Bath Iron Works was the namesake of a brass and iron foundry established in 1826. Brigadier General Thomas W. Hyde took over the foundry in 1865, following service with the 20th Maine Regiment during the Civil War. Nearly two decades later, he incorporated his diversified marine business interests as Bath Iron Works, Limited in 1884 before expanding into shipbuilding with the acquisition of the Goss Marine Iron Works in 1888.
The first vessel delivered by BIW was a coastal passenger ship named Cottage City built for the Maine Steamship Co. Since the completion of Hull #1 in 1890, BIW has been awarded more than 425 shipbuilding contracts, over 245 military ships (mostly destroyers and frigates for the U.S. Navy) and over 160 private yachts and commercial vessels. BIW became a wholly-owned subsidiary of General Dynamics in 1995.
