Kaiser Shipyards

at the Richmond Shipyards, April 1943 Henry Kaiser had been building cargo ships for the United States Maritime Commission in the 1930s, partnering with Todd Shipyards Corporation and the Bath Iron Works. When orders for ships from the British government, already at war with Germany, allowed for growth, Kaiser established his first Richmond shipyard begun in December 1940. In April 1941 the Maritime Commission requested an additional Kaiser yard, to be used for Liberty ship construction, and after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Kaiser started third and fourth yards, building troop transports and tank landing ships (LSTs), respectively. His son, Edgar Kaiser, Sr, was appointed Vice-President and General Manager of the shipyards. Together, these four Kaiser Shipyards produced 747 ships, including many of the famous Liberty ships and Victory shipsfor carrying general cargo and military munitions, armaments and supplies, more than any other complex in the United States. Only one of these ships, , survives. Two other Liberty ships built in other American yards also exist as working museum exhibits: moored in San Francisco and in Baltimore. An additional Victory cargo ship also survives: . Through 1943, the Kaiser Shipyards produced s. While promising 16 carriers by 1944, Kaiser encouraged employees to go above and beyond and make 18 instead, with the slogan "18 or more by 44". == Other details ==

• Kaiser set several records: • The Liberty ship SS Robert E. Peary was assembled in less than five days as a part of a special competition among shipyards. • At the Oregon Shipbuilding Yard on the Columbia River, near Portland, the Victory ship SS Joseph N. Teal was built in ten days in fall 1942. • The Oregon Shipbuilding Yards were responsible for 455 ships. • Kaiser recruited from across the United States to work in his yards, hiring women and minorities. • Fields Point in Providence, Rhode Island, had a shipyard run as the Walsh-Kaiser Company after former management (Rheem) ran into difficulties. The shipyard was closed and sold after the war. A Swedish shipowner dismantled the shipyard and later erected it in the city of Uddevalla on the west coast of Sweden. == See also ==