U.S. Iron Ship Building 1860 to 1900: A Comparison between Two Small Shipyards in San Francisco and East Boston

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U.S. Iron Ship Building 1860 to 1900: A Comparison between Two Small Shipyards in San Francisco and East Boston

By Patrick R. Eaton

The Post-bellum period saw rapid expansion across industries in the United States. Coupled with the great move west and ‘manifest destiny,’ the United States transitioned towards an economy of heavy industry and large-scale manufacturing.

Shipbuilding, naturally underwent change between 1865 and 1900. The pre-Civil War era saw shipping production at large and small yards across the West Coast, Great Lakes, Mississippi River, the Gulf Coast and of course, the East Coast. The ships constructed were generally wood and were sail powered.

The advent of the combustion engine, use of steam and coal saw technologies from rail applied to ships. Further, ship design underwent radical change and soon hulls were made of both; wood and steel.

Traditional Pre-Bellum shipbuilding relied on wood and craftsmen from carpentry trades. This allowed for numerous small and independent boatyards to flourish wherever there was water and demand. With the advent of the combustion and steam engines, the outlay and investment required of iron shipbuilders increased cost tremendously. As the age of sail dawned, small wooden boatyards gave way to large scale steel shipyards. The Atlantic and Dickie yards are excellent representatives of that period where small yards with wooden boat mindset began the iron age of shipbuilding.

Two small yards are selected for comparison here between one in San Francisco and one in Boston, Massachusetts.

The San Francisco based Dickie Brothers established an iron shipbuilding yard in 1871 and began shipbuilding from 1875 to 1907. The Dickies were Irish immigrants and during their run built over 31 vessels for a total of 22,000+ Gross tons[1]. The largest vessel produced was assessed at 1,797 Gross Tons.

       The U.S. Revenue Service Walcott, built by the Dickie Bros. Shipyard in San Francisco, CA circa 1882.[2]

The Atlantic Ironworks based out of East Boston and ran from 1860 to 1950. They, like the Dickie Brothers, produced small vessels of iron and steel with the largest assessed at 1,165 Gross tons. Atlantic built 32 vessels between 1860 and 1908 for a total of almost 12,000 Gross Tons.[3]

While the East Coast had numerous shipyards, the West was simply expanding and establishing new yards as the United States expanded westward. A comparison between the Dickie Yard and the Atlantic Ironwork yards conveys scale and customers. For Dickie, the majority of the vessels produced were Cargo with a few schooners and ferries.


 

      The U. S. Revenue Cutter “Manning,” built by Atlantic Ironworks Shipyard, Boston, MA circa 1900.[4]

By 1906, however, the West Coast had firmly established shipyards. From the San Francisco Newsletter dated 21 July, 1906 a specific comment mentions Dickies. “Today there are no better built ships anywhere than those constructed right in San Francisco. The Union, Risdon and Fulton Iron Works, Boole’s shipyard, Dickie’s yard, and a few lesser ones, are capable of turning out as splendid vessels as any of the boasted yards of England, Scotland, Germany or the Easter United States.”[5]

The Atlantic Ironworks, however, produced almost an equal mix of tugs/barges and government vessels such as monitors, gunboats, and Revenue (Pre-Coast Guard) Cutters. The development of iron shipyards, although independently producing small vessels of low tonnage, collectively produced enough tonnage that by 1899, “The British and Americans together control one-half of the entire merchant ship tonnage afloat.”[6] That is, afloat in the entire world!

 

 

 

Bibliography

Colton, Tim, “Shipbuilding History: Construction records of U.S. and Canadian Shipbuilders and Boatbuilders,” 25 June, 2021, www.ShipbuildingHistory.com.

 

Naval History.Net, “United States Navy, Revenue Service/Coast Guard and Coast & Geodetic Survey Log Books: Ship Histories,” http://www.naval-history.net/OW-US/Wolcott/USRC_Wolcott.htm

 

Online Archive of California OAC, “A guide to the John W. Dickie & Son records, 1900-1910,” https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8hh6mdf/entire_text/

 

San Francisco Museum, “San Francisco Shipyards,” http://sfmuseum.org/hist11/shipbuilding.html

 

The Maritime Heritage Museum, San Francisco, CA, “The Worlds Fleet,” The Boston Daily Globe, https://www.maritimeheritage.org/news/worldsFleet.html.

 

U.S. Revenue Cutter Manning, The Library of Congress, Alaska Photographs, http://www.museumsyndicate.com/item.php?item=71811

 

 Tables


                    Dicke Bros. Shipyard Prodcution Data 1875-1908. Tim Colton www.ShipBuildingHistory.com

 


                    Atlantic Ironworks Shipyard Production Data. 1860-1908. Tim Colton www.ShipBuildingHistory.com

[1] Colton, Tim, “Shipbuilding History: Construction records of U.S. and Canadian Shipbuilders and Boatbuilders,” 25 June, 2021, www.ShipbuildingHistory.com

[2] Naval History.Net, “United States Navy, Revenue Service/Coast Guard and Coast & Geodetic Survey Log Books: Ship Histories,” http://www.naval-history.net/OW-US/Wolcott/USRC_Wolcott.htm  

[3] Colton, Tim, “Shipbuilding History: Construction records of U.S. and Canadian Shipbuilders and Boatbuilders,” 25 June, 2021, www.ShipbuildingHistory.com.

[4] U.S. Revenue Cutter Manning, The Library of Congress, Alaska Photographs, http://www.museumsyndicate.com/item.php?item=71811

[5] San Francisco Museum, “San Francisco Shipyards,” http://sfmuseum.org/hist11/shipbuilding.html.

[6] The Maritime Heritage Museum, San Francisco, CA, “The Worlds Fleet,” The Boston Daily Globe, https://www.maritimeheritage.org/news/worldsFleet.html.

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