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Savannah Shipyard Co. records
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Savannah Machine and Foundry of Georgia originated in 1914 as a marine repair business by the name of Forest City machine and Foundry Company. Over the years it was reorganized several times; in 1929 it emerged as the Savannah Machine and Foundry (SMF). In 1941, SMF contracted with the U.S. Department of the Navy to build three minesweepers. The Savannah Machine and Foundry located their new shipyard on the Savannah River, off North Lathrop Avenue, between the Colonial Oil Co. and the Southern Cotton Oil Co. SMF constructed facilities for shipbuilding and shops for repair and maintenance. The first minesweeper keel was laid in November, 1941, and was launched in , 1942. The minesweepers were constructed entirely of welded steel. Several of the minesweepers were built for the British navy as part of a U.S.-British collaboration. As a result of the Navy contract, SMF president Walter L. Mingledorff was able to petition the federal government for funding to construct a permanent graving dock (dry dock) at the shipyard. The $2 million graving dock opened in October, 1933, and was the only commercial graving dock on the Atlantic coast south of Baltimore. In August of 1944, SMF was contracted by the Navy to design and build submarine rescue ships. The first of these welded steel vessels was launched in of 1945. By the end of the Navy contracts, SMF had constructed 25 minesweepers and 4 submarine rescue vessels. At their peak of production, the shipyard employed between 2,800-3,300 people. During this time, W. Lee Mingledorff, Jr. served as vice-president and shipyard manager. Late in the war, SMF also began producing steel girders, trusses, conveyors, gray iron, brass and aluminum, and could handle almost any type of heavy machine repair or construction. After World War II, SMF continued manufacturing these types of products in addition to their marine repairs service. The shipyard was also involved with the post-war 'Operations Zipper' to deactivate and preserve Navy ships. In 1971, the name of the company changed to Savannah Machine and Shipyard. The name changed again in 1980, to Savannah Shipyard Co. By 1985, a company called Sayler Marine Corporation occupied the former Savannah Machine and Foundry location.
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This collection consists of papers and photographs from the Savannah Machine and Foundry (later the Savannah Shipyard Co.), including 1942 cost estimates for building a minesweeper, a few miscellaneous papers, a program from the 1992 launching of a minesweeper built by Intermarine, and an oversized schedule of World War II production. The collection is arranged into two series: papers and photographs. The photographs series is divided into six subseries: Navy contract ships; ships and barges; shipyard views; miscellaneous and unidentified jobs; people, and official Navy publicity photographs.
Boxes and folders containing photographs are noted as 'VM' (visual materials) in the collection inventory.
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3 boxes, 4 folders, 2 oversize folders
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Copyright has not been assigned to the Georgia Historical Society. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Division of Library and Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Georgia Historical Society as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.
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GHS 1659, Savannah Shipyard Co. records, 1940-1992. Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia.
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