The Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company was a subsidiary of United States Steel that operated a shipyard in Kearny, New Jersey, from 1917-1949. The shipyard was established following the passage of the 1916 United States Shipping Act, which created the United States Shipping Board to develop and maintain a merchant marine (a particularly pressing need given the United States’ imminent entry into WWI).
Federal Shipbuilding produced 30 cargo ships for the United States Shipping Board from 1918-1919, and then shifted to constructing merchant ships for U.S. Steel and other contractors during the interwar period. Federal Shipbuilding turned out over 120 ships at this time, with the large scale of operations at the shipyard enabling it to continue building ships when smaller shipyards were closing around the country.
By 1939, the threat of war meant that Federal Shipbuilding was again producing warships for the US Navy and the Maritime Commission, including tankers, destroyers, cruisers, etc. The shipyard built over 400 ships total for the war effort. Federal Shipbuilding finally ceased operations after the close of WWII in 1949.
This collection is available to the public by appointment at the Steamship Historical Society. Objects that are fragile, significant, or require additional tools to access may require archivist assistance.
Use, reproduction, and/or publication of archival material is prohibited without prior approval of the Steamship Historical Society. Fees and/or restrictions may apply. Please contact the SSHSA archivist, Astrid Drew, at adrew@sshsa.org for more information.
Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. Collection, 1950.01, Steamship Historical Society of America Archives, www.sshsa.org.
The Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. Collection comprises glass and film negatives, prints, and photo albums related to the activities of the New Jersey-based shipyard. Images include ships from various vantage points (interior and exterior), shipyard workers and scenes, and christening/launching ceremonies. Ships depicted appear to be vessels built for both the merchant marine and wartime.
This collection is arranged in five series.
The Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Collection was donated by Charles W. Bryan, Jr., the Vice President and General Manager of the company, in 1949. The SSHSA retains a copy of Bryan’s letter to the SSHSA announcing the donation, along with a reply from SSHSA President Bill Ewen acknowledging the donation, although the material was not received until 1950. This collection was retroactively accessioned, processed, and cataloged by Assistant Archivist Tessa Mediano in March 2023 with the accession number 1950.01.
Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company Photograph Collection, Independence Seaport Museum
Folder-level inventory available upon request.