James Griffiths & Sons, Inc.
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Shipping |
| Founded | 1885 in Seattle, Washington, United States |
Key people |
|
James Griffiths & Sons, Inc., was a shipping and shipbuilding company that operated from 1885 to at least 1948 in the U.S. state of Washington.
History
The company was founded in Seattle, Washington, by James Griffiths (1861–1943), a native of Newport, Wales, where he was a captain of a ship. He started as an agent for NYK Line of Japan. Griffiths ran the company with his sons Stanley and Bert.
In 1916, James Griffiths purchased Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding Company, a Puget Sound shipyard on Bainbridge Island.[1]
In 1936, Griffiths & Sons and the Olympic Steamship Company formed the Consolidated Olympic Company. The new venture leased vessels to provide service on the Olympic-Griffiths Line, a shipping route between Long Beach, California, and Seattle and Tacoma, Washington. Common freight was lumber and newsprint.[2]
During World War II, the Winslow shipyard built Auk-class minesweepers and Admirable-class minesweepers for the U.S. Navy. The company also operated Liberty ships and Victory ships for the United States Shipping Board and charter shipping with the Maritime Commission and War Shipping Administration. The company provided the crews, while Navy Armed Guards manned the deck guns and radio.[3][4][5]
In 1947, Consolidated Olympic acquired the SS Olympic Pioneer, a 7,216-ton former Liberty ship. In 1948, Griffiths the sold the shipyard.
Ships
Owned
- Olympic Pioneer. Built in 1944 as Liberty ship James A. Drain, acquired in 1947, sold in 1962.[6]
- Griffson. Cargo, 2,259 tons built in 1916, built by Winslow Marine Railway & Shipbuilding Company[7]
- Anyox, Cargo, 1,287 tons built in 1917, built by Winslow Marine Railway & Shipbuilding Company
- Sueja III, Yacht, 179 tons, built in 1926, built by Winslow Marine Railway & Shipbuilding Company, renamed Salvage Queen in 1941, renamed Sheng-Li in 1946, burned on the Whangpoo River in 1948
Operated
Liberty ships
- Edmond Mallett [8]
- Edward A. MacDowell [8]
- Nicholas J. Sinnott [9]
- Rufus W. Peckham [10]
- William Cullen Bryant [11]
Victory ships
- Douglas Victory [12]
Ships built
Built at the Winslow shipyard from 1919 to 1947:
| Ship Name | Built for | Type | Tons | Yeat Built | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reta | Felix R. Shoer | Fishing | 8 | 1919 | ||
| Griffson | Norton Clapp | Schooner | 2,259 | 1920 | ||
| Sueja III | Capt. James Griffiths | Yacht | 179 | 1926 | Renamed Mariner III | |
| Quillayute | Sound Ferry Line | Ferry | 728 | 1927 | ||
| Chahunta | Lincoln County Logging | Tug | 101 | 1928 | ||
| Brown Bear | US F&W Service | Survey Vessel | 1934 | To USN 1942 Renamed YP 197, returned 1946 | ||
| Gary Foss | Foss Launch & Tug | Tug | 63 | 1935 | ||
| A J No. 3 | Bolivar S Eqpmt. | Freight Barge | 271 | 1935 | ||
| A J No. 4 | Bolivar S Eqpmt. | Freight Barge | 271 | 1935 | ||
| A J No. 5 | Bolivar S Eqpmt. | Freight Barge | 271 | 1935 | ||
| E. B. Schley | Howe Sound Mining Co. | Tug | 46 | 1937 | ||
| Howe Sound Mining Co. | Dry Bulk Barge | 1937 | ||||
| Howe Sound Mining Co. | Dry Bulk Barge | 1937 | ||||
| Howe Sound Mining Co. | Dry Bulk Barge | 1937 | ||||
| Atlas | Ritchie Tptn. | Freight Barge | 118 | 1939 | ||
| L McN & L IX No. 11 | Bern O. Bliss | Freight Barge | 117 | 1939 | ||
| P. A. F. No. 6 | Pacific Am. Fisheries | Freight Barge | 100 | 1939 | ||
| Puget Sound NSY | Caisson | 1939 | ||||
| USS Pursuit (AM 108) | US Navy | Minesweeper | 1250d | 30-Apr-43 | Renamed AGS 17 1952, scrapped 1964 | |
| USS Requisite (AM-109) | US Navy | Minesweeper | 1250d | 7-Jun-43 | Renamed AGS 18 1952, scrapped 1964 | |
| USS Revenge (AM 110) | US Navy | Minesweeper | 1250d | 27-Jul-43 | Scrapped 1967 | |
| USS Sage (AM 111) | US Navy | Minesweeper | 1250d | 23-Aug-43 | To Mexico 1973 Renamed Hermenegildo Galeana, Renamed Matamoros (PO 117) | |
| USS Salute (AM 294) | US Navy | Minesweeper | 850d | 4-Dec-43 | Mined off Labuan and lost 1945 | |
| USS Saunter (AM 295) | US Navy | Minesweeper | 850d | 22-Jan-44 | Scrapped 1946 | |
| USS Scout (AM 296) | US Navy | Minesweeper | 850d | 3-Mar-44 | To Mexico 1963 Renamed DM 09, scrapped | |
| USS Scrimmage (AM 297) | US Navy | Minesweeper | 850d | 4-Apr-44 | Sold 1962, later cable ship Giant II, research vessel Mahi, reefed in Hawaii 1982 | |
| USS Scuffle (AM 298) | US Navy | Minesweeper | 850d | 2-May-44 | To Mexico 1963 Renamed General Felipe Xicotencatl (C 53), scrapped | |
| USS Sentry (AM 299) | US Navy | Minesweeper | 850d | 30-May-44 | To Vietnam 1962 Renamed Ky Hoa (HQ 09), scrapped | |
| USS Serene (AM-300) | US Navy | Minesweeper | 850d | 24-Jun-44 | To Vietnam 1963 Renamed Nhut Tao (HQ 10), scrapped | |
| USS Shelter (AM 301) | US Navy | Minesweeper | 850d | 9-Jul-44 | To Vietnam 1963 Renamed Chi Linh (HQ 11), scrapped | |
| USS Garland (AM-238) | US Navy | Minesweeper | 850d | 26-Aug-44 | Scrapped 1960 | |
| USS Gayety (AM-239) | US Navy | Minesweeper | 850d | 23-Sep-44 | To Vietnam 1962 Renamed Chi Lang II (HQ 08), to the Philippines 1975 Renamed Magat Salamat (PS 20) | |
| USS Hazard (AM-240) | US Navy | Minesweeper | 850d | 31-Oct-44 | Sold 1968, to Omaha NB 1971 as museum | |
| USS Hilarity (AM-241) | US Navy | Minesweeper | 850d | 27-Nov-44 | To Mexico 1962 Renamed D 2, scrapped | |
| USS Inaugural (AM-242) | US Navy | Minesweeper | 850d | 30-Dec-44 | To St. Louis MO 1968 as museum, swept from moorings and sank 1993 | |
| YTL 571 | US Navy | Yard Tug | 70d | 1945 | Sold 1974 | |
| YTL 572 | US Navy | Yard Tug | 70d | 1945 | To the Philippines 1948 | |
| YTL 573 | US Navy | Yard Tug | 70d | 1945 | To France 1951 | |
| YTL 574 | US Navy | Yard Tug | 70d | 1945 | Sold | |
| Oil Pilot | Tugs, Inc. | Tug | 55 | 1945 | ||
| Rustler | Long Beach Tugboat Co. | Tug | 51 | 1945 |
See also
References
- ^ Colton, Tim. "Winslow Marine Railway & Shipbuilding Co., Winslow WA". ShipbuildingHistory.com. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
- ^ The Liberty Ships of World War II, By Greg H. Williams
- ^ "Sea Lane Vigilantes". www.armed-guard.com. Archived from the original on 2022-05-31. Retrieved 2022-06-26.
- ^ World War II U.S. Navy Armed Guard and World War II U.S. Merchant Marine, 2007-2014 Project Liberty Ship, Project Liberty Ship, P.O. Box 25846 Highlandtown Station, Baltimore, MD [1] Archived 2022-05-14 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ World War II United States Merchant Navy
- ^ mariners-l.co.uk/ Ships D
- ^ hhipbuildinghistory.com Winslow
- ^ a b "LibShipsE". www.mariners-l.co.uk.
- ^ "LibShipsN". www.mariners-l.co.uk.
- ^ "LibShipsR". www.mariners-l.co.uk.
- ^ "LibShipsW". www.mariners-l.co.uk.
- ^ "World War 2 Victory Ships - D - E". www.mariners-l.co.uk.