Bethlehem San Pedro Shipyard

Type   155 Shipyard
Historical Name of Location   San Pedro, California, United States
Coordinates   33.732513000, -118.268616000

Contributor:

ww2dbaseThe firm Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, a subsidiary of Bethlehem Steel, purchased the shipyard at San Pedro, California, United States in 1925 from Southwest Shipbuilding, which in turn had established the shipyard a few years prior in 1917. Between 1925 and 1940, Bethlehem used the facility for ship repair operations. During the WW2 era, this shipyard built 26 destroyers for the United States Navy, including four Benson-class ships, ten Fletcher-class ships, eight Allen M. Sumner-class ships, and four Gearing-class ships. After the war, it returned to its original role as a ship repair facility. Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation sold the facility to the firm Southwest Marine, Incorporated in 1981.

ww2dbaseSource: Destroyer History Foundation

Last Major Update: Jan 2015

Ships Constructed at Bethlehem San Pedro Shipyard

Ship NameYard NoSlip/Drydock NoOrderedLaid DownLaunchedCommissioned
Cassin Young18 Mar 194312 Sep 194331 Dec 1943
Irwin2 May 194331 Oct 194314 Feb 1944
Preston (Fletcher-class)13 Jun 194312 Dec 194320 Mar 1944


Bethlehem San Pedro Shipyard Interactive Map

Photographs

Keel of USS Cassin Young at Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation shipyard, San Pedro, California, United States, 18 Mar 1943Launching of USS Cassin Young, Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation shipyard, San Pedro, California, United States, 12 Sep 1943Commissioning ceremony of USS Cassin Young, San Pedro, California, United States, 31 Dec 1943; note USS Preston at left and USS Comfort at right

Maps

Map of the Bethlehem San Pedro Shipyard from the Dec 1943 employee handbook. Note that the yard had only two shipways.

Bethlehem San Pedro Shipyard Timeline

18 Mar 1943 The keel of destroyer USS Cassin Young was laid down by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation at San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, United States.
13 Jun 1943 The keel of Preston was laid down by Bethlehem Shipbuilding at San Pedro, California, United States.
12 Dec 1943 Preston was launched at San Pedro, California, United States, sponsored by sponsored by Mrs. R. F. Gross.




Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you.

Share this article with your friends:

 Facebook
 Reddit
 Twitter

Stay updated with WW2DB:

 RSS Feeds


Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Commenter identity confirmed Alan Chanter says:
13 Jan 2015 11:10:37 AM

Bensen Class: USS Kendrick (Apr 2, 1942 ; Laub (Jun 1, 1942); Mackenzie (Jun 27, 1942); McLanahan (Sep 7, 1942)

Fletcher Class: USS Boyd (Oct 29 1942); Bradford (Dec 12, 1942); Brown (Feb 22, 1943); Cowell (Apr 18, 1943)

Improved Fletcher Class: USS Hopewell (May 2, 1943); Porterfield (Jun 13, 1943); Cassin Young (Sep 12, 1943); Irwin (Oct 31, 1943); Preston (Dec 12, 1943)

Allen M Sumner Class:
USS Lowry (Feb 6, 1944); Lindsey (Mar 5, 1944); Gwin (Apr 9, 1944); Willard Keith (Aug 29, 1944); James C. Owen (Oct 1, 1944); Bristol (Oct 29, 1944)

Gearing Class: USS Fred T. Berry (Jan 28, 1945); Norris (Feb 25, 1945); McCaffery (Apr 12, 1945); Harwood (May 24, 1945)

All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB.

Posting Your Comments on this Topic

Your Name
Your Email
 Your email will not be published
Comment Type
Your Comments
 

Notes:

1. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. Please refrain from using strong language. HTML tags are not allowed. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB.

2. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ.

Search WW2DB


Modern Day Location
WW2-Era Place Name San Pedro, California, United States
Lat/Long 33.7325, -118.2686
Bethlehem San Pedro Shipyard Photo Gallery
Keel of USS Cassin Young at Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation shipyard, San Pedro, California, United States, 18 Mar 1943
See all 3 photographs of Bethlehem San Pedro Shipyard


Famous WW2 Quote
"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You win the war by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country!"

George Patton, 31 May 1944


Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!