Submarine Boat Company's SS Suwordenco as SS Admiral HalsteadTransmarine Lines New York State Canal Tug No. 1 in Buffalo, New York Harbor in 1922.Transmarine Lines route in 1923
Submarine Boat Company (Submarine Boat Corporation) was a large-scale World War I ship manufacturing shipyard, located at Newark, New Jersey's Port of Newark. Submarine Boat Company operated as a subsidiary of the Electric Boat Company, now General Dynamics Electric Boat. Submarine Boat Company was founded in April 1915 to meet the demand for ships for World War I. Submarine Boat Corporation built the Design 1023 ships, this was a steel-hulledcargo ship. Submarine Boat Company built merchant cargo ships from 1917 to 1922. Submarine Boat Company was to able to complete ships quickly as they had other shipyards prefabricate about 80% of the hull. Submarine Boat Company worked with: Merchant Shipbuilding Corporation in Bristol, Pennsylvania, and American International Shipbuilding, in Hog Island, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During World War I, at its peak, the shipbuilding the company employed 25,000 people. The Submarine Boat Company received a 150 shipbuilding contract from the United States Shipping Board (USSB)'s Emergency Fleet Corporation, and 118 ships were completed before the contract was canceled. Submarine Boat Company built and sold the last 32 ships on their own for the Transmarine shipping line.[1] After the war in 1920, Submarine Boat built 30 206-ton barges for Transmarine. With no more contracts, the shipyard closed in 1922 and the company went into receivership in 1929. For World War II the shipyard was reopened by Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company. Federal Shipbuilding operated its main shipyard 2.8 miles (4.5 km) north of the Submarine Boat Company shipyard, where Uncommon Carrier Inc. in Kearny, New Jersey is now located. The location of the former Submarine Boat Company shipyard is at the Toyota Logistics Services Inc. automobile terminal, 390 E. Port Street, Newark, just south of Interstate 78.[2][3] Notable ships: SS Mopang, SS Admiral Halstead, SS Coast Trader and SS Coast Farmer.
While Submarine Boat Company ended shipbuilding in 1922, due to its good working with steel, in 1923 it received a construction contract from the Newton Amusement Corporation to build a 1,000-seat stadium theater. Submarine Boat Company supplied 50 tons of steel columns. This was the last project before closing.[4][5]
Background
The Submarine Boat Company did not build any submarines, its name was given from its parent company Electric Boat Company, which was started in 1899 by Isaac Rice. The Electric Boat Company initially built submarines based on John Philip Holland designs. (i.e. The USS Holland and the A Class.) These submarines were built at Lewis Nixon's Crescent Shipyard in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Electric Boat Company first submarine was the USS Holland, commissioned by the United States Navy on April 11, 1900, becoming the first US Navy submarine commissioned.[6][7][8]
Transmarine Corporation
Submarine Boat Company operated the Transmarine Corporation (Transco) or Transmarine Lines a shipping company from 1922 to 1930, with 32 ships and 29 barges they had built. Providing east coast, west coast, Texas, Cuba and South America with cargo shipping services. With the 206 DWT barges working on the New York State Canal System with five tugboats. Barges moved cargo from New York City to Buffalo, New York in seven to nine days.[9][10][11]
Atlantic Port Railway
The Submarine Boat Corporation incorporated, on May 4, 1920, the Atlantic Port Railway Corporation, to move cargo to and from Transmarine Lines. The company was a common carrier rail line, it owned no property right of ways. Atlantic Port Railway operated standard-gage steam railroad, at the Port Newark with rail lines that connected to the Central Railroad of New Jersey and the Pennsylvania Railroad Company to Transmarine docks. Atlantic Port Railway had about 18 miles (29 km) of tracks and 59 miles (95 km) of yard tracks and sidings.[12]
Submarine Boat Company ships
(Note if the ship as two or more names listed, this means the ship was renamed while under construction)
"Make Every Minute Count For Pershing", United States Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation, ca. 1917–1919, poster that would have been posted at Submarine Boat Company for the workers.Coast Farmer Australian War Memorial photograph captioned "Starboard side view of the American transport Coast Farmer which brought U.S. troops to Australia as part of the Pensacola Convoy in 1941–12. She was torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine 15 miles off Jervis Bay on 1942-07-20. (Naval Historical Collection)
Cargo ship 3,642 DWT
Submarine Boat Company built ship,s Cargo 1023 ships with 3,642 DWT:[13]
Agawam, Hull # 1, Ship ID # 216996, Delivered: December 18, USSB # 547,
Ontonagon/Milwaukee Bridge, Hull # 17, Ship ID # 217928, Delivered: May-19, USSB # 563, Renamed SS Malama in 1927, bombed and sank in 1942, Two died and 33 crew with 5 Air Corps taken to POW Camp.[15]
Decosta/Wisconsin Bridge, Hull # 24, Ship ID # 217929, Delivered: June-19, USSB # 570, Renamed SS Wisconsin Bridge in 1921, wrecked in the Abacos in 1929
Attitash/Corson/Buffalo Bridge, Hull # 67, Ship ID # 218821, Delivered: October-19, USSB # 801, taken by Japan, renamed SS Kosei Maru in 1938, torpedoed and sank in 1943 [17]
Kahna/Lakeside Bridge, Hull # 83, Ship ID # 219243, Delivered: December-19, USSB # 817, wrecked on the AzoresPico Island in 1920, in a gale after loss of propeller[21]
Menemsha / Rock Island Bridge, Hull # 92, Ship ID # 219337, Delivered: January-20, USSB # 826, had collision when the Irish tanker SS Iroquois rammed her three times in fog, Rock Island Bridge on March 23, 1920, was wrecked and then scrapped.[22]
Moolinoo/Archbold Bridge/Tashmoo, Hull # 98, Ship ID # 219497, Delivered: April-20, USSB # 832, renamed SS Takusei Maru in 1938, torpedoed and sank in 1942 byb USS Greenling (SS-213)[23]
Yapam/Plow City, Hull # 106, Ship ID # 219584, Delivered: April-20, USSB # 840,
Yukpa/Sterling Steel Bridge/Suwied, Hull # 107, Ship ID # 219496, Delivered: February-20, USSB # 841, Torpedoed and sank in 1942 off Cozumel Island off the Yucatán Peninsula.[24]
Yashi/Holyoke Bridge, Hull # 108, Ship ID # 219588, Delivered: May-20, USSB # 842, renamed SS Coast Trader in 1937, torpedoed and sank in 1942
Pemetic/Natirar/Sutermco, Hull # 126, Ship ID # 220531, Delivered: September-20, USSB # 860, renamed SS Admiral Day in 1931, wrecked off Canton Island in 1940, crew saved by HMAS Manoora (F48).[26]
Nugunket/Susherico, Hull # 136, Ship ID # 220561, Delivered: October-20, USSB # 870, Renamed Manini in 1928, torpedoed and sank in 1941 [27]
Nehumkee/Jelcaw/Surichco, Hull # 137, Ship ID # 220693, Delivered: November-20, USSB # 871, renamed SS Admiral Wiley in 1930, wrecked off New Guinea in 1940
Nequosset/Suremico , Hull # 139, Ship ID # 220694, Delivered: November-20, USSB # 873, renamed SS Nisqually in 1928, bombed and sank in off Wake Island in 1941[28]
Neshobee/Sujameco, Hull # 141, Ship ID # 220863, Delivered: November-20, USSB # 875, Wrecked off Coos Bay in 1929
Quinney/Suwordenco , Hull # 142, Ship ID # 220862, Delivered: December-20, USSB # 876, Renamed SS Admiral Halstead, damaged in Japanese raid on Darwin on 1942-02-19
Desha/Tamara/Sunugentco, Hull # 145, Ship ID # 221024, Delivered: January-21, USSB # 879, renamed SS Sisunthon Nawa in 1940, scuttled off Surabaya in 1942 [29]
Kaboka/Sugillenco, Hull # 146, Ship ID # 220888, Delivered: March-21, USSB # 880, renamed SS Columbine in 1942, torpedoed and sank in 1944[30][31]
Dearing/Sujerseyco, Hull # 147, Ship ID # 220993, Delivered: February-21, USSB # 881, Later Makawao 1928, scrapped 1946
Transmarine Corporation barges working on the New York State Canal System with a cargo of wheat to New York City in 1922. Barges built by parent company Submarine Boat Company.Transmarine Lines New York State Canal System barge routes in 1922. Transmarine Lines was owned by the Submarine Boat Company that built the 29 barges used on the line.
Submarine Boat Company built Transmarine Barge with 206 DWT, these were used for east coast coastal transport by Submarine Boat Company, subsidiary Transmarine:
^ The Turtle was used in combat during the American Revolutionary War, but it was never officially commissioned into the Navy.
^Lenton, H. T. American Submarines (Doubleday, 1973), p.37; Friedman, Norman. U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History (United States Naval Institute Press, 2005), pp. 285–304.
