J. F. Duthie & Company was a small shipyard located on the east side of Harbor Island in Seattle, Washington. It was reportedly organized in 1911 (although there is no mention of it on the 1912 Baist mapBaist's Real Estate Surveys of Seattle, Plate 26 at the location where the shipyard would be built) and expanded to 4 slipways on of property in World War I to build cargo ships for the United Kingdom, France and Norway, but those resources were eventually all diverted at the behest of the United States Shipping Board (USSB). Work on the new plant started on 10 September 1916 and the first keel was laid on 29 November the same year. At that time, the new Skinner & Eddy plant across the water was already launching its first two ships: Niels Nielsen (21 September) and Hanna Nielsen (23 October).
Some 24 of the 33 ships built at J. F. Duthie were the "West boats," a series of steel-hulled cargo ships built for the USSB on the West Coast of the United States as part of the World War I war effort, with 12 requisitioned and 12 built under contract, 16% of the steel tonnage built in Puget Sound for the USSB. Duthie was supplied with boilers by Willamette Iron and Steel Works of Portland, Oregon.
After the war, Wallace F. Duthie, the son of the founder J. F. Duthie, organized the dismantling of the shipbuilding facilities. Wallace died in 1922 at age 23.
In 1928 the company's name was changed to Wallace Bridge Company. It built structural steel for local projects, including the Washington Athletic Club building in 1930.
Notable ships built at J. F. Duthie & Company
Among the first 7 boats built, before the Federal Government dominated the shipbuilding industry, was the steam ferry Leschi, which after an illustrious career capsized during Reagan's second term.
+ Requisitioned by USSB Yard# Original Owner Renamed To Launched Delivered Marad Fate 8 War Leopard Shipping Controller 2 Sep 17 Jan 18 scrapped 1938 9 Hallbjorg P. Kloppe, Oslo Nov 17 Feb 18 scrapped 1935 10 War General Shipping Controller Westfield 8 Dec 17 Feb 18 scrapped 1930 17 War Port Western King 3 Jan 18 Mar 18 scrapped 1938 15 War Moon Westboro 26 Mar 18 Apr 18 USSR 1945 11 War Topaz 24 Apr 18 May 18 USSR 1945 14 War Sun 17 Feb 18 May 18 torpedoed 1918 12 War Emerald 25 May 18 Jun 18 scrapped 1931 16 Viviam French Line 4 Jul 18 Aug 18 scrapped 1935 18 War Disk Shipping Controller Western Cross 4 Jul 18 Aug 18 scrapped 1931 19 War Ruby 29 Jul 18 Sep 18 scrapped 1932 20 Petain French Line 21 Sep 18 Oct 18 UK 1941, torpedoed 1941
In November 1918, World War I came to an end. In February of 1919, Seattle workers went on strike.
12 of 111 Design 1013 ships (USSB contracts 224, 334; 3 cancellations) Yard# USSB# Name Launched Delivered Marad Lend-Lease 21 1471 West Helix 14 Dec 18 Y 22 1472 West Hembrie 29 Mar 19 17 May 19 Y 23 1473 West Hematite 26 Apr 19 13 Jun 19 24 1474 West Henshaw 2 Jun 19 14 Jul 19 Y 25 1475 West Hepburn 21 Jun 19 2 Aug 19 Y 26 1476 West Herkimer / Seattle Spirit 16 July 19 16 Aug 19 27 1477 West Herrick / Dewey 23 Aug 19 30 Sep 19 28 1478 West Hesperia / Deuel 27 Sep 19 11 Nov 19 29 1479 West Hesseltine 22 Nov 19 Y 30 1480 West Ivan 20 Dec 19 31 2602 West Campgaw 32 2603 West Mahwah
For the Coastwise SS Co Griffco (Sep 20) (Oct 20, last ship built)
Conversions of Japan-built USSB contract ships to oil burners during 1920: , , , for total of $338,094 on USSB account.
Shipyard
See also :Category:Ships built by J. F. Duthie & Company List of structures on Elliott Bay
References