Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation

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Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation
IndustryShipbuilding
Founded1939
Defunct1946
HeadquartersTacoma, Washington United States
ParentTodd Pacific Shipyards and Kaiser Shipbuilding

The Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation was a United States corporation which built ships for the United States Navy and merchant marine during World War II .

The shipyard had existed since the 1920s as part of the Todd Dry Dock & Construction Company, but had shut down some time after the First World War. In 1939, the old shipyard in Commencement Bay, Tacoma was revived by Todd and Kaiser Shipbuilding together with the aid of some $15 million in capital provided by the U.S. Navy, for the production of vessels in anticipation of possible US entry into World War II. The money enabled the owners to expand the number of ways from three to eight in total.

Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding produced a significant number of ships during the war, from escort carriers and destroyers to merchant vessels. One notable vessel built by the yard was the Fletcher class destroyer USS Johnston (DD-557) which was famous for charging the Japanese navy center force at the Battle off Samar during the larger Battle of Leyte Gulf resulting in the loss of the destroyer but causing the center force to break off its assault on the US landing operations then underway.

In 1942 Todd bought out Kaiser's holding and some time thereafter the company was reabsorbed into Todd Dry Dock & Construction, which eventually became Todd Pacific Shipyards. Todd sold the Tacoma shipyard to the Navy after the war ended, which in turn sold the site to the Port of Tacoma in 1959. Today the site is set for redevelopment as part of the Port's Commencement Bay Industrial Development District.

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