Post War America
As WWII ended, BIW faced a familiar situation, as a sudden surplus of military and commercial ships led to an inevitable plunge in shipbuilding orders. Although construction of many wartime…

Great Depression and WW II, Post War America
Designed to support the assembly/erection of steam boilers for U.S. Navy WWII destroyers, the Boiler Ship was used for more than 50 years.

Modern Era, Post War America
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…

Great Depression and WW II, Modern Era, Post War America
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…

Post War America
After building a variety of experimental ships in the immediate post-WWII years, BIW won several contracts for larger groups of ships in the early 1950s. In an era of tight…

Great Depression and WW II, Industrialization, Modern Era, Post War America, Progressive Era, WW1 and Roaring 20s
In the 1880s the Bath Iron Foundry, owned by General Thomas Hyde and located on Water Street in downtown Bath, was a well-established builder of deck machinery, such as windlasses,…

Great Depression and WW II, Post War America – 1945
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…














Post War America – October 22, 1965
USS Glover (FF-1098) was laid down in 1963. Glover served as a research ship and tested equipment designed to better detect and track enemy submarines as well as evaluate tactics…



Post War America – November 4, 1964
USS Belknap, BIW Hull 342, was the lead ship of nine 8,900-ton frigates designed to protect aircraft carriers against aircraft and submarine threats during the Cold War. Five of the…






