Bethlehem Shipbuilding
Encyclopedia
Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard was founded in 1887 as Maryland Steel in Sparrows Point
, Maryland
. It was acquired by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation
in 1916 and renamed Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard. The shipyard was sold in 1997 to Baltimore Marine Industries Inc. (BMI). It is currently owned by Barletta Industries, which has converted it to the Sparrows Point Shipyard and Industrial Complex.
Maryland Steel built tug
s, coastal passengers, dredges, cargo ships, and a few destroyers. Following the purchase by Bethlehem, it serviced and repaired ships and manufactured industrial products. One famous vessel built in this early period was the which became the first ship to transit the Panama Canal in 1914.
Facilities at the yard included a graving dock, a floating drydock and two full-service outfitting piers which together provided nearly 3,000 feet of berthing space.
, the Sparrows Point Shipyard built ships as part of the U.S. Government's Emergency Shipbuilding Program
to help re-build the British Merchant Navy. Liberty ship
production was a primary goal of the yard.
Once part of a chain of 17 shipyards operating under BethShip
, the Sparrows Point Shipyard was the only location remaining by 1990.
Veritas reorganized the facility as Baltimore Marine Industries Inc. (BMI) and won two Navy contracts for new ship construction and dismantling of older tonnage. Although BMI was selected to build a fleet of deluxe cruise ships, the upstart cruise line was never able to secure financing. With no orders on the horizon and no work aside from the two modest Navy contracts, BMI collapsed in bankruptcy
in 2003.
Sparrows Point
Sparrows Point is an unincorporated area in Baltimore County, Maryland, adjacent to Dundalk, Maryland. Named for Thomas Sparrow, landowner, it was the site of a very large industrial complex owned by Bethlehem Steel, known for steelmaking and shipbuilding....
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. It was acquired by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation
Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation
Bethlehem Steel Corporation Shipbuilding Division was created in 1905 when Bethlehem Steel Corporation acquired the San Francisco shipyard Union Iron Works in 1905...
in 1916 and renamed Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard. The shipyard was sold in 1997 to Baltimore Marine Industries Inc. (BMI). It is currently owned by Barletta Industries, which has converted it to the Sparrows Point Shipyard and Industrial Complex.
History
Tug
Tuğ is a village in the Khojavend Rayon of Azerbaijan....
s, coastal passengers, dredges, cargo ships, and a few destroyers. Following the purchase by Bethlehem, it serviced and repaired ships and manufactured industrial products. One famous vessel built in this early period was the which became the first ship to transit the Panama Canal in 1914.
Facilities at the yard included a graving dock, a floating drydock and two full-service outfitting piers which together provided nearly 3,000 feet of berthing space.
World War II
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Sparrows Point Shipyard built ships as part of the U.S. Government's Emergency Shipbuilding Program
Emergency Shipbuilding program
The Emergency Shipbuilding Program was a United States government effort to quickly build simple cargo ships to carry troops and materiel to allies and foreign theatres during World War II. Run by the U.S...
to help re-build the British Merchant Navy. Liberty ship
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
production was a primary goal of the yard.
Once part of a chain of 17 shipyards operating under BethShip
Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation
Bethlehem Steel Corporation Shipbuilding Division was created in 1905 when Bethlehem Steel Corporation acquired the San Francisco shipyard Union Iron Works in 1905...
, the Sparrows Point Shipyard was the only location remaining by 1990.
Baltimore Marine Industries Inc.
In October 1997, the shipyard was sold to the Veritas Capital Fund, a New York-based merchant banking and investment firm which built a $300 million cold rolling mill complex on the site with a scheduled opening in 1999.Veritas reorganized the facility as Baltimore Marine Industries Inc. (BMI) and won two Navy contracts for new ship construction and dismantling of older tonnage. Although BMI was selected to build a fleet of deluxe cruise ships, the upstart cruise line was never able to secure financing. With no orders on the horizon and no work aside from the two modest Navy contracts, BMI collapsed in bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
in 2003.