Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. Collection (1950.01)

Biographical note

The Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company was a subsidiary of United States Steel that operated a shipyard in Kearny, New Jersey, from 1917-1949. The shipyard was established following the passage of the 1916 United States Shipping Act, which created the United States Shipping Board to develop and maintain a merchant marine (a particularly pressing need given the United States’ imminent entry into WWI).

Federal Shipbuilding produced 30 cargo ships for the United States Shipping Board from 1918-1919, and then shifted to constructing merchant ships for U.S. Steel and other contractors during the interwar period. Federal Shipbuilding turned out over 120 ships at this time, with the large scale of operations at the shipyard enabling it to continue building ships when smaller shipyards were closing around the country.

By 1939, the threat of war meant that Federal Shipbuilding was again producing warships for the US Navy and the Maritime Commission, including tankers, destroyers, cruisers, etc. The shipyard built over 400 ships total for the war effort. Federal Shipbuilding finally ceased operations after the close of WWII in 1949.