Bethlehem Key Highway Shipyard

Bethlehem Key Highway Shipyard
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Shipbuilding, ship repair
Predecessor	William Skinner & Sons, Skinner Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, Malster & Reanie, Baltimore Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Company
Founded	1815 in Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Fate	Sold in 1983; site redeveloped
Successor	AME/Swirnow (Upper Yard), General Ship Repair (Fort McHenry Shipyard)
Headquarters	Baltimore, United States
Area served	Primarily United States (Baltimore area)
Products	Ships, ship repairs, conversions, tanker jumboizing
Parent	Bethlehem Steel (from 1922)

Bethlehem Key Highway Shipyard originated as William Skinner & Sons in Baltimore, Maryland, established in 1815. It was renamed Skinner Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company in 1899 and merged with Malster & Reanie (established 1870) in 1906, while keeping the Skinner designation. By 1914, the company adopted the name Baltimore Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Company. In 1922, it was acquired by Bethlehem Steel and became part of the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, concentrating on ship repair, conversions, and limited new builds. Bethlehem Steel’s main construction facility was Bethlehem Sparrows Point across the harbor. The Key Highway location was referred to as the Bethlehem Upper Yard, positioned northeast of Federal Hill, whereas the Lower Yard at Fort McHenry handled separate operations.

Bethlehem Key Highway Shipyard

Spanning 42 acres, the Upper Yard was sold to AME/Swirnow in 1983; subsequently, Swirnow divested the property in 2002. The site has since been redeveloped into Ritz Carlton and Harborview residential communities adjacent to the Baltimore Museum of Industry.

Key projects undertaken included:
Transformation of USS Palawan (ARG-10) into a Luzon Class Internal Combustion Engine Repair Ship.
Modification of USS Diamond Head (AE-19) for ammunition ship service.
Conversion of USS Graffias (AF-29), built on a Type C2-S-E1 hull, into a Hyades-class stores ship.
Refitting Landing Ship, Tank (LST) vessels into Achelous-class repair ships designed for maintaining landing craft (USS Menelaus (ARL-13), USS Numitor (ARL-17), USS Patroclus (ARL-19), USS Indra (ARL-37)).
"Jumboizing" several T-2 tankers by inserting a 354-foot midsection to boost cargo capacity. Noteworthy conversions include:
- SS Gulfmeadows (a Gulf Oil tanker), enlarged from 9,900 GT to 12,811 GT in 1957.
- USS Tomahawk (AO-88), initially built as SS Tomahawk by Marinship Corporation, jumboized in 1967.
- SS Marine Duval (formerly USS Lynchburg AO-154).
- An additional six T-2 tankers underwent similar jumboization processes.

- Legacy:**

A 100-foot crane constructed at Bethlehem Key Highway during World War II is preserved at the Baltimore Museum of Industry. Originally deployed at Bethlehem Fairfield Shipyard for Liberty and Victory ship production, it was transferred to Key Highway following Fairfield’s closure in 1945.

Bethlehem Fort McHenry Shipyard

Known as the Lower Yard, Bethlehem Fort McHenry Shipyard was sold to General Ship Repair in 1983. Today, this location is incorporated into the Port of Baltimore terminals at the site formerly occupied by Columbian Iron Works & Dry Dock Company (1899–1906).

Significant projects included:
USS Avenge (AM-423)
USS Webster (ARV-2)
- Fabrication of drilling rigs during the 1970s, notably the Ocean Scout—the first semisubmersible oil well drilling rig constructed on the U.S. East Coast.

Baltimore Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company

The Columbian Iron Works and Dry Dock Company (operating from 1899 to 1906) entered receivership in 1899 and was reorganized as Baltimore Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company. In 1905, William B. Skinner and Sons acquired it; this entity itself was restructured as Baltimore Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Corporation in 1915 after undergoing receivership.

Baltimore Shipbuilding focused on tanker construction and repair. Prominent vessels include:

SS Bethelridge and SS Betterton, tankers launched in 1919 with a capacity of 10,300 tons, measuring 444 feet in length, featuring 34 tanks and powered by engines delivering 2,500 HP; four additional similar ships were also produced.
SS Arundel, built in 1904.

Skinner Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company

Known also as William Skinner & Sons during the period from 1906 to 1915, Skinner Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company operated a shipyard that primarily served industrial and naval customers. Among its distinguished creations were the harbor tug Standard Oil Company No. 16 (constructed in 1907) for Standard Oil, the Baltimore tugboat launched in 1906—now maintained as a museum vessel—and the Spartan Tug. The company further showcased its expertise in specialized maritime craft by building the RFA Steadfast mooring vessel in 1915.

Baltimore Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Company

From 1915 until 1922, Baltimore Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Company conducted operations on a 9.6-acre facility referred to as the Upper Plant. The firm concentrated on constructing naval and commercial ships, playing a significant role in meeting wartime maritime demands. Among its prominent vessels were General de Castelnau (which was renamed Elinor in 1917) and several ships identified by naval designations, including South Pole (ID 3665), War Neptune/Polar Bear (ID 3666), Warrenton/Polar Sea (ID 3301), and War Venus/Polar Star (ID 3787). The company also produced minesweepers and support ships such as USS Redwing (AM-48, 1919), USS Lark (AM-21, 1921), USS Bobolink (AM-20), USS Pigeon (ASR-6), Avocet (AVP-4), Aeolus (ID 3005), and Thrush (AVP-3), underscoring its strategic contribution to U.S. naval efforts during and following World War I.

Malster & Reanie

Operating between 1872 and 1880, Malster & Reanie specialized in building yachts and various other vessels. William T. Malster (1843–1907), who later served as Baltimore's Mayor from 1897 to 1899, was a central figure; he was the son of a Confederate Colonel.

William B. Reaney (1808–1883), originally from Philadelphia, began his professional journey at his father Thomas Reaney’s shipyard, Reaney & Neafie Shipyard, and was engaged with Pennsylvania Iron Works. The family subsequently founded the Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works located in Chester, Pennsylvania—commonly known as Roach's Ship Yard. Under their management, Reaney, Son & Archbold constructed naval vessels for the American Civil War such as USS Wateree, USS Suwanee, USS Shamokin, USS Sagamore, USS Lehigh, and USS Tunxis, alongside commercial steamers like Samuel M. Felton.

After selling their shipyards to John Roach in 1872, William B. Reaney formed a partnership with Malster; by 1874 he owned a new shipyard in Philadelphia where he acted as owner and naval architect. In 1879 he sold this yard to take charge of the Eureka Cast Steel Company in Chester.

Among their notable builds was the 240-foot yacht La Brerague, commissioned by Eugene Tampkins.