Vancouver Shipyard

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Escort carriers at the Vancouver Shipyard in 1943 USS Casablanca (ACV-55) about to be launched on 5 April 1943 (NH 75634).jpg
Escort carriers at the Vancouver Shipyard in 1943
The USS Gambier Bay CVE-73, an escort carrier that was made in the Vancouver Shipyard CVE 73 Gambier Bay underway.jpg
The USS Gambier Bay CVE-73, an escort carrier that was made in the Vancouver Shipyard

The Kaiser Company (Vancouver, Washington), commonly known as the Vancouver Shipyard, was an emergency shipyard constructed along the Columbia River in Vancouver, Washington, to help meet the production demands of the U.S. Maritime Commission in World War II. The shipyard was one of three Kaiser Shipyards in the Pacific Northwest, along with the Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation and the Swan Island Shipyard across the Columbia in Portland, Oregon. The Vancouver yard began production in early 1942 and totaled nearly 200 acres (81 ha). [1] It produced vessels of five different types, with Casablanca-class escort carriers being its biggest production line. [2] [3]

With an initial payroll of 38,000 workers, the nearby housing development of Vanport was constructed to house the workforce that was introduced to the area. [1]

The shipyard was eventually sold to Gilmore Steel for $3.25 million. [3]

References

  1. 1 2 Gordon Oliver. "Kaiser Shipyards". The Oregon Encyclopedia . Portland State University, Oregon Historical Society. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  2. Tom Vogt (August 18, 2013). "Working on the war effort at Vancouver's Kaiser Shipyard". The Columbian . Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  3. 1 2 "Kaiser Vancouver, Vancouver WA". ShipbuildingHistory.com. Retrieved February 8, 2019.

45°36′44″N122°38′20″W / 45.612138°N 122.638952°W / 45.612138; -122.638952