Legacy Vault
Established in 2020 and in celebration of Maine’s bicentennial, The BIW Legacy Vault is an archive of photographs, plans and ephemera that chronicles our contribution to American shipbuilding and celebrates the unique place that BIW holds for the people of our state and our country.
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General Thomas Hyde Medal of Honor
This Medal of Honor was awarded to Gen. Thomas Hyde, the Founder of Bath Iron Works. He took over the Bath Iron Foundry in the fall of 1865 after his…
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Glass Ketchup Bottles
This Shrewsbury’s TomatoKetchup bottle was found in the former water area on the south side of the old Union Wharf. Only the base of the bottle remains intact with embossed…
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Katahdin Serving Tray
A serving tray that depicts the harbor defense ram USS Katahdin, which launched in 1893 at Bath Iron Works. Courtesy of Maine Maritime Museum.
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Moose at BIW Newspaper Clipping
Special thanks to BIW Retiree Dick Walker for sharing the news clipping and pictures with us. The article reads: Inquisitive Bear, Moose Pay Visits to Bangor, Bath BATH, Me,. Oct.…
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Oliver Hazard Perry Ashtray
This ashtray depicts USS Oliver Hazard Perry (FFG-7), which launched at BIW in 1976. The ashtray was owned by Lt. Cmdr. Stanley L. French, USN (Ret.), who worked his way…
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Outfitting Dept. Paint List
A paint list from the Outfitting Department at BIW in 1944 for the Sumner Class Destroyer USS Purdy (DD-734). The ship would go on to serve in WWII, the Korean…
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Ranger Keel Lead Fragment
In the 1937 America’s Cup, Bath-built J-class racing yacht Ranger defeated the British challenger Endeavour II 4-0, winning by over 17 and 18 minutes in the first two races. Pictured…
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Tool Chest
This is the tool chest of machinist’s tools formerly belonging to Albert B. (Bud) Henderson of Bath, who worked as a machinist until retiring in 1973. The chest of tools…
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Toolbox Label
This toolbox label, which was found in the ground while constructing the Kitting Terminal, was made in late 1980 or early 1990. On it was the employee’s name, location and…
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Union Wharf
While excavating for BIW’s new Kitting Terminal, portions of an old wharf were discovered in the mud. This wharf, named Union Wharf because it extended out from Union Street, ran…
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Modern Era
USS Mason Coin
This coin commemorates the last launch down inclined ways at Bath Iron Works. USS Mason (DDG 87) launched on June 23, 2001. Courtesy of Maine Maritime Museum.
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Into the Guided Missile Era and the 1960’s
BIW’s first ships of this era were the Dewey and Preble, hulls 333 and 334, ordered in late 1956. Members of the 10-ship Farragut class, these large destroyers were officially…
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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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The Portland Ship Repair Facility
In the early 1980s, BIW was busy with the FFG program and a substantial ship overhaul business, and looking forward to the Aegis cruiser program. It was clear the cruisers…
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Great Depression and WW II
The Racing Sloop Ranger
The racing sloop Ranger, Hull 172, stands out among the list of trawlers and destroyers built at BIW in the late 1930’s. Ranger was built to defend the America’s Cup,…
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Great Depression and WW II
The South Portland Shipyards
From 1940 to 1945 BIW played an unexpected role in the construction of two emergency shipyards in South Portland. The project began in 1940, when the British government sought to…
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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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Post War America
Into the 1950s – Modernizing the Shipyard and Supporting the Fleet
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…
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From Frigates to Cruisers to Destroyers
As the FFG program wound down, the Navy was preparing for construction of the next large surface combatants, the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruisers. The Ticonderogas were a version of the…
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Great Depression and WW II
BIW Ships During the Pearl Harbor Attack
Bath Iron Works built several of the ships that played a role in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941: three Clemson-class destroyers USS Preble (DD-345), USS…
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Great Depression and WW II, Industrialization, Modern Era, Post War America, Progressive Era, WW1 and Roaring 20s
BIW and the Hyde Windlass Company
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,…
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Keyes Fibre Company
After WWI, there was a slump in shipbuilding. BIW Ltd. went into bankruptcy and all tooling was sold at auction. Keyes Fibre Company of Waterville decided they wanted to produce…
