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.
-
Portland Repair Yard and Todd-BIW Yard
During Bath Iron Works’ rich history, we expanded to other areas of Southern Maine depending on our needs. During War World II, from 1940 to 1945, there were two Todd-BIW…
-
Harding Plant (Structural Fab)
Originally called the Harding Plant, the Structural Fabrication Facility was built in 1940 after then-BIW President William S. “Pete” Newell received a telegram from Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox.…
-
Industrial Production
During the 1950s and 60s, Bath Iron Works looked to industrial production to fill in gaps in the shipbuilding schedule. Some of the jobs included fabricating submarine hull sections for…
-
Shipyard Modernization
In the 1970s, in an effort to modernize the shipyard, engineers and production employees were dispatched to Europe and Japan to look for ideas in the latest methods of ship…
-
Assembly Building is 161,840 square feet
Did you know, that the Assembly Building is 1,280 feet long and 131 feet wide, giving it a floor area of 161,840 square feet. That’s half again as big as…
-
Modern Era – 1982-2001
Portland Repair Yard
From 1982-2001, BIW leased the BIW Portland Repair Yard from the City of Portland. The Repair Yard came with a World War II era floating drydock. Nicknamed “the Hog,” the…
-
Outfit Fabrication Facility
In 1989, the Pipe Shop and Tin Shop fabrication operations were moved from the main shipyard in Bath to the East Brunswick Manufacturing Facility (EBMF), now known as Outfit Fabrication.
-
Crane Lift
The heaviest crane lift recorded at the shipyard was more than 900 tons in 2012 when the complete DDG 1000 deckhouse was lifted with four cranes – two of them…
-
Origin of the Serapis flag on the crest of the USS John Paul Jones (DDG-53)
During the Revolutionary War, U.S. Navy Captain John Paul Jones captured British frigate Serapis and sailed to the neutral Dutch port of Texel. Britain said Jones was a pirate since…
-
Modern Era – 2015
BIW Operating Crew performs nighttime rescue of Captain in a medical emergency
On Dec. 7, 2015, the first of the Zumwalt-class destroyers left BIW for its initial sea trials, a memorable trip that made international headlines when five days in, the BIW…
-
HSTC-1
Thirty seven years ago this month, BIW delivered HSTC-1 – at the time, the largest barge built in the United States. Built for the California & Hawaiian Sugar Co., the…
-
Water Street
The original location of the business that would eventually become Bath Iron Works was on Water Street, north of Centre Street, an area now occupied by the municipal parking lot…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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.…
-
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,…
-
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…
-
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,…
-
-
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.…
-
Progressive Era
Baker’s Flavoring Extract Bottle
One of the many artifacts found while excavating for the Kitting Terminal was a Baker’s Flavoring Extract bottle, which was probably discarded sometime around 1900. Its manufacturer, the Baker Extract…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
