Information Panel: Mountains of Materials and Massive Manpower

Information Panel: Mountains of Materials and Massive Manpower

Photo: NPS / Claire Hassler

Quick Facts

Amenities

3 listed

Dock/Pier, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Tactile Exhibit

The concrete foundations you see here were part of a craneway servicing two shipways and launch sites- elements of an enormous World War I- era shipyard. To speed delivery of cargo ships needed for the war effort, the Virginia Shipbuilding Corporation hired thousands of workers and ordered tens of thousands of tons of steel. The yard's 7,000 workers and support staff used mass production techniques developed by the auto industry to move materials and speed the assembly of simple, pre-fabricated steel components. The first ship, the SS Gunston Hall, took just over a year to complete. 

Calling All Hands

Employees of the shipyard knew they were racing the clock to build the ships needed to win the war. To turn out ships as quickly as possible, the U.S. Emergency Fleet Corporation sought both experienced shipbuilders, and anyone who could use construction tools.