bath iron works of portsmouth newhampshire
Bath Iron Works was established on November 28, 1884 by Tom Hyde. By January 28, 1884 a $100,00 capital had been raised. The wooden steamer Cottage City was the first ship to see the crafty hands of Bath Iron works workmen. The hull of Cottage City was built by New England Shipbuilding Company while Bath built and installed its machinery and outfitted it under a contract with Maine Steamship Company. The ship was launched in 1890 and used for passenger and freight service between Portland, Maine, and New York City. By June 1891 the next ship came out of Bath, the Manhattan.
On February 13, 1894 a fire all but destroyed Bath Iron Works. But General Hyde put all his hometown forces together and rebuilt Bath.
On May 7, 1894, baths first yacht was launched, the yacht Eleanor was built for William A. Slater of slater Mills for a sum of $300,000.
General Hyde retired in September 1899, and he died on November 14, 1899. The yard also said goodbye to hand riveted ships after the torpedo boat Biddle was launched in May 1901. A more effective way of construction was implemented, power driven tools beat out muscle power and reduced human efforts in steel shipbuilding. This new machinery came in handy when Bath won a navy contract to build the battleship Georgia, it was Bath’s first and only battleship. Georgia was launched October 11, 1904.
Bath went through some financial trouble in the early years of the 20th century. Bath joined with Charles Schwaab to form a trust, soon after, the Roosevelt campaign of “trust-busting brought an end to the relationship. Bath Iron Works was sold back to the Hyde family into the hands of John S. Hyde, General Hyde’s younger son.
In 1910 not a single wooden ship left the company’s hulls. The push was for better technology and faster boats with more sufficient engines. The answer was geared turbines.
In 1916, competing for a huge naval contract, Liberty destroyer ships were known as tin cans and four pipers and the design came to be used in other yards to produce the multitudes of destroyers for World War 1. In this time of high production, Bath said goodbye to John S. Hyde after his death on March 20, 1917.
On July 14, 1917 the company’s ownership changed forms when, for the first time, it went into the hands of many. At this time William T. Cobb became Bath’s president. From 1917 through 1920 Bath was engaged in war-bound destroyers for the navy. These war years brought a lot of attention to Bath. After the war the height of wartime flow required bath to staff 1900 employees; post-high employee numbers declined to 650. The low became so low not one ship was launched [next page]