Columbia River Shipbuilding Company
The Columbia River Shipbuilding Company was a small shipyard in Portland, Oregon, United States, located on the west bank of the Willamette River. The shipyard was located at the foot of SW Sheridan Street, just upstream of the Interstate 5 Marquam Bridge.
The owners of Columbia River Shipbuilding were A. F. Smith and J. Frank Watson, who were also owners of the Smith and Watson Iron Works. The shipyard was managed by Charles D. Bowles, who was also associated with J. F. Duthie Shipbuilding of Seattle, Washington. Columbia River Shipbuilding was established in 1918 to build cargo ships for the United States Shipping Board (USSB). The shipyard closed shortly after the end of World War I.
Most of the 32 ships built by the Columbia River Shipbuilding Company were the West boats, a series of 5,600 gross register tons (GRT) steel-hulled cargo ships built for the USSB on the West Coast of the United States as part of the World War I war effort. The first ship built at Columbia River Shipbuilding was the cargo ship Westward Ho;[1] the final ship completed was the cargo ship West Hassayampa, completed in January 1920.[1]
Notable ships built by Columbia River Shipbuilding
- Anzan Maru
- SS Circinus
- SS Empire Miniver
- SS Empire Moorhen
- SS Empire Panther
- SS Empire Turnstone
- SS Michigan
- Tazan Maru
- USS West Coast (ID-3315)
- USS West Corum (ID-3982)
- USS West Gate (ID-3216)
- SS West Hardaway
- SS West Imboden
- USS West Indian (ID-3120)
- SS West Munham
- USS Western Belle (ID-3551)
- USS Western Plains (ID-3741)
- USS Westward Ho (ID-3098)
References
- Shipbuilding companies of Oregon
- Defunct shipbuilding companies of the United States
- Companies based in Portland, Oregon
- Defunct companies based in Oregon
- Manufacturing companies established in 1918
- Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1920
- 1918 establishments in Oregon
- 1920 disestablishments in Oregon
- History of transportation in Oregon
