS-86) (1919)
 * USS R-10 (SS-87) (1919)
 * USS R-11 (SS-88) (1919)
 * USS R-12 (SS-89) (1919)
 * USS R-13 (SS-90) (1919)
 * USS R-14 (SS-91) (1919)

S class

 * USS S-1 (SS-105) (1918)
 * USS S-18 (SS-123) (1918) 8 World War II Pacific patrols
 * USS S-19 (SS-124) (1920)
 * USS S-20 (SS-125) (1920)
 * USS S-21 (SS-126) (1920)
 * USS S-22 (SS-127) (1920)
 * USS S-23 (SS-128) (1920) 7 World War II Pacific patrols
 * USS S-24 (SS-129) (1922)
 * USS S-25 (SS-130) (1922)
 * USS S-26 (SS-131) (1922)
 * USS S-27 (SS-132) (1922) 1 World War II Pacific patrol
 * USS S-28 (SS-133) (1922) sank 1 ship in 7 World War II Pacific patrols
 * USS S-29 (SS-134) (1922)
 * USS S-42 (SS-153) (1923) sank 1 ship in 6 World War II Pacific patrols
 * USS S-43 (SS-154) (1923) 3 World War II Pacific patrols
 * USS S-44 (SS-155) (1923) sank 3 ships in 5 World War II Pacific patrols
 * USS S-45 (SS-156) (1923) 4 World War II Pacific patrols
 * USS S-46 (SS-157) (1923) 5 World War II Pacific patrols
 * USS S-47 (SS-158) (1924) 7 World War II Pacific patrols

Other ships

 * Thomas W. Lawson, a seven-masted, steel-hull schooner, the only ship of her kind ever built.
 * William L. Douglas, a six-masted, steel-hull collier
 * SS Constitution and SS Independence, sister transatlantic liners built for American Export Lines.
 * Sankaty (steamboat), a propeller-driven steamer that served as a ferry to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket and as a Canadian minelayer during World War II.
 * ARA Rivadavia, a battleship of the for the Argentine Navy; one of the only two foreign battleships built in US.
 * USS L. Y. Spear (AS-36) Named after Electric Boat Company executive, Lawrence York Spear. This was a "AS Class" Submarine Tender built by this shipyard for the United States Navy starting from the mid 60's. This ship was launched on 7 September 1967 and decommissioned in 1996.
 * 2nd Lieutenant John P. Bobo Class of Maritime Prepositioning ships

Reading list

 * Palmer, David. Organizing the Shipyards: Union Strategy in Three Northeast Ports, 1933-1945. Cornell University Press 1998. ISBN 978-0-8014-2734-3
 * Drummond, Dave. The Shipyard: Will It Float?. iUniverse 2003. ISBN 978-0-595-27532-8