Describe the colonial shipbuilding industry during the early 18th century
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Boat in Lowell's Boat Shop Photo by Jet Lowe, NPS Historic American Engineering Collection (MA,153-45)Shipbuilding is one of the oldest industries in the United States with roots in the earliest colonial settlements. Shipbuilding quickly became a successful and profitable industry in Massachusetts, with its miles of coastline featuring protected harbors and bays, and extensive supplies of raw materials. The early wooden vessels built for commercial fishing and foreign trade also gave rise to a variety of ancillary trades and industries in the area, including sail making, chandleries, rope walks and marine railways. Shipyards in Essex and Suffolk counties are credited with the invention of the traditional American dory and built those that comprised the renowned Gloucester fishing fleet, helped free the colonies from British rule, strengthened the merchant and naval fleets that made the United States a world power and played pivotal roles in World War I and World War II. Many vessels included in this itinerary were either constructed in Massachusetts or are representative of the types of vessels built and repaired in Massachusetts shipyards. Lowell's Boat Shop Photo by Jet Lowe, NPS Historic American Engineering Collection (MA,153-42)Early settlements, combined with the abundance of oak forests and nearby newly established sawmills on Cape Ann, played a major role in the emergence of the shipbuilding industry on the Essex and Merrimack Rivers and in areas along the northern Massachusetts coastline during the mid-17th century. A shipbuilding boom in the area commenced around 1710. In the beginning, people built their own boats for fishing and transportation. By the late 18th century, experienced shipbuilders began building a new vessel each winter, fishing it during the summer, and selling the vessel during the fall. Captains traveled from other ports to the town of Essex and contracted for a new vessel because the Essex shipbuilders possessed unsurpassed skill and craftsmanship. Much of the skills required of shipwrights or shipbuilders were obtained through on-the-job-training, and many of the earliest shipyards and boat shops operated as family businesses passed down from generation to generation. Lowell's Boat Shop in Amesbury, Massachusetts, for example, was originally constructed in 1793, run by several generations of the Lowell family, and is the oldest, continually operating boat shop in the United States.By the early 1840s, Essex no longer had its own fishing fleet, but had turned to year-round shipbuilding fostering a symbiotic relationship with the successful fishermen in Gloucester. In other words, when Gloucester had successful fishing runs and needed more boats, Essex prospered by supplying the boats. By 1845, shipbuilding in Essex was firmly established. The town became widely recognized as North America's leading producer of the popular "schooners," which enabled fishermen to sail far offshore and withstand rough seas. These large wooden vessels featured two masts carrying two principal sails supported by booms and gaffs and had one or more triangular head sails rigged to a bowsprit. By the 1850s, 15 Essex shipyards launched more than 50 vessels a year, most of which were built for the Gloucester fleet. A typical Essex shipyard consisted of a plot of land near the water with a few shipways, a shop for yard tools and enough space to store timber. Few shipyards had an on-site office and business was often conducted at the builder's home. Of the 4,000 vessels built in Essex during its 350-year shipbuilding history, only 5 of the fishing schooners exist today. The Schooner Ernestina and the Schooner Adventure remain in Massachusetts.Unlike the Essex shipyards that largely produced fishing vessels, other Massachusetts shipyards constructed vessels that played an important role in the birth, growth and continued effectiveness of the U.S. Navy. The Boston Naval Yard built more than 200 warships, and maintained and repaired thousands of others from 1800 to 1974. Upon closing after 174 years of service, 30 acres of the navy yard became part of Boston National Historical Park administered by the National Park Service. The frigate USS Constitution, also known as "Old Ironsides," which is the oldest commissioned warship in the world, and the Fletcher-class destroyer USS Cassin Young are displayed there as representatives of the vessels built and repaired at the shipyard. From humble beginnings in 1884, the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts quickly grew to become the second largest shipyard in the country and remained a leader in the shipbuilding industry for a century. The Bethlehem Steel Company owned the shipyard from 1925 to 1963, during which time it produced the South Dakota-class battleship USS Massachusetts and the Gearing-class destroyer USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Both vessels are now displayed at Battleship Cove, the world's largest naval ship exhibit, located in Fall River, Massachusetts. Also exhibited at Battleship Cove are the USS Lionfish, PT Boat 796 and PT Boat 617, which represent the types of submarines and Patrol Torpedo boats constructed for use during World War II. Luna escorting Normandie in New York Harbor, 1935 Photo courtesy of Terra Mare Research & Education Society, Inc.Other types of boats, including tugboats and lightships, operated in the harbors and off the coast of Massachusetts. Although designed by a Boston naval architect and commissioned for the Boston Tow Boat Company, the Luna was built in Maryland in 1930. The Luna was one of the last wooden-hulled tugboats constructed, during an era when it had become cheaper and quicker to build vessels out of steel. The U.S. Navy employed the Luna during World War II to tend ships at Boston Naval Yard, and perform launch and rescue duties. Berthed in South Boston, the Luna is the last full-size, wood-hulled tug in existence. Lightship No. 114 was also built in 1930 and served at several dangerous offshore locations before being stationed at Pollock Rip off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, from 1958 to 1969. In 1975, Lightship No. 114 was brought to New Bedford, Massachusetts, and renamed. Unfortunately, in June 2006, a leak caused the vessel to roll on its side. Lightship No. 114 has since been righted but its fate is unknown. Comments or Questions SD How were ships built in the 18th century?Ships were built using the frame-first method – where the internal framing is built first, and planking later added to the frame. This enabled stronger and bigger ships to be built. Fighting platforms called castles were built high up at the front and the back of the ship for archers and stone-slingers.
How would you describe the ship building process?During the shipbuilding process, each ship block is brought to the building dock, where they are erected with cranes, as per the welding sequence. After each erection, welding is carried out on block joints.
What is the shipbuilding industry?The shipbuilding industry deals with the production of larger (mainly seagoing) vessels intended for the merchant fleet (cargo or passenger transport), the off-shore energy industry or military purposes. It also includes products and services supplied for the building, conversion, and maintenance of these ships.
What are the typical characteristics of shipbuilding industry?Ship building involves usage of a wide range of equipment, materials and skills. The very size of ships makes it different from other industrial products. The huge size along with the required fittings and fixtures depending on the type of the vessel, it calls for a huge manhour requirement.
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