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Vigor Shipyards

From Alfawiki
Vigor Shipyards
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryShipbuilding, Ship repair
PredecessorTodd Shipyards
Founded1916
FateAcquired by Vigor Industrial in 2011
Headquarters
Seattle, Washington
,
United States
Area served
United States (West Coast, Pacific Northwest)
ProductsNaval vessels, Offshore Patrol Cutters, Maneuver Support Vessels (Light), ship repair services
ParentVigor Industrial

Vigor Shipyards is the successor to the former Todd Shipyards, which was acquired by Vigor Industrial in 2011. Established in 1916, Todd Shipyards operated facilities along the West Coast, East Coast, and Gulf of Mexico, significantly contributing to the World War II Emergency Shipbuilding Program.

Vigor Shipyards

In February 2011, Vigor Industrial purchased Todd Shipyards for $130 million, incorporating shipyard operations located in Seattle, Everett, and Bremerton. Currently, Vigor Shipyards functions as a government repair division within Vigor Industrial.

In 2013, aiming for an $8 billion contract to construct 25 Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPC) for the U.S. Coast Guard, Vigor put forward a design based on the Ulstein X-bow. If awarded, manufacturing would have been conducted at its Portland facility. Nevertheless, by February 2014, the design contracts were granted to Bollinger Shipyards, Eastern Shipbuilding, and General Dynamics Bath Iron Works.

Expanding its military vessel production portfolio, Vigor secured a contract in September 2017 to build the U.S. Army’s Maneuver Support Vessel (Light).

Todd Shipyards

The origins of Todd Shipyards date back to 1916 when the William H. Todd Corporation was formed following its acquisition of the Tietjen & Lang Dry Dock Company in Hoboken, New Jersey. A consortium led by Bertron Griscom & Company from New York installed William H. Todd—then president of Robins Dry Dock & Repair Co.—at the helm. The company subsequently expanded by acquiring assets such as Brooklyn’s Tebo Yacht Basin and the Seattle Construction and Dry Dock Company.

The Seattle yard traces its roots to 1882 when Robert Moran established a marine repair shop at Yesler's Wharf. It evolved into Moran Brothers Shipyard by 1906 and was renamed Seattle Construction & Dry Dock Company in 1911. Headquartered on Harbor Island along Seattle’s Duwamish Waterway, Todd Shipyards served prominent clients including the U.S. Navy, Royal Australian Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and Washington State Ferries.

During World War II, Todd Shipyards ranked 26th among American companies for war production contracts, employing approximately 57,000 workers who built or repaired around 23,000 vessels across multiple locations. A notable project includes constructing the 105-foot hull of Disneyland’s Mark Twain riverboat at Todd’s San Pedro yard in 1955. Additionally, Frank Sinatra was employed there early in his career as a rivet catcher.

Following its emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1991, Todd Shipyards maintained its shipbuilding activities on the West Coast. In 1995, it diversified by founding Elettra Broadcasting Corporation, which operated three FM radio stations in Carmel, California.

Current Vigor Facilities

Vigor manages four shipyards situated in the Pacific Northwest:

New York

  • Todd Brooklyn. The initial Todd facility was acquired in 1916 at Erie Basin on the Red Hook waterfront of Brooklyn, New York. The Erie Basin dry dock—constructed in 1866—was recognized as the first graving dock built in the United States. It was purchased by J. N. Robins Company in 1869 and later merged with Erie Basin Dry Dock Company to form Robins Dry Dock and Repair Company. William H. Todd had been employed by both entities before acquiring Robins Dry Dock along with other shipyards—including Tietjen & Lang Dry Dock in Hoboken, Seattle Construction and Drydock Company, Tebo Yacht Basin Company, and Gowanus shipyard—in 1916. The Erie Basin yard was sold off in 1986 and ceased operations during the 1990s.
  • For naval purposes*, Todd Brooklyn constructed or converted several vessels:
    • Built nine of forty-nine s (1918–1919) at Tebo Yacht Basin
    • Conducted conversions at Robins Dry Dock such as:
      • (1941), (1940), and (~1941)
    • Performed conversions at Tietjen and Lang including:
      • (1940), (1940), , , and
    • Additional conversions included:
      • (1943), (1943), , , , , USAHS Frances Y. Slanger (1945), , and (converted back to merchant service in 1947), plus (1953)

Los Angeles and San Francisco

  • The Los Angeles Division of Todd Pacific Shipyards, situated in San Pedro, California, originally operated under the name Los Angeles Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Corporation from 1917 until 1989. Its early output featured cargo vessels commissioned by the United States Shipping Board between 1918 and 1924, along with tankers and ferries. During World War II, the shipyard produced several naval support ships, including the USS Ajax (AR-6), USS Hector (AR-7), and USS Jason (AR-8). In the postwar era, Todd built Allende-class frigates, Shenandoah-class destroyer tenders, and Leahy-class cruisers. The facility ceased operations after fulfilling its final contract and failing to obtain subsequent work. The former yard is now integrated into the Port of Los Angeles as Berth 100 / West Basin Container Terminal.
  • The San Francisco Division, known as Todd Alameda, was established in Alameda, California, in 1940 by the United Engineering Company. This site functioned mainly as a repair and conversion yard until its closure in 1956. Nearby, the Bethlehem Alameda Works Shipyard was leased by Todd but reportedly remained under Bethlehem Steel’s management.
  • Kaiser Richmond No. 1 Yard in Richmond was developed during World War II to address increased shipbuilding demands. In 1940, Kaiser took over contracts previously held by Todd Shipyards to construct Type Ocean ships. Construction on vacant land started in December 1940, with the first Ocean ship destined for Britain laid down in April 1941. The yard ultimately produced 30 Ocean ships (7,174 GRT), 138 Liberty ships (7,176 GRT), and 82 Victory ships (7,612 GRT) before closing in 1946. Among its notable vessels were , , and . Today, this location operates as general docks for construction materials at 700 Wright Ave, Richmond.

Puget Sound, Washington

  • The Todd Tacoma Division at Commencement Bay in Tacoma, Washington, began operations in 1917 to construct Design 1014 ships for the United States Shipping Board. It functioned as part of Todd Dry Dock & Construction until 1924 and was revived in 1939 through a partnership with Kaiser Shipbuilding under the name Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation. This yard built 56 s and s plus auxiliary vessels. In 1942, Todd acquired Kaiser’s stake, fully incorporating the facility into Todd Pacific Shipyards. Following World War II, ownership transferred to the Navy and subsequently to the Port of Tacoma in 1959. Presently, the site is designated as the Commencement Bay Industrial Development District.
  • Established in Seattle in 1916 following the purchase of Seattle Construction & Dry Dock Co. Ltd.—originally founded by Robert Moran in 1882—Todd Dry Dock & Construction Co., Seattle played a significant role during World War II under Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation by constructing 45 , , , and s. After the war, renamed Todd Shipyards Corp., Seattle Division, it manufactured Charles F. Adams-class destroyers, Knox-class frigates, Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates, and Hamilton-class cutters for the U.S. Navy. Today, this facility is operated by Vigor.
  • Located in Bremerton, Washington, Todd Bremerton Shipyard () operates as a satellite repair center near Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. It provides maintenance services for U.S. Navy vessels and secured contracts such as a $5.2 million Navy agreement in 2006.
  • Acquired in 2008, Todd Everett Shipyard () situated in Everett, Washington continues ship repair operations under the name Everett Ship Repair & Drydock, Inc. Since its inception in 1960, this yard has supported both Washington State Ferries and U.S. Navy vessels, thereby expanding Todd’s strategic presence in maritime maintenance services within the region.

Houston / Galveston

  • Todd Galveston, Texas () began operations in 1934 following the acquisition of Galveston Dry Dock & Construction located on Pelican Island. In 1943, Todd expanded its footprint by absorbing Gray's Iron Works and rebranding the combined facilities as Todd Galveston Drydocks, Inc.. Throughout World War II, the shipyard produced T1 Tankers T1-M-A1, and after the war, it constructed three Texas ferries. By 1949, Todd redirected its primary activities to the leased Brown Shipbuilding yard in Houston, transforming the Pelican Island site into a center for ship repairs and tanker conversions by 1965 under the name Todd Shipyards Corporation, Galveston Division. The yard also manufactured Type C6 ships but eventually filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, ceasing operations in 1990. Subsequently, its assets—including two Panamax floating dry docks—were transferred to Alabama Shipyard and Bender Shipbuilding. The remaining Pelican Island property was sold to the Port of Galveston in 1993; today, offshore repair services are provided there by Newpark Marine and Gulf Copper, with Southwest Shipyard operating nearby.
  • Todd Houston Shipbuilding, founded on January 6, 1941, in Houston, Texas, was an emergency wartime facility jointly managed by Todd Shipbuilding Corp. and Kaiser Corp. as part of the World War II Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Situated at Irish Bend along the Houston Ship Channel (), it employed approximately 23,000 workers and produced 208 Liberty ships alongside 14 T1-M-BT2 tankers before closing in 1946. In 1949, Todd consolidated operations at the Brown Shipbuilding yard in Houston and renamed it Todd Houston.
  • Contracts awarded for World War II shipbuilding and facilities exceeded $231 million, which included $7.5 million in fees and profits under cost-plus agreements.
  • Major production highlights featured:
    • 208 EC2-S-C1 Liberty ships constructed between July 1941 and March 1945
    • 14 T1-M-BT2 tankers built from July to December 1945
  • The shipyard operated nine slipways with keel laying staggered from July 1941 onward.
  • In 1949, Todd took over Brown Shipbuilding’s Green’s Bayou yard on the Buffalo Bayou (), dedicating it to barge construction and repair work. This facility remained active until Todd’s shutdown in 1987 when it was sold to Platzer Shipyard. Subsequently, Brown & Root utilized the site for offshore drilling fabrication until its closure in 2004; today it is known as the Brown Shipbuilding Industrial complex.

Other

  • Todd New Orleans, founded in 1934 through a collaboration with Johnson Iron Works in New Orleans, operated under the name Todd-Johnson Dry Docks. Eventually acquiring full ownership, Todd sold this yard to the Port of New Orleans in 1987; the port now leases it to Avondale Ship Repair.
  • Todd-Bath Iron Shipbuilding Corporation, located in South Portland, Maine, opened in 1940 as an emergency wartime shipyard producing Ocean class cargo vessels for Britain. After Kaiser withdrew in 1943, it was renamed New England Shipbuilding. During World War II, it employed up to 30,000 workers building Liberty ships before closing after the conflict ended.
  • Oregon Shipbuilding Company in Portland, Oregon launched operations in 1941 as a joint venture between Todd and Kaiser for emergency war production. Initially equipped with eight slipways, it manufactured Liberty and Victory ships before Kaiser assumed full ownership and subsequently shuttered the yard post-war.
  • Todd Charleston managed the Charleston Dry Dock & Machine Company from 1946 until 1949 as a naval repair facility situated on the Cooper River in Charleston, South Carolina.
  • During World War II, Todd took control of New Jersey Shipbuilding Company in Perth Amboy, New Jersey to produce Landing Craft Infantry (LCI) vessels. The yard ceased operations after the war; today the location serves as a Chevron asphalt plant.
  • Todd Mobile Drydock in Alabama was leased to Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company starting in 1936 before being dismantled later on.
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