Shortly after WWII, BIW won a $10.5 million contract to build thirty-two trawlers for the French Purchasing Commission to replace many of the French fishing vessels lost during the war. Not only was this the largest contract BIW received until that time, it was also the largest single order ever placed for fishing vessels in an American shipyard. Six of the trawlers, measuring 240.67 feet, were also the largest fishing vessels yet built in the country.
