Working Women at Vancouver's Kaiser Shipyards

FOVA 219207

This photo from the Kaiser Shipyard's Bosn's' Whistle magazine shows a woman worker wearing welding safety gear.

NPS Photo, FOVA 281696

By Tara Gibbs, American Conservation Experience Collections Assistant

During World War II, Vancouver and Portland were the site of shipbuilding yards. In January 1942, one month after the United States declared war against the Axis powers, industrialist Henry J. Kaiser signed shipbuilding contracts with the United States Maritime Commission. These contracts allowed Kaiser to build seven shipyards throughout the Western United States where laborers would construct ships for battle and transport in the war's Pacific Theater.

Of these seven shipyards, one was located on the Columbia River at Vancouver, Washington. Two more shipyards were located nearby along the Willamette River in Oregon. These shipyards were rapidly constructed and needed thousands of workers to operate. Recruiters traveled throughout Midwestern and Eastern cities to mobilize a shipbuilding workforce. The shipyards needed welders, riveters, electricians, administrative staff, and more. Recruiters emphasized that no prior education or experience was needed. Recruitment for the shipyards proved to be quite successful, as thousands of people – men and women who arrived alone or with their families – uprooted their lives to work at the Kaiser Shipyards.

This illustrated map shows the locations of the Vancouver and Portland Kaiser Shipyards. The Vancouver shipyard can be seen on the far left of this image, the Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation shipyard is located at the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers, and the third shipyard is located on Swan Island along the Willamette River.

NPS Photo, FOVA 281696

Why did so many decide to work at the Kaiser Shipyards? Some workers were determined to contribute to the war effort. Many were inspired to ship build because their brothers, fathers, or sons had enlisted. Others were attracted by bigger paychecks; this was an especially important factor for women, who earned considerably less doing office, social, or store work – common pre-war occupations available to women.

The beginning of 1943 was the height of shipyard employment for the Vancouver Kaiser Shipyard, with well over 30,000 workers hired in total. These high rates of employment and production caused record breaking shipbuilding over the course of the war. By the war's end, the Vancouver Shipyard had launched over 130 ships. In total, the three Kaiser Shipyards in Vancouver and Portland produced over 700 ships: 30% of all ship production under the US Maritime Commission during World War II.

Four women pose for a picture at the Oregon Shipyard Corporation. They are modeling the women's shipyard clothing, designed by women for women shipbuilders. Before such outfits were available, women often wore men's clothing to work at the shipyards.

NPS Photo, FOVA 281696

Women at the Kaiser Shipyards

World War II changed the way women worked. A significant portion of the Kaiser Shipyards' workforce was female. In 1939, before the United States entered the war, 2% of the shipbuilding workforce in the US were female. Fast forward to 1944, and over 31,000 women were building ships just at the three Kaiser Shipyards in Vancouver and Portland.

Before World War II, many women self-identified as housewives, working to maintain their homes and raise families. Outside the home, women held jobs as store clerks, office workers, teachers, and more. These women often considered their work as secondary to their responsibilities as homemakers. In Fleeting Opportunities: Women Shipyard Workers in Portland and Vancouver During World War II and Reconversion, historian Amy Kesselman writes, "Women who described themselves as housewives may have been employed before the war but saw their work as temporary or secondary to their family roles."

The demand for efficient ship production, coupled with the enlistment of men to serve overseas, caused shipbuilding companies to turn to women workers. Companies used rhetoric to persuade women to ship build, and recruiters canvassed stores frequented by women. Recruiters told women that they should take on new challenges to support the war effort, and that they could work without previous education or experience in shipyards. Women were expected to do "man's work" while maintaining their identities as wives, mothers, or girlfriends who would go "back to the kitchen" once the war was done.

This October 1944 Bos'n's Whistle article reminds the audience that "feminine workers" as they were often described, are still valued as housewives. Traditional skills like housekeeping were seen as transferring to their new work at the shipyards.

NPS Photo, FOVA 281696

Women performed a wide variety of jobs at the Kaiser Shipyards. This photo from the Bos'n's Whistle shows two women cleaning windows at the Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation shipyard.

NPS Photo, FOVA 281696

When the Vancouver Shipyard initially opened, only 283 women were office workers and messengers. They were not shipbuilding yet. But within a few months, Mary Carroll became the first woman to be hired as a welder at Portland's Swan Island Shipyard in April 1942. Like many other shipyard workers, Carroll's connection to the war effort was personal. Her son had enlisted in the Army and was missing in action in the Pacific. In the months that followed, the doors opened for women at all three shipyards who wanted roles as welders, riveters, or electricians. They swiftly received training in their respective practices. Women began to work as shipbuilders in droves, and some were awarded leadership roles as journeymen. The number of women shipbuilders rose exponentially throughout the course of the war. The Vancouver Shipyard employed 10,600 women as shipbuilders in 1944.

Women of color worked in a variety of jobs at the Kaiser Shipyards, but their access to training, higher paying jobs, and union protections were intentionally limited.

NPS Photo, FOVA 235975

Despite the rising representation of women in the shipyard's workforces, conditions were far from fair for many. At the Vancouver Shipyard, Black women were notably assigned to different roles compared to White women. Many Black women were assigned to clean-up crews or did other labor that did not require extensive training like welding and riveting – and for comparably lower wages. Some Black workers were electricians of welders, but the rates of Black women working in these roles were much lower compared to Black men and White women. Even though the Vancouver Shipyard boasted that it was not segregated, racial discrimination, as well as sexism, was a problem many Black women workers faced. Black women were excluded from some roles regardless of their qualifications.

Although women shipbuilders were in unions and received the same pay as men for the same job, sexism was rampant at the Kaiser Shipyards. Many women were sexually harassed by their male peers or supervisors, which often forced them to request transfers to different roles or locations. The local media also treated women welders and riveters as outsiders, or as a temporary solution to the need for wartime labor.

Two women welders work at the Kaiser Shipyards.

NPS Photo, FOVA 281696

The August 13, 1942 edition of the Bos'n's Whistle magazine featured welder Mary Carroll, identified here as a "War Mother." Carroll was the first woman to take on a welding job at any of the three shipyards in Vancouver and Portland.

NPS Photo, FOVA 281696

The Bos'n's Whistle

For the men and women working at the Kaiser Shipyards, magazines and newspapers were an important source of information and entertainment. The Kaiser-produced Bos'n's Whistle informed workers of important shipbuilding topics such as the number of ships launched, highlighted different shipbuilding roles, provided safety tips, and inspired competition between the three shipyards to push production.

The Bos'n's Whistle began publication in 1941 as a biweekly magazine for the Portland Shipyard. Publication expanded to the Swan Island and Vancouver shipyards the next year. The Bos'n's Whistle supplied personal interviews, shipyard photography, coverage of events like picnics or boat launchings, shipyard sporting competitions, and shared workers' stories.

"Here comes Mom with her home work!" declares a child in this "Stubby Bilgebottom" cartoon from the Bos'n's Whistle, as their working mother returns home with welding work to do.

NPS Photo, FOVA 281696

The Bos'n's Whistle magazine also provided entertainment through "Stubby Bilgebottom" comic strips (created by Ernie Hager, an electrician's aid at the Swan Island Shipyard), which were widely popular. Though satirical and designed to be relatable to shipyard workers, Stubby Bilgebottom comics often made women workers into a punchline, emphasizing how "out of place" women were in the shipyards.

Articles about women shipbuilders often pointed out their attractiveness, describing them as the shipyards' "pin-up" girls. Pageantry and modeling were common features in the Bos'n's Whistle. Objectification served as a reminder that women were working in a sphere traditionally dominated by male workers. The Bos'n's Whistle regularly made reference to traditional roles for women, indicating that shipbuilding would be only temporary work for women. At the same time, the Bos'n's Whistle provides a unique view into the lives of women workers.

'Iowa and Kansas Beauties,' former residents of the states, line up on stage at a Kaiser Shipyard picnic for a beauty contest. These summertime events were quite popular and had high turnout rates, as workers enjoyed their time off from shipbuilding. The Bos'n's Whistle commonly featured these picnics with beauty contests between states.

NPS Photo, FOVA 281696

Nora Leola O'Brian, as pictured in the Bos'n's Whistle.

NPS Photo, FOVA 281696

Though often filtered through a sexist lens, interviews and articles provide contemporary researchers with insight into women's thoughts and ideas on gender roles, work and war during this pivotal moment in American history. Swan Island Shipyard guard Nora Leola O'Brian was featured in one issue of the Bos'n's Whistle with the following text:

She's pretty and attractive, but don't mistake her for a softy. Nora Leola O'Brian, Swan Island guard, is an expert pistol shot and has seen considerable service with the Portland Police Department and as a government agent.

About her job of protecting women in the yard, she has this to say: "Most of them are here from a patriotic desire to take their place in the War Effort. They are all eager to help, and have become accustomed to come to me with their problems. Many difficulties are thus averted at their source."

Stubby Bilgebottom, shipyard photographs, interviews, sports, and all other aspects of the Bos'n's Whistle magazine remained as it reformatted into a weekly newspaper in 1944. Each Kaiser Shipyard had its own edition of the Bos'n's Whistle newspaper. The newspaper often highlighted individual shipbuilders by describing their roles in the shipyard and what their lives were like outside of work. From its beginning as a magazine to its final publication as a newspaper in 1946, it circulated over 4 million copies in total.

After the War

Demand for warships slowed as the war came to a close. It became obvious to the Kaiser Shipyard workers that the war would soon end, and many of America's shipbuilders would have to find new work. In the months after victory was declared in Europe in 1945, thousands of workers were faced with the decision to leave, perhaps returning to their pre-war homes, or staying to make their homes in Portland or Vancouver.

Vancouver and Portland formed postwar planning committees as early as 1943 to combat employment concerns and prevent people from leaving the region. However, many of these committees excluded women. As the war ended, women were laid off at higher rates than men. Although women's work in the shipyards was vital to the war effort, it was evident that women's labor was no longer wanted. The Bos'n's Whistle interviewed women workers on their postwar plans, and many responded that they would become housewives, despite the desire by some to remain in shipbuilding or a different field of work.

This Bos’n’s Whistles newspaper article from May 1945 suggests that women want to return to the kitchen with zeal. In reality, many women shipbuilders desired or needed to remain in the workforce.

NPS Photo, FOVA 281696

The experience of women working in the Kaiser Shipyards and in other home front roles during World War II was a turning point. A generation of women experienced new opportunities and pushed the boundaries of traditional gender roles. Though women's work during the war was often contextualized in relation to men – with an enduring emphasis on motherhood and wifely duty – or rationalized as "only temporary," women from all walks of life proved to themselves and their colleagues that they were capable and ambitious. The legacy of these working women has endured in fights for women's and worker's rights to the present day.

This collage from the Bos'n's Whistle shows the wide variety of jobs held by women at the Kaiser Shipyards: scaler, machinist, time checker, crane operator, sheetmetal worker, draftsman, messenger, loftsman's helper, tool checker, burner, rigger's helper, painter's helper, material clerk, electrician's helper, shipwright helper, electrical journeyman, and warehouseman.

NPS Photo, FOVA 281696

In the summer of 2024, American Conservation Experience Collections Assistant Tara Gibbs processed a recently donated collection of Bos'n's Whistle magazines and newspapers, images from which are included in this article.

NPS Photo / M. Huff

About the Collection

Many of the images in this article come from Fort Vancouver National Historic Site's collection of Bos'n's Whistle magazines and newspapers. These archival collections are invaluable to aiding our understanding of the wartime experience at Vancouver, Washington's Kaiser Shipyards.

In summer 2024, a recently donated collection of Bos'n's Whistles was processed into the park's museum collection by American Conservation Experience Collections Assistant Intern Tara Gibbs.

Click here to learn more about the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site museum collection.