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General Engineering & Dry Dock Company

Coordinates: 37°46′33″N 122°15′03″W / 37.775815°N 122.250845°W / 37.775815; -122.250845
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37°46′33″N 122°15′03″W / 37.775815°N 122.250845°W / 37.775815; -122.250845

The General Engineering yard to the south of Coast Guard Island

General Engineering & Dry Dock Company was a shipbuilding and ship repair company in Alameda, California that was active from the 1920s through the 1940s. The company built ships for the Southern Pacific Railroad and the United States Coast Guard in the late 1920s and early 1930s and took part in the World War II shipbuilding boom, making diesel-propelled steel hulled auxiliaries for the United States Navy, primarily oceangoing minesweepers.

History

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At the beginning of World War II, the U.S.Navy started the program for expand the navy. The U.S.Navy used two separate shipbuilding and shiprepair sites to create the Naval Industrial Reserve Shipyard (NIRS) Alameda. The first was the General Engineering and Dry Dock Company. The company worked under contract NObs-344 and built small warships for the U.S. Navy. The shipyard had four shipbuilding ways, which were designed for the simultaneous construction of several ships. In 1946, the U.S. Navy ceased contract with company. The second portion of the Site was to the east of the shipbuilding company. It was purchased from March 24 to July 7, 1942.[1]

General Engineering & Dry Dock Company shipbuilding company started in Oakland, California. To support the World War II demand for ships General Engineering built: minesweepers and Net laying ships. General Engineering was opened in 1919 as Barnes & Tibbitts shipyard by J. D. Barnes and W. G. Tibbitts. Mr. Barnes sold his interest to Tibbitts in 1922 and changed the company name to General Engineering & Dry Dock Company. Tibbitts purchased Hanlon Dry Dock and Shipbuilding in Oakland in 1928.[2] By 1940 the site of the old Hanlon yard (foot of 5th Ave) was occupied by Hurley Marine Shipyard, but in 1933 it had still belonged to General Engineering.[3] After World War II, the shipyards closed in 1948. The shipyard was located at 1805 Clement Ave, Alameda, California. The site is now the Alameda Marina and Island Yacht Club.[4]

Office, machine shop and general repairs at 1100 Sansome Street, San Francisco. 37°48′02″N 122°24′09″W / 37.80046°N 122.40253°W / 37.80046; -122.40253[5]

On 14 March 1918 the Barnes and Tibbitts Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. was incorporated in California.[6]

On 1 November 1922 the General Engineering and Dry Dock Company was incorporated in California.[7]

On 11 March 1946 the General Engineering and Dry Dock Corporation was incorporated in Delaware.[8]

Notable ships built

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1920s
  • Catherine Paladini, 78ft, 200hp Atlas diesel wooden trawler delivered August 1928[14][15]
1930s
1940s (World War II)

In the press

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Date Topic Ref
Aug 1917 Barnes & Tibbitts launch 125hp patrol boat Sentinel [17]
Mar 18 B&T launched 170ft 3-masted schooner Carolyn Frances on 11 Feb [18]
Apr 18 B&T are fitting out 2 NW-Pacific-built Hough-type ships for the EFC [19]
May 18 George A. Armes appointed president of the Moore Shipbuilding Company [20]
Oct 21 G. A. Armes has resigned as president and general manager of the Moore Shipbuilding Company [21]
Nov 21 New Repair Firm; the General Engineering Company has been incorporated by Armes, J. F. Mooney and James Young (both formerly with Skinner & Eddy, then Hanlon) [22]
Dec 22 The General Engineering Expansion; Barnes & Tibbits has been acquired, company renames to G.E.& D.D. Co, plant map + photographs [23]
Sep 28 Announcing a Consolidation for Better Service; Hanlon Dry Dock and Shipbuilding now part of GEDDCO [24]
Apr 46 Pioneer Dry Dock Company Changes Controls; Godfrey K. Waters new owner of GEDDCO [25]
Oct 1948 GEDDCO Changes Hands; Delaware corp dissolved, new California corp (same name); Loyola University Foundation new owner [26]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Some historical facts". Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  2. ^ "Hanlon Ship Plant Sold for Million". Oakland Tribune. 16 August 1928. p. 1.
  3. ^ The Ports of San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond, Upper San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz and Monterey, California. 1933. p. 228.
  4. ^ shipbuildinghistory.com General Engineering
  5. ^ "(perennial advertisement)". Pacific Marine Review. April 1941. p. 71.
  6. ^ "California Secretary of State corporations search form".
  7. ^ "California Secretary of State corporations search form".
  8. ^ "Delaware Secretary of State, Division of Corporations search form".
  9. ^ "American Shipbuilding - Launchings". Pacific Marine Review. March 1927. p. 152.
  10. ^ "American Shipbuilding - Launchings". Pacific Marine Review. May 1927. p. 247.
  11. ^ "American Shipbuilding - Launchings". Pacific Marine Review. June 1927. p. 295.
  12. ^ "American Shipbuilding". Pacific Marine Review. February 1928. p. 85.
  13. ^ "American Shipbuilding - Launchings". Pacific Marine Review. April 1927. p. 200.
  14. ^ "California Notes". Pacific Marine Review. October 1928. p. 459.
  15. ^ "An Ideal Fishing Boat". Pacific Marine Review. November 1928. p. 500.
  16. ^ "A Nice Contract". Pacific Marine Review. April 1929. p. 133.
  17. ^ "Shipbuilding". Pacific Marine Review. August 1917. p. 68.
  18. ^ "Oakland". Pacific Marine Review. March 1918. p. 93.
  19. ^ "Oakland". Pacific Marine Review. April 1918. p. 89.
  20. ^ "Recent Oakland Activities". Pacific Marine Review. May 1918. p. 120.
  21. ^ "Personals". Pacific Marine Review. October 1921. p. 630.
  22. ^ "New Repair Firm". Pacific Marine Review. November 1921. p. 683.
  23. ^ "The General Engineering Expansion". Pacific Marine Review. December 1922. p. 694.
  24. ^ "(advertisement)". Pacific Marine Review. September 1928. p. 3.
  25. ^ "Pioneer Dry Dock Changes Controls". Pacific Marine Review. April 1946. p. 336.
  26. ^ "GEDDCO Changes Hands". Pacific Marine Review. October 1948. p. 94.