Navy Vessel
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Modern Era – May 20, 2016
ZUMWALT
On May 20, 2016, Bath Iron Works delivered USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), the most advanced ship in the world. Zumwalt generates enough 4160 volt power to electrify a small city…
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Lead Shipyard for DDG-51 Destroyers
In 1985, BIW won the competition for detail design and construction of USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51), the Lead Ship for the Navy’s most capable class of AEGIS guided missile…
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Modern Era, Post War America
Modernization and Commercial Shipbuilding
In the late 1960s, the Navy adopted a new approach for the DX Program, a large class of destroyers meant to replace aging WWII-era ships in the fleet. Rather than…
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Notable Sea Trials of the Past
More than a century ago there was keen interest in a ship’s speed, and strong competition to build the fastest vessel – even if only a fraction of a knot…
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The DDG 51 Program and Today’s Shipyard
In 1991, BIW celebrated the delivery and commissioning of USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51), BIW Hull 450, the first of the Aegis destroyers. As shipbuilders took pride in delivery of…
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Modern Era – 1975
USS Belknap Collision
In November of 1975 Belknap was involved in a collision with the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy while the ships were maneuvering at night in the Mediterranean Sea. The damage…
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Great Depression and WW II
USS Buchanan (DD 131) in WWII
USS Buchanan, BIW Hull 78, launched on Jan. 2, 1919 and delivered 18 days later, was one of 11 Wickes and Clemson class “flush deck” destroyers built at BIW during…
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Great Depression and WW II
Career of the USS O’Bannon (DD-450)
USS O’Bannon, BIW Hull 191, was BIW’s second Fletcher-class destroyer, launched on Feb. 19, 1942, along with her sister ship Nicholas, Hull 190. The new destroyer was delivered in Boston…
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Great Depression and WW II, Modern Era, Post War America
Career of the USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58)
The future USS Samuel B. Roberts, BIW Hull 394, was launched on Dec. 8, 1984. At the time of her launch the frigate was probably most notable as BIW’s second-to-last…
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Origin of the Serapis flag on the crest of the USS John Paul Jones (DDG-53)
During the Revolutionary War, U.S. Navy Captain John Paul Jones captured British frigate Serapis and sailed to the neutral Dutch port of Texel. Britain said Jones was a pirate since…
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Modern Era – 2015
BIW Operating Crew performs nighttime rescue of Captain in a medical emergency
On Dec. 7, 2015, the first of the Zumwalt-class destroyers left BIW for its initial sea trials, a memorable trip that made international headlines when five days in, the BIW…
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Great Depression and WW II – 1941
USS Calypso (AG-35) Carries Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minster Winston Churchill
In July of 1941, Bath-built USS Calypso (AG-35) set out for Nova Scotia. During a portion of the trip she carried President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was headed to the…
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Great Depression and WW II
Liberty Ships
During World War II, BIW delivered 244 Liberty Class and 30 Ocean Class cargo ships. Deliveries in 1943 and 1944 averaged 1.8 ships per week. Combined, all US shipyards delivered…
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Great Depression and WW II
Crew of the USS O’Bannon (DD-450) won a battle against a Japanese submarine with the help of potatoes
On April 5, 1943, Bath-built USS O’Bannon (DD-450) won a battle thanks to a well-known Maine product. DD-450 found itself parallel to a Japanese submarine. It was in danger because…
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Great Depression and WW II
Bath-built ships travel into Tokyo Bay to accept Japanese surrender
On June 10 in 1944, Bath-built USS Taylor (DD 468) sank the Japanese submarine RO-111 in the South Pacific. Taylor, a Fletcher-class destroyer, was launched in 1942 and had an…
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Great Depression and WW II, Post War America – 1945
USS Williamsburg (PG-56)
In 1945, Bath-built USS Williamsburg (PG-56) became President Harry Truman’s personal yacht and gained a reputation as the ‘seagoing White House.’ Dignitaries such as Winston Churchill were invited to conferences…
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Modern Era – 1962
USS NOA (DD-841) recovered astronaut and his spacecraft from the Atlantic
On February 20, 1962, the Bath-built USS NOA (DD-841) recovered astronaut John Glenn and his spacecraft in the Atlantic after he became the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the earth.…
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Great Depression and WW II – 1945
Astronaut Alan Shepard saves 173 sailors while aboard the USS Cogswell (DD 651)
One of the astronauts in the Apollo program was Alan Shepard, who was the first American to travel into space, and walked on the moon in 1971. Before exploring space,…
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Reconstruction of the USS Belknap (CG 26)
On this January 30, 1976, reconstruction began on USS Belknap (CG 26), which was severely damaged during a fatal fire. Because the fire would’ve caused less damage if the superstructure…
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Modern Era
Captain Chair for Admiral Arleigh Burke
All US Navy ships have two captain’s chairs on the bridge; one on the port side and one to starboard. During the sea trials in April 1991 for DDG 51,…
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Modern Era – July 27, 2024
Patrick Gallagher (DDG 127) Christening Ceremony
On July 27, 2024, Bath Iron Works observed a powerful milestone as the future USS Patrick Gallagher (DDG 127) was christened on our drydock. The ship is named for Cpl.…
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Modern Era – May 16, 2023
Louis H. Wilson (DDG 126) Keel Laying
General Dynamics Bath Iron Works celebrated the keel laying of the future USS Louis H. Wilson (DDG 126) on May 16, 2023. The U.S. Navy named the ship in honor…
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Progressive Era – 1905
Warship on the Stocks Postcard
This postcard, which was sent in 1905, shows the battleship Georgia (BB-15) being built at BIW. It was given to us courtesy of Sharleen B., who with her sister inherited…
