New York Shipbuilding Corporation
This prominent shipbuilding company was started by Henry G. Morse in 1899. The shipyard was originally called New York Ship, because it was supposed to be on Staten Island, NY. However, Morse found an even better location in Camden, NJ, with better rail facilities and experienced shipyard workers readily available.
Once the initial construction was completed, the shipyard opened in 1900. It was already the most modern shipbuilding facility in the country before it even opened its doors. They used the template system when building ships, meaning that the fabrication and the assembly would not be done together. Morse also had overhead cranes installed so that they could connect to the entire yard. This made moving parts from one end of the yard to the other much quicker. For its time, this shipyard was state of the art.
Only one year later, the MS Dollar was completed. After this first ship hit the seas, there were many other notable ships constructed here prior to World War II. New York Shipbuilding Corporation made tankers for Gulf Oil, as well as its first warship. The first battleship they built, the USS Michigan, was so successful that several more contracts for battleships were received. By the start of the First World War, this shipyard was a leader in construction of naval vessels.
The First World War was a very prosperous time for the New York Shipbuilding Company. In only 14 years, it had become the largest shipyard in the world. It expanded the yard and created middle and southern yards, as there was a backlog of orders for both civilians and the Navy. The expansion was necessary.
The USS Saratoga was the most famous ship to come out of the yard during the war. It was designed as a battle cruiser but was later converted to an aircraft carrier. This was the first ever carrier in the United States Navy. During the war, the company also began building small communities near the shipyard. This was used to attract quality employees and provide housing for them and their families. The workforce was increasing dramatically, so housing was an immediate priority.
Although the US was not involved in the Second World War in 1939, preparations began at shipyards across the country. This was no different for the New York Shipbuilding Company. At any time, the US could be brought into the war, and it was imperative to have a Navy that could do battle with the German or Japanese Navy. This was one of the busiest times for the yard as they helped construct one of the world's most powerful navy fleets.
New York Shipbuilding Corporation was responsible for rebuilding and updating older ships as well as constructing many new ones. The Battleship USS South Dakota was the first contribution to the war effort. Over the course of the war, it would supply 26 heavy combatant ships to the US Navy. There were 2 destroyer tenders, 3 seaplane tenders, 1 repair ship, 8 light cruisers, 9 light aircraft carriers, 2 battle cruisers as well as one battle ship. In total, 70 ships that were built at this yard were used in the Second World War.
The New York Shipbuilding Corporation not only provided ships to the Navy, but was a major supplier of civilian vessels as well. With the demand of the Second World War, all of the facilities had to be changed over to help with the war effort. The employees were able to make the switch very quickly and produced ships at an extremely efficient level. In one year alone, they built more than $217,000,000 worth of ships and equipment, and delivered them as much as a year ahead of schedule.
Not only did the New York Shipbuilding Corporation provide a great service to the war effort, they were also able to employ over 30,000 men and women over the course of the war. As was the case with most shipyards of the time, there was a considerable drop in contracts after the war. The company then decided to focus their attention on the nuclear aspect of shipbuilding. They built nuclear submarines as well as the first commercial nuclear ship, the NS Savannah.
Since the military contracts died down during the mid 1960's, the yard was forced to close. The last ship built at this famous yard was the USS Guardfish, which was completed in 1967.
