Northwest Steel

Northwest Steel

Company type	Private
Industry	Structural steel fabrication, Shipbuilding
Founded	August 1903
Headquarters	Portland , United States
Products	Structural steel, Cargo vessels, Tankers

Northwest Steel operated as a structural steel fabricator and shipbuilder based in Portland, Oregon. Throughout World War I, the company constructed cargo vessels for the United States Shipping Board (USSB), manufacturing 37 out of the total 46 West series ships—steel-hulled cargo vessels produced on the West Coast of the United States to support wartime logistics.

History

The Northwest Steel Company was officially established in August 1903.

In July 1913, Northwest Steel initiated construction of a new facility on a dock measuring 300 by 350 feet. This complex included a main shop spanning 60 by 800 feet, along with dedicated blacksmith, machine, and template shops. Shipyard development began with dredging activities in April 1916, expanding the existing infrastructure. Although the yard was incomplete, the first keel was laid on July 9, 1916. To satisfy production demands, a substantial rivet and bolt workshop was introduced, capable of manufacturing up to 14 tons of boat spikes daily by 1918. Strategically positioned between the river, Columbia River Shipbuilding Company, adjacent railroad lines, and the Portland Lumber Company mill, this shipyard became the largest among four steel shipbuilding facilities in the Portland/Vancouver region.

In May 1918, contracts were secured for constructing a $17,500 mold loft at the Sheridan Street location. By July that year, plans were underway to add four more slipways to increase capacity.

By February 1919, Northwest Steel had divested from its structural steel operations; Northwest Bridge & Iron Co., under W.H. Cullers’ leadership, assumed control of this division and pursued relocation to a new site. In January 1920, Bridge & Iron completed acquisition of Northwest Steel’s remaining business activities.

Joseph R. Bowles served as company president during this period but encountered legal challenges including bribery accusations and contempt of court rulings. His leadership was later characterized as "greedy, domineering and difficult," with noted deficiencies in civic engagement.

The company's inaugural vessel was the cargo ship , launched on March 31, 1917 (initially registered as British-flagged Vesterlide, which was sunk by German submarine U-55 in January 1918). The final ship completed was the tanker Swiftwind in June 1921.

Ships

Parenthetical names indicate original or alternate names before or shortly after launch. All ships requisitioned were cargo vessels rated at approximately 8,800 deadweight tons (dwt).

Yard No.	Owner	Vessel Name	Engine Type	Launch Date
1	Shipping Controller	Vesterlide (War Baron)		31 Mar 1917
2	Shipping Controller	(Vesterlen) War Viceroy		2 Aug 1917
Ships requisitioned by USSB
Yard No.	Original Owner	Vessel Name	Engine Type	Launch Date
3		(Hallgrim) West Wind	General Electric turbine (508 nhp)	4 Nov 1917
4	Shipping Controller	(War Archer) West Shore	General Electric turbine (508 nhp)	13 Jan 1918
5		(Landaas) Westland	General Electric turbine (508 nhp)	14 Sep 1917
6	Shipping Controller	(War Ally) Westchester	General Electric turbine (508 nhp)	5 Dec 1917
7		(War Pearl) Westhampton	General Electric turbine	8 Feb1918
8		(Umpqua) Western Wave	DeLaval turbine (579 nhp)	6 Mar1918
9	Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (French Line)	(Joffre) Western Ocean	General Electric turbine	19 Mar1918
10		(Marne) Western Chief	General Electric turbine (508 nhp)	20 Apr1918
11		(Verdun) Western Spirit	General Electric turbine	6 May1918
12		(Pershing) Western Light	General Electric turbine	27 May1918
13		(Aisne) Western Maid	DeLaval turbine (594 nhp)	6 Jul1918
14		(Argonne) Western Comet	DeLaval turbine	23 Jul1918
15		(Somme) Western Scout	DeLaval turbine	12 Aug1918
16		(Meuse) West View	DeLaval turbine	26 Aug1918

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(Note: The extensive table has been streamlined to emphasize essential details such as ownership, vessel names, engine types, and launch dates for clarity and business relevance.)

Buildings

Northwest Steel Co. provided structural steel for a variety of significant constructions, including:

Date	Project	Steel Weight (tons)
November 1910	Corbett Building	1,000
May 1912	Sandy River Bridge	119
October 1912	Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co. building, Portland	1,203
January 1913	Eagle Creek Bridge, Portland	300
August 1913	public dock No. 1	299
May 1914	Meier & Frank Building, Portland	3,500
July 1914	highway bridges at Astoria	101
May 1915	Coliseum building, Seattle	404
June 1915	First National Bank Building, Portland	340
May 1916	two wireless towers, each 400 feet tall, for U.S. Government in Keyport	233