New England Shipbuilding (East & West)
Portland, Maine
source: Sawyer & Mitchell

©
Maine

The two yards of the New England Shipbuilding Corporation - the East and the West - commenced operations under different titles and until early 1942 were separated by rigid legal conditions.

The origins of the East yard date from 1941, for in that year two American concerns contracted to build 'Ocean' type ships for British account. One such concern was the Todd-Bath Iron Shipbuilding Corp., whose new yard of the dry dock (or basin) type was situated on the edge of a residential community to the east of Cushing Point, South Portland, Maine. Here, launchings were not down slipways; instead the basins were flooded and the ships were floated out.

West Yard

While this yard was still under construction the management was instructed by the Maritime Commission to build another new yard next to it. Situated to the west of Cushing Point, it was to be operated by the South Portland Shipbuilding Corporation and became known as the West yard. After Pearl Harbor the restrictive legalities of the separate yards were swept aside and both yards were operated as one enterprise by this corporation.

The Todd-Bath Corporation, when building the 'Ocean' ships, carried out much of the steel fabrication at the new plant of the Bath Iron Works (the parent company of both these South Portland yards) and which, owing to the lack of local expansion facilities, was situated some 30 miles away from the shipyard. The East yard, therefore, was given no great fabricating or assembling areas.

The construction of the four-way West yard was more orthodox, the ships being launched from normal slipways. As a four-way yard it seemed ideal but the increase to six slips was really more of a contraction than expansion, for there was then no additional space and the extra slips just had to be fitted in with the others. However, all the materials for their construction had to be taken across the four original ways, and this greatly interfered with the shipbuilding activities.

Here also, the layout failed to include fabricating shops, the intention again being to have this work carried out by Bath Iron Works and thence carried by road from the nearest railhead, some three miles away. But production by this method was too slow and when the call came for an all-out effort these plans were of little use. In March 1942 the commission took an active part in providing the facilities to enable ships to be pre-assembled in large units instead of being put together piece by piece.

Soon the inhabitants of Cushing Point found the two shipyards encroaching into their community and condemnation of property became commonplace as expansion demanded fabricating shops, housing for the workers and even a railroad. During the summer of 1942 eviction and demolition proceeded rapidly but long disputes and troubles over construction, supervision, facilities, fees and management all ensured that the deliveries of ships from the first contract were very much delayed. In fact, after the first Liberty keel was laid in September 1942 the East yard found itself building in some of its basins for British account and in the others for the Maritime Commission.

Collectively however, the delays were so great that the Commission contemplated termination of the agreements by default, but their bitter experiences at Savannah (see Southeastern Shipbuilding Corp.) indicated the wiser course of a negotiated settlement. So, in early 1943 - at which time the yards had been without a clear authority for nearly a year - Todd Shipyards Corporation took over control from Bath Iron Works and installed new management 'on trial' for a period of sixty days. During this time the two yards, now with the New England title, were expected to fabricate and erect 36,000 tons of steel and to deliver twelve vessels.

By March 1943 their performances were considered by the Commission to be satisfactory, and soon after further expansion occurred with the acquisition from the US Navy of land to the north of the area. These new shipbuilders, who were never one of the fastest yards and were in fact one of the two slowest, nevertheless considerably reduced their total number of manhours per ship. Over a two-year period commencing in May 1943 the figure dropped from 760,000 to 410,000, and after many early troubles the yard finally constructed an excellent number of vessels.

Liberty ship output (both yards): 236 vessels at an average cost of $1,892,000 each, plus 8 for the transport of boxed aircraft.

Vessels built at the East Yard:

USMC Numbers	Yard Numbers
Built by Portland Shipbuilding Corp
761-792	252-276, varied order
814-815	231-239
820-821	244-245
823-824	247-248
827	251
Built by New England Shipbuilding Corp
793-800	277-284

For the remaining constructions at this yard the MCE number was used as the yard number.

Vessels built at the West Yard:

USMC Numbers	Yard Numbers
Built by South Portland Shipbuilding Corp
201-213	201-213
333-338	217-222
Built by New England Shipbuilding Corp
214-216	214-216
339-340	223-224
801-813	225-237
816-819	240-243
822	246
825-826	249-250

For the remaining constructions at this yard the MCE number was used as the yard number.

World War II Construction Records of the New England Shipbuilding Company

Production Records of the New England Shipbuilding Corp.

History of the South Portland Shipyards.

Portland's Liberty Ship Era

The South Portland Shipyard Oral History Project, supported by Portland radio station WMPG-FM and the Portland Harbor Museum, created an oral documentary by recording the recollections of World War II Liberty shipyard workers and local residents. Listen to their stories.