Brown Shipbuilding

Last updated
The area for the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston Site for the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston prior to ground breaking.jpg
The area for the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston

The Brown Shipbuilding Company was founded in Houston, Texas, in 1942 as a subsidiary of Brown and Root (now KBR) by brothers Herman and George R. Brown to build ships for the U.S. Navy during World War II. Brown Shipbuilding Company ranked 68th among United States corporations in the value of World War II military production contracts. [1]

Contents

In 1941, Navy officials asked the Brown brothers to build four submarine chasers. The brothers had no shipbuilding experience, but had helped build Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. [2] In 1942, the brothers formed Brown Shipbuilding and, with $9 million in Navy funding, built the Green's Bayou Fabrication Yard at the juncture of the Houston Ship Channel and Green's Bayou. [3] After delivering the ships, Brown received orders for landing craft and more sub chasers, and eventually won an order for destroyer escorts at $3.3 million per ship. [2]

Between May 1943 and August 1944, Brown turned out 61 destroyer escorts, an average of one per week. [3] Perhaps the most famous was USS Samuel B. Roberts, part of the outgunned Taffy 3 unit that turned back a Japanese battleship force during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Brown also built 254 amphibious assault ships, known as LSMs, between May 1944 and March 1946. By the end of the war, it had produced over 350 Navy warships in contracts totaling over $500 million. [2]

After the war, the shipyard was sold to Todd Shipyards. After Todd's Houston division closed in 1985, the yard was once again used by Brown and Root, this time for barge construction and repair. The property was sold piecemeal to multiple buyers in 2004. [4] In 1961, the company won the $200 million contract to build the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas. [5]

Ships built here

61 Destroyer escorts (built July 1942 - March 1944)

12 of 343 PC-461-class submarine chasers: [6]

32 of 923 Landing Craft Infantry: [7]

254 of 558 Landing Ship Medium

See also

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Dennis</i>

USS Dennis (DE-405) was a John C. Butler-class destroyer escort in the service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946. She was scrapped in 1973.

USS <i>Begor</i> US Navy high speed transport

USS Begor (DE-711/APD-127) was a Crosley-class high speed transport of the United States Navy.

The Defoe Shipbuilding Company was a small ship builder established in 1905 in Bay City, Michigan, United States. It ceased to operate in 1976 after failing to renew its contracts with the United States Navy. The site of the former company is now being developed for business and housing on the bank of the Saginaw River.

<i>Shinyo</i> (suicide motorboat) Motorboats used for suicide attacks by the Imperial Japanese Navy

The Shinyo were Japanese suicide motorboats developed during World War II. They were part of the wider Japanese Special Attack Units program.

USS PC-1136 was a PC-461-class submarine chaser built for the United States Navy during World War II. Shortly after the end of the war, she was renamed USS PCC-1136 when she was reclassified as a combat communications control ship. In 1956, she was renamed Galena (PC-1136), becoming the third U.S. Navy vessel so named, but never saw active service under that name.

USS PC-565 was a PC-461-class submarine chaser built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was later renamed Gilmer (PC-565) but never saw active service under that name.

USS Gear (ARS-34) was a Diver-class rescue and salvage ship acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her task was to come to the aid of stricken vessels.

USS <i>Custer</i>

USS Custer (AP-85/APA-40) was a Bayfield-class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946. She was sold into commercial service in 1948 and was scrapped in 1973.

USS LCI(L)-449 was an LCI(L)-351-class landing craft infantry built for the United States Navy during World War II. Like most ships of her class, she was not named and was known only by her designation.

Dravo Corporation was a shipbuilding company with shipyards in Pittsburgh and Wilmington, Delaware. It was founded by Frank and Ralph Dravo in Pittsburgh in 1891. The corporation went public in 1936 and in 1998 it was bought out by Carmeuse for $192 million. On March 5, 1942, it became the first corporation to receive the Army-Navy "E" Award for outstanding war time production. Dravo ranked 72nd among United States corporations in the value of World War II military production contracts.

USS PC-1230 was a Patrol Craft, laid down in 1942, participating in escort and convoy missions in the Pacific in World War II, and performed harbor control duties during the Battle of Peleliu.

USS <i>LST-484</i>

USS LST-484 was an LST-1-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Like many of her class, she was not named and is properly referred to by her hull designation.

USS <i>LST-476</i>

USS LST-476 was a United States Navy LST-1-class tank landing ship used in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during World War II.

USS <i>LST-477</i>

USS LST-477/LST(H)-477 was a United States Navy LST-1-class tank landing ship used in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during World War II.

USS <i>LST-479</i>

USS LST-479 was a United States Navy LST-1-class tank landing ship used in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during World War II.

USS <i>LST-481</i>

USS LST-481 was a United States Navy LST-1-class tank landing ship used in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albina Engine & Machine Works</span> Defunct shipyard in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Albina Engine & Machine Works was a shipyard along the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was located in the Albina area of Portland along N. River Street and N. Loring Street. Albina Engine & Machine Works was founded in 1904. The shipyard produced a number of freighters during World War I, but operated mainly as a repair yard during the 1920s and 1930s. The Albina yard expanded its workforce and production during Portland's World War II shipbuilding boom. It specialized in producing subchasers, vessels designed to combat German U-boats. Albina Engine & Machine Works also built Landing Craft Support boats and cargo ships. Business declined in the post-war years, and Albina Engine & Machine Works was sold to the Dillingham Corporation around 1971.

USS <i>LSM-19</i> LSM-1-class landing ship medium

USS LSM-19 was a LSM-1-class landing ship medium in the United States Navy during World War II. She was later sold to South Korean Navy as ROKSGirin (LSM-610).

USS <i>LSM-46</i> LSM-1-class landing ship medium

USS LSM-46 was a LSM-1-class landing ship medium in the United States Navy during World War II.

USS <i>LSM-56</i> LSM-1-class landing ship medium

USS LSM-56 was a LSM-1-class landing ship medium in the United States Navy during World War II.

References

  1. ↑ Peck, Merton J. & Scherer, Frederic M. The Weapons Acquisition Process: An Economic Analysis (1962) Harvard Business School p.619
  2. 1 2 3 "Brown & Root company history" . Retrieved 2007-07-28.
  3. 1 2 "Shipbuilding in Texas During World War II" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-05-09. Retrieved 2007-07-28.
  4. ↑ "Todd Shipyards Corp., Houston TX". Archived from the original on 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2007-07-28.
  5. ↑ Axelrod, Alan (December 27, 2013). Mercenaries: A Guide to Private Armies and Private Military Companies. CQ Press. ISBN   978-1-4833-6466-7 – via Google Books.
  6. ↑ "Brown Shipbuilding Company vessels". Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  7. ↑ "Landing Craft Infantry LCI(L)".

29°45′11″N95°10′52″W / 29.753°N 95.181°W / 29.753; -95.181

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.