Zeno Secor & Company

Zeno Secor & Company was established by Zeno Secor and his brothers Francis M. Secor and Charles A. Secor. The Secor family enlarged the enterprise during the period before the American Civil War, when American shipbuilding and naval infrastructure were expanding. By the beginning of the war, the business had acquired a broad reputation in its field. The company's activities included both ship construction and the building of facilities used by the United States Navy. Francis Secor constructed naval works in 1852 and 1853, including facilities at the Pensacola Naval Station and work associated with Mare Island Naval Yard in San Francisco. These projects connected the firm to the federal government's effort to improve naval stations, shipyards, basins, and related infrastructure. The Civil War created a major demand for armored vessels. The Union Navy had limited experience designing and building ironclads, and early contracts were awarded to private firms under fixed-price arrangements. Zeno Secor & Company obtained contracts for monitor-type warships during this period. In 1862, it built USS Weehawken, described in the available reference as the first of the Passaic-class monitors. The Secors reorganized their physical production arrangements to support the wartime program. They gave up a small shipyard in New York and contracted with Joseph Colwell Jr. to establish a shipyard and machine shop in Jersey City, New Jersey. Construction of Weehawken and Camanche was subcontracted to Colwell. The arrangement illustrates how wartime shipbuilders combined their own government contracts with outside facilities and subcontractors to meet the Navy's accelerated requirements. During the Civil War, Secor Brothers constructed at least five ironclad vessels for the United States government. The surviving reference specifically identifies Weehawken and Camanche but does not name the other ships. Because the available material does not provide a complete vessel list, ownership history, dissolution date, or postwar business record, the later history of Zeno Secor & Company remains uncertain.

• 1862

  Construction of USS Weehawken

  [1]Zeno Secor & Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The company built USS Weehawken, the first Passaic-class monitor identified in the reference material.

• 1862

  Expansion into Civil War ironclad construction

  [1]Zeno Secor & Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The Secor business entered the wartime monitor program and arranged for a Jersey City shipyard and machine shop through Joseph Colwell Jr.

• 1853

  Mare Island naval-yard work

  [1]Zeno Secor & Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Francis Secor was involved in construction connected with Mare Island Naval Yard in San Francisco.

• 1852

  Pensacola naval-station construction

  [1]Zeno Secor & Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Francis Secor constructed naval-station works at Pensacola, including facilities described as the bulkhead and wet basin.

A nineteenth-century American shipbuilding contractor serving government and naval-infrastructure projects, with particular significance in the Union's Civil War ironclad program.

• Passaic-class monitor · 1862

  USS Weehawken

  USS Weehawken was an ironclad monitor constructed for the United States Navy during the American Civil War. The reference identifies it as the first of the newer Passaic-class monitors and as a vessel built by Zeno Secor & Company in 1862. Its construction formed part of the Union's emergency effort to expand armored naval capacity.

• Ironclad monitor

  USS Camanche

  USS Camanche was an ironclad monitor associated with the company's Civil War construction program. The available reference states that construction of Camanche, like Weehawken, was subcontracted to Joseph Colwell Jr. at the Jersey City shipyard and machine shop established for the work.

• Naval facilities

  Naval infrastructure works

  The Secor business also undertook government naval-infrastructure work. Identified projects include construction associated with the Pensacola Naval Station and Mare Island Naval Yard. The available material does not provide a complete catalog of the firm's facilities work.

• 1862

  Shift toward wartime monitor constructionStrategy

  Background

  The Civil War created urgent demand for ironclad warships, while the United States Navy had limited prior experience with this type of vessel.

  Action taken

  The Secors entered the monitor-building program, relinquished a small New York shipyard, and contracted with Joseph Colwell Jr. to establish a Jersey City shipyard and machine shop for construction work.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement enabled work on USS Weehawken and USS Camanche and contributed to the construction of at least five government ironclads, although the complete list is not identified in the available reference.

  Source

• 1862

  Zeno Secor & Company constructed USS Weehawken[1]Zeno Secor & Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch · Other

  The company built USS Weehawken, identified in the reference material as the first of the Passaic-class monitors, during the United States Navy's rapid expansion of ironclad construction in the Civil War.

• 1853

  Francis Secor worked on Mare Island Naval Yard facilities[1]Zeno Secor & Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Francis Secor was involved in construction at Mare Island Naval Yard in San Francisco as the Secor business expanded its government marine-infrastructure work.

• 1852

  Secor family shipyards supported United States naval infrastructure[1]Zeno Secor & Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Francis Secor constructed naval-yard works at the Pensacola Naval Station, including facilities described in the reference material as the bulkhead and wet basin.

1. 1Zeno Secor & Companyen.wikipedia.org