Todd Shipyards
Historic American shipbuilding and ship-repair company that became a major wartime contractor and was later absorbed into Vigor Industrial.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Todd Shipyards was an American shipbuilding and ship-repair enterprise whose history began in 1916 with the formation of the William H. Todd Corporation. The business was assembled through the acquisition and consolidation of several established dry docks, repair facilities, and shipyards, including properties associated with Tietjen & Lang in New Jersey, Robins Dry Dock in Brooklyn, the Tebo Yacht Basin, and Seattle Construction and Dry Dock Company. This gave Todd an unusually broad geographic footprint for an American shipbuilder, spanning the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts. The company’s importance grew during the two world wars. During World War I, Todd facilities participated in the construction of ships for the United States Shipping Board. During World War II, the company became a significant participant in the United States Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Between 1940 and 1945, Todd’s network built or repaired approximately 23,000 vessels and employed about 57,000 workers, according to historical accounts summarized in the company’s Wikipedia article. Its facilities and affiliated operations produced cargo ships, tankers, destroyer escorts and tenders, escort carriers, landing craft, and other naval and auxiliary vessels. Todd also participated in wartime shipbuilding arrangements with Kaiser and other industrial partners, including operations in the Pacific Northwest, Texas, Maine, California, and elsewhere. After 1945, Todd shifted from its wartime scale toward a mixture of naval construction, commercial shipbuilding, conversion, and repair. Its customers included the United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, Royal Australian Navy, and Washington State Ferries. West Coast yards built or supported classes such as Charles F. Adams-class destroyers, Knox-class frigates, Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates, Hamilton-class cutters, and naval tenders. The company also maintained repair and conversion capabilities for commercial vessels, barges, tankers, ferries, and other marine equipment. Todd’s postwar history was marked by labor and financial pressure. A 1983 strike by Pacific Coast metal-trades unions affected the company, and Todd filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1987 after years of financial difficulty. The reorganization resulted in a much smaller business. In 1991, operations resumed under the Todd Pacific Shipyards Corporation name after most locations had been closed or divested, leaving Seattle as the principal remaining shipyard. Todd later retained or expanded a limited Puget Sound presence, including facilities in Seattle, Bremerton, and Everett. The company also briefly diversified into broadcasting through the Elettra Broadcasting Corporation, established in 1995. In February 2011, Vigor Industrial acquired Todd Shipyards for approximately $130 million, including the Seattle, Everett, and Bremerton shipyards. Todd became a wholly owned Vigor subsidiary, and the operating facilities subsequently used the Vigor Shipyards name. The transaction effectively ended Todd Shipyards as an independent corporate brand, although the yards continued their ship repair and government-related marine work under new ownership.
History
Todd Shipyards originated in 1916 when a syndicate led by Bertron Griscom & Company acquired the properties of the Tietjen & Lang Dry Dock Company and placed them under the management of William H. Todd, then associated with Robins Dry Dock and Repair Company in Brooklyn. The new William H. Todd Corporation expanded through additional acquisitions, including the Tebo Yacht Basin and Seattle Construction and Dry Dock Company. This early consolidation connected facilities on the East Coast with a developing West Coast presence. The company participated in ship construction during World War I, including work connected with United States Shipping Board programs. Between the wars, individual Todd-related yards built and repaired commercial vessels, tankers, ferries, and other marine craft. The company’s growth accelerated during World War II, when Todd became part of the national emergency shipbuilding effort. Its facilities and joint ventures operated in locations including Seattle and Tacoma, California, Texas, Maine, New Jersey, Louisiana, and other coastal regions. Todd and its partners constructed Liberty ships, Victory ships, tankers, escort carriers, destroyer tenders, landing craft, and naval auxiliaries. Historical summaries credit the wider Todd organization with building or repairing roughly 23,000 vessels from 1940 through 1945 and employing approximately 57,000 people. Several wartime facilities were operated jointly with Kaiser or other companies. The Houston operation, formally established in 1941, produced Liberty ships and tankers and employed tens of thousands of workers. The Tacoma and Seattle yards built large numbers of naval vessels, including destroyers and escort carriers. Todd-linked operations in South Portland participated in emergency construction for Britain and later American wartime programs. Many of these temporary yards closed after the war, while other facilities continued as repair, conversion, or naval construction yards. In the postwar period, Todd served a mixed customer base. It built and maintained vessels for the United States Navy and Coast Guard, worked for the Royal Australian Navy, and supported Washington State Ferries. Its Seattle and Los Angeles divisions constructed or supported destroyers, frigates, cutters, cruisers, tenders, and other government vessels. Todd also operated Gulf Coast facilities in Galveston and Houston, where activities included ship repair, tanker conversion, barge work, and construction of commercial vessels. The company’s later decades were less stable. A Pacific Coast metal-trades union strike in 1983 disrupted operations. Todd entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1987, reflecting broader financial difficulties and the challenge of sustaining a large multi-yard shipbuilding network after the wartime and Cold War peaks. The company emerged in 1991 as Todd Pacific Shipyards Corporation after closing or divesting most of its sites, with Seattle as the central surviving operation. In 1995, it also created Elettra Broadcasting Corporation, a short-lived diversification that operated three FM radio stations in Carmel. Todd acquired Everett Shipyard in 2008, adding to its Puget Sound repair capacity. In February 2011, Vigor Industrial bought Todd Shipyards for approximately $130 million. The transaction included the Seattle, Everett, and Bremerton yards. Todd became a wholly owned Vigor subsidiary, and the facilities later operated under the Vigor Shipyards name. The acquisition ended Todd’s independent corporate existence, but ship-repair and naval-support work continued at several former Todd locations.
- 2011
Vigor Industrial acquisition
[1]Vigor Industrial acquired Todd Shipyards and its remaining principal Puget Sound facilities.
- 2008
Everett Shipyard is acquired
[1]Todd purchased Everett Shipyard, strengthening its ship-repair presence in the Puget Sound region.
- 1995
Elettra Broadcasting subsidiary is created
[1]Todd diversified into radio broadcasting through a subsidiary that operated three FM stations in Carmel.
- 1991
Reorganization as Todd Pacific Shipyards
[1]The company emerged from bankruptcy with Seattle as its principal remaining shipyard.
- 1987
Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing
[1]Todd filed for bankruptcy protection amid sustained financial pressure and subsequently reduced its operating footprint.
- 1983
Pacific Coast labor strike affects operations
[1]A strike by Pacific Coast metal-trades unions disrupted Todd’s shipyard activities.
- 1977
Todd Pacific Shipyards Corporation is formed
[1]Todd combined its Seattle and Los Angeles divisions within a new wholly owned subsidiary.
- 1945
End of World War II production surge
[1]The wartime network had built or repaired approximately 23,000 ships and employed about 57,000 workers during the 1940–1945 period.
- 1940
Todd becomes a major emergency shipbuilding participant
[1]Todd and associated yards expanded across the coasts and Gulf region to support wartime vessel construction and repair.
- 1917
Expansion into Seattle and Tacoma shipbuilding
[1]Todd-related operations developed Pacific Northwest facilities that supported United States Shipping Board construction and later naval programs.
Products and positioning
A large, geographically diversified American shipbuilder and marine-repair contractor with strong government, naval, and wartime production credentials.
Military shipbuilding
Naval vessels
Todd’s yards constructed and repaired a broad range of United States Navy and Coast Guard vessels. Postwar work included destroyers, frigates, cruisers, tenders, cutters, escort carriers, and auxiliary ships. Seattle and Los Angeles were particularly important for government contracts, including Charles F. Adams-class destroyers, Knox-class frigates, Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates, Hamilton-class cutters, and naval tenders.
Commercial and wartime shipbuilding
Wartime cargo ships and tankers
During the two world wars, Todd-associated facilities produced cargo ships and tankers for government-sponsored maritime programs. World War II output included Liberty ships, Victory ships, Ocean-type cargo ships, and T1-series tankers, often through joint arrangements with Kaiser and other shipbuilding organizations.
Marine services
Ship repair and conversion
Repair, overhaul, dry-docking, and vessel conversion were central to Todd’s business alongside new construction. Facilities served Navy and Coast Guard vessels, commercial ships, tankers, barges, ferries, and other marine assets. The surviving Puget Sound operations remained especially associated with naval maintenance and Washington State Ferries work.
Commercial shipbuilding
Ferries and commercial vessels
Todd yards built and serviced ferries, tankers, barges, and other commercial vessels. Customers and projects varied by location, with Gulf Coast facilities undertaking tanker conversions and barge work and West Coast yards supporting regional ferry and marine transportation systems.
Brand decisions
2011
Sell the company to Vigor IndustrialM&ABackground
Todd had become a smaller shipbuilding and repair company focused largely on the Puget Sound region.
Action taken
Vigor Industrial acquired Todd Shipyards, including the Seattle, Everett, and Bremerton yards, for approximately US$130 million.
Aftermath
Todd became a wholly owned subsidiary and the yards later operated under the Vigor Shipyards name.
Acquisition price. US$130 million (February 2011)
1987
Enter Chapter 11 and consolidate operationsOtherBackground
Todd faced sustained financial difficulties after the contraction of its wartime-scale network and disruption from the 1983 Pacific Coast metal-trades strike.
Action taken
The company filed for Chapter 11 protection and subsequently closed or divested most locations.
Aftermath
Todd emerged in 1991 as Todd Pacific Shipyards Corporation, centered primarily on its Seattle operation.
Sources3 sources
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