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History

The Story of “New York Ship”

The New York Shipbuilding Corporation, often called New York Ship for short, was established in 1899.  As its name implies, its intended location was New York City.  However, at the last minute the real estate deal fell through; having already incorporated the name, the company owners were stuck with it.

They selected Camden, NJ as home base because it already had an established iron industry, was located on a major river, and there was plenty of available real estate for future expansion.  The young company enjoyed secure financing from men such as Andrew Mellon, but it was also blessed to be headed by shipbuilding innovator Henry Morse.

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A Shipbuilding Legacy

Over its lifetime, New York Ship produced over 670 merchant and naval ships, including 13 aircraft carriers, 26 cruisers, 51 destroyers of all types, 3 nuclear submarines, 12 naval support ships of all types, and 387 civilian merchant vessels. In addition, 9 battleships were constructed for the U.S. Navy, and another one for Argentina, making New York Ship the second largest private shipyard manufacturer in the United States.