Ames Shipbuilding and Drydock Company
.jpeg) The shipyard and surrounding development near Harbor Island in 1917 | |
| Industry | Shipbuilding |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1916 |
| Founder | Edgar Ames |
| Defunct | c. 1955[a] |
| Headquarters | Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
The Ames Shipbuilding and Drydock Company was a shipbuilding company in Seattle, Washington, United States. Established in 1916, the shipyard produced vessels for the United States Shipping Board during World War I. The Ames Terminal Company was established at the site of the shipyard after the war. It continued operations until 1955, when the terminal facilities were purchased by the Port of Seattle.
History
The Ames Shipbuilding and Drydock Company was established in 1916 by businessman Edgar Ames.[3][4] Construction of the shipyard began in December 1916, and production of its first vessels had begun by March 1917.[5] The yard included four shipways and a dry dock, as well as a blacksmith shop, machine shop, boiler shop, and other facilities.[6] It was located on the Duwamish West Waterway across from Harbor Island in Elliott Bay.[3] The yard produced 25 vessels for the United States Shipping Board during World War I,[3] including 23 cargo ships and 2 steel tankers.[7]
Following the end of World War I, unions in Seattle's shipbuilding industry demanded wage increases for their members, who were dissatisfied with wage adjustments that had been imposed during the war.[8][9] On January 21, 1919, Ames employees participated in a walkout of shipyard workers across the city that precipitated the Seattle General Strike several weeks later.[9][10] The strike ultimately proved unsuccessful, with the workers eventually returning to their jobs without any increase in pay.[b]
In December 1920, the company's facilities and equipment were sold to the Seattle Contract Company, which planned to dismantle the plant; the Ames Shipbuilding and Drydock Company still retained the title to the land.[12] The Ames Terminal Company was incorporated in 1922, with its operations at the site of the former shipyard. The new company handled shipments of salmon for Libby, McNeill & Libby.[3] The terminal facilities were sold to the Port of Seattle in 1955.[1][2] According to Archives West: "City directory entries for the Ames Shipbuilding & Drydock Company end in the 1956, and for the Ames Terminal Company in the early 1960s."[3] The site of the shipyard is now occupied by the Port of Seattle's Terminal 5.[7]
Ships constructed
ShipbuildingHistory.com records that Ames constructed the following ships:[7]
Cargo ships
- War Brigade[13]
- War Apollo[13]
- War Cupid[13]
- Westmount[14]
- War Diana[13]
- Westport[14]
- War Dido[13]
- West Cape[14]
- War Hector[13]
- War Helen[13]
- War Juno[13]
- West Irmo[15]
- West Islay[15]
- West Isleta[15]
- West Islip[15]
- West Ison[15]
- West Ira[15]
- West Iuka[15]
- West Ivis[15]
- West Jena[15]
- West Jessup[15]
- West Jester[15]
- West Jappa[15]
Tankers
Cancelled ships
See also
Notes
- ^ Ames's terminal facilities were sold to the Port of Seattle in 1955.[1][2] Archives West notes: "City directory entries for the Ames Shipbuilding & Drydock Company end in the 1956, and for the Ames Terminal Company in the early 1960s."[3]
- ^ The general strike concluded by February 11, but shipyard workers continued striking until early March.[9][11]
References
- ^ a b "Port Development: Seattle". Pacific Shipper. Vol. 30. March 14, 1955. p. 79. ISSN 0030-8900.
- ^ a b "Port Takes Possession of Ames Terminal". Seattle Municipal News. Municipal League of Seattle and King County. March 12, 1955. p. 44. ISSN 2835-9321.
- ^ a b c d e f "Ames Shipbuilding & Drydock Company Record Books, 1916–1953". Archives West. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
- ^ "Ames Establishing Mammoth Plant". Railway and Marine News. Vol. XIV, no. 12. Seattle, Washington. December 1916. p. 46 – via Google Books.
- ^ "A Complete and Modern Plant". Pacific Marine Review. Vol. XIV, no. 5. May 1917. p. 70 – via Google Books.
- ^ Gilbert C. Dohm (May 1917). "Ames Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company". International Marine Engineering. Vol. XXII, no. 5. pp. 227–230 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c Tim Colton (August 25, 2021). "Ames Shipbuilding". ShipbuildingHistory.com. Archived from the original on July 3, 2025. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
- ^ History Committee of the General Strike Committee (1919). The Seattle General Strike: An Account of What Happened in Seattle, and Especially in the Seattle Labor Movement During the General Strike, February 6 to 11, 1919. The Seattle Union Record Publishing Co. pp. 8–11. hdl:2027/hvd.32044011842598.
- ^ a b c Phil Dougherty (December 10, 2015). "Seattle shipyard strike begins on January 21, 1919". HistoryLink. Archived from the original on March 27, 2025. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
- ^ "25,500 Workers Quit Shipyards". The Seattle Star. January 21, 1919. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
Approximately 2,500 [workers] quit at Ames, and similar numbers left work at Duthies and the Seattle North Pacific Shipyard Co.
- ^ "Shipyard Strike Declared Off by Vote; Men Will Go to Work Tuesday Morning". The Tacoma Daily Ledger. March 10, 1919. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Ames Yard to be Dismantled by Purchaser". Seattle Union Record. December 17, 1920. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j U.S. Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation Hearings (Report). Vol. 1. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. 1918. p. 131. S. Res 170 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c U.S. Department of Commerce (1932). Merchant Vessels of the United States. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. p. 1011 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Select Committee on United States Shipping Board Operations (1920). Shipping Board Operations (Report). Vol. 1. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. pp. 414–415 – via Google Books.
External links
Media related to Ames Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company at Wikimedia Commons