Ships
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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 – November 8, 2023
John E. Kilmer (DDG 134) Start of Fabrication Ceremony
General Dynamics Bath Iron Works celebrated the start of fabrication of the future USS John E. Kilmer (DDG 134) Wednesday, November 8, 2023, at the Structural Fabrication Facility in East…
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Modern Era – July 29, 2023
Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124) Christening
BIW christened the U.S. Navy’s newest guided missile destroyer, the future USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124) on Saturday, July 29, 2023. The ship is named for Col. Harvey…
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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…
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Modern Era – June 18, 2022
John Basilone (DDG 122) Christening
The future USS John Basilone (DDG 122) was christened on June 18, 2022.
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Modern Era – March 30, 2022
Patrick Gallagher (DDG 127) Keel Laying
General Dynamics Bath Iron Works celebrated the keel laying of the future USS Patrick Gallagher (DDG 127) on March 30, 2022. The U.S. Navy named the ship in honor of…
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Modern Era – November 16, 2021
Quentin Walsh (DDG 132) Start of Fabrication Ceremony
General Dynamics Bath Iron Works celebrated the start of fabrication of the future USS Quentin Walsh (DDG 132) on November 16, 2021 at the Structural Fabrication Facility in East Brunswick.…
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Modern Era – October 2, 2021
Carl M. Levin (DDG 120) Christening Ceremony
BIW christened the U.S. Navy’s newest guided missile destroyer, the future USS Carl M. Levin (DDG 120) on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. The ship is named for Sen. Carl Levin,…
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Modern Era – April 6, 2021
Harvey C. Barnum, Jr. (DDG 124) Keel Laying Ceremony
On April 6, the keel for the future USS Harvey C. Barnum, Jr. (DDG 124) was laid, marking another great milestone at Bath Iron Works. Joining the celebration was the…
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A Return to U.S. Navy Shipbuilding with the FFG Program
In 1971 the Navy, under the direction of Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, began serious exploration of smaller, less expensive ship designs. It was apparent that the current…
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Modern Era – November 30, 2020
William Charette (DDG 130) Start of Fabrication Ceremony
General Dynamics Bath Iron Works celebrated the start of fabrication of the future USS William Charette (DDG 130) on November 30, 2020 at the Structural Fabrication Facility in East Brunswick.…
