The Charles Ward Engineering Works, Charleston, W. Va. was an iron and steel fabricator and shipyard founded by Charles Ward in 1872. They produced shallow draught boats at a plant on the south bank of the Kanawha River. It remained in operation until 1931 headed by the founder’s son Charles E. Ward.

Ward designed and built many steam and diesel powered vessels, both paddlewheel and propeller driven. Customers include the Army, Navy and Coast Guard.

Ward manufactured water-tube boiler

Water-tube boiler

A water tube boiler is a type of boiler in which water circulates in tubes heated externally by the fire. Fuel is burned inside the furnace, creating hot gas which heats water in the steam-generating tubes...

s in many sizes. The firm also pioneered the development of the tunnel stern propeller driven towboats and were among the first companies to install diesel power in river towboats.

Notable vessels built by Charles Ward Engineering Works

• P.A. Denny
  P.A. Denny (ship)
  The P.A. Denny is a long three-deck paddle wheel boat that cruised the Kanawha River in the eastern United States for nearly three decades as a tour boat. It provided excursions and parties, before leaving for Ohio in August 2004....
  
   stern wheel towboat 1930
• General Frank M. Coxe
  General Frank M. Coxe (ship)
  The General Frank M. Coxe is a steam ferry which was built for the United States Army to provide transportation services among several military facilities which ring California's San Francisco Bay....
  
    US Army harbor ferry 1922
• General John McE. Hyde
  General John McE. Hyde (ship)
  The General John McE. Hyde was a long ferry boat built for the United States Army in 1921, to provide transportation services among the military facilities in Manila Bay, Philippines....
  
   US Army harbor ferry 1921
• USCGC Greenbrier
  USCGC Greenbrier (WAGL-214)
  The USCGC Greenbrier was a stern paddlewheel steamer that was used as a river tender, first by the United States Lighthouse Service and then by the United States Coast Guard....
  
  Coast Guard river tender 1924