Call Number:

76

Repository:

Independence Seaport Museum, J. Welles Henderson Archives and Library

Extent:

• 26.0 linear feet
• 9 boxes 8 volumes 5 oversize drawers 1 drawer

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Sun Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company records, 1916-1998, Independence Seaport Museum.

Date:

1916-1998 (inclusive)

Creator:

Sun Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company.

Form:

Ships plans

Abstract:

Established in 1916, the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company produced hundreds of ships (primarily tankers and cargo ships) for other companies as well as its own. These included private parties, other oil companies, and, particularly during World War II, the United States Maritime Commission. During World War II, the National Defense Program helped make the Sun shipyard one of the world's biggest producers of oil tankers, with more than 35,000 people working in the shipyard. The yard built more than 250 tankers for the war effort and repaired more than 1,500 ships that were damaged during the conflicts. The company also developed many new building technologies and became known for its use of "All-Welded Construction." The Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company records date from 1916 to 1998 and document the design, construction, and launching of ships built by the organization; the history and promotion of the company; and also the administration of the organization through the perspective of its employees. These records include photographs, ships plans, ephemera, books, periodicals, clippings, and other materials, including records from the personal collections of Merville E. Willis and George S. Blair. The collection is divided into four series: “I. Administrative records, 1924-1981,” “II. Publications, 1930s-1980s,” “III. Ships plans and technical drawings, 1916-1980,” and “IV. Photographs, 1917-1998.”

The Sun Shipbuilding Company of Chester, Pennsylvania was incorporated on May 23, 1916 as a tanker-building subsidiary of the Sun Oil Company during World War I. At the time, ships were scarce, as many were sent overseas for wartime use, and the Sun Oil Company built the subsidiary in response to this shortage. Its first ship, the Chester Sun, was launched in late 1917. The firm was renamed the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in January 1923, and the shipyard went on to produce hundreds of ships (primarily tankers and cargo ships) for other companies as well as their own. These included private parties, other oil companies, and, particularly during World War II, the United States Maritime Commission. During World War II, the National Defense Program helped make the Sun shipyard one of the world's biggest producers of oil tankers, with more than 35,000 people working in the shipyard. The yard built more than 250 tankers for the war effort and repaired more than 1,500 ships that were damaged during the conflicts. The company also developed many new building technologies and became known for its use of "All-Welded Construction." The American shipbuilding industry collapsed under low demand and foreign competition in the 1960s and 1970s. The company launched its final ship in 1980 before the yard was sold and renamed the Pennsylvania Shipbuilding Company, which closed in the late 1990s and was eventually turned over to the state. As of 2014, the site is the home of Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack and a Kimberly-Clark production plant.

The Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company records date from 1916 to 1998 and document the design, construction, and launching of ships built by the organization; the history and promotion of the company; and also the administration of the organization through the perspective of its employees. These records include photographs, ships plans, ephemera, books, periodicals, clippings, and other materials, including records from the personal collections of Merville E. Willis and George S. Blair. The collection is divided into four series: "I. Administrative records, 1924-1981," "II. Publications, 1930s-1980s," "III. Ships plans and technical drawings, 1916-1980," and "IV. Photographs, 1917-1998."

Series "I. Administrative records" dates from 1924 to 1981 and contains manuals, materials related to a training program, paper presentations, a floating dry dock booklet along with several drafts, contract records, ship registers, materials related to trials for ships, and assorted personal records. These personal records mainly document George Blair's personal experience working at Sun Shipbuilding, but other employees are documented as well. These records include photographs, an identification card, payment records, safety certifications, plans, and agreements. This series is arranged topically from specific to general, with manuals preceding training program materials, paper presentations, documents related to ships and similar topics, and finally the personal records. The majority of this series is contained within boxes, but researchers should note that there are also separate volumes included in the series.

Series "II. Publications" dates from the 1930s to the 1980s, and contains clippings and volumes of a variety of published material on Sun Shipbuilding and other maritime organizations. A considerable portion of this series features 1940s to 1960s issues of Our Yard, Sun Shipbuilding’s monthly publication. Other materials printed by Sun Shipbuilding include promotional booklets and brochures from the 1950s to the 1970s, providing an overview of the company’s products, services and history; issues from the late 1970s of Sun Ship Log; excerpts from staff newsletters; and a copy of the 1986 Centennial Celebration: The Story of the Sun Company. This series also contains launch and open house brochures and invitations from the 1940s to 1980s. Researchers should note that similar records can be found in series "IV. Photographs." Several volumes detail specific products and services, while other manual-type volumes contain specifications for a variety of freighters and tankers. The collection also includes brochures, booklets, and reports of the United Seaman's Service and the United States Maritime Service of the 1940s; various other printed materials on ship fitting, rigging, pumps, and engines; and brochures of other shipbuilding and transportation companies. This series is arranged by record type: Our Yard, promotional materials, launch and invitation materials, assorted newspaper and magazine clippings, external publications, and books. As with Series I, the majority of this series is housed within boxes, except for separate volumes.

Series “III. Ships plans and technical drawings” dates from 1916 to 1980 and contains rolled and folded plans of ships, floats, and docks that were built by the company, as well as various components of these subjects. These plans are arranged by contract number and document the design of ships such as barges, tankers, motorships, and mining ships built for the Sun Oil Company, but also for the American Dredging Company; American Export Lines, Incorporated; Grace Line, Incorporated; Gulf Oil Corporation; Keystone Tankship Corporation; Millcreek Leasing Corporation; Netherlands Ministry of Shipping; Panama Transport Company; Pennsylvania Railroad Company; Petroleum Shipping; Seatrain Lines; Standard Oil Company; Sunexport Holdings Corporation; Texas Company; Tide Water Associated Oil Company; Transamerican Trailer Transport, Incorporated; United States Department of Commerce Maritime Administration; United States Lines Company; and the Waterman Steamship Corporation. There are also a significant number of ships built in the 1940s for the Corps of Engineers and the War Department, as well as the United States Maritime Commission. In addition to the full-sized plans, there is also a collection of undated microfiche cards for plans 3 to 98, found at the end of the series. While the plans in this series are all arranged intellectually by contract number, researchers should note that rolled plans are housed separately in oversize storage drawers, while the folded plans and microfiche cards are housed in boxes.

Series "IV. Photographs" predominately contains photographs and negatives of completed ships (mostly cargo and tankers) built by Sun Shipbuilding between 1917 and 1980, although most of these records are undated. Some photograph materials depict construction and ship repairs, aerial views of the shipyard and dry docks, celebrations such as launchings and christenings, and administrative staff members including the President and Chief Operating Officer, John G. Pew. Additionally, this series includes related paper documentation; notably, newspaper and magazine clippings, invitations and programs relating to launchings and christenings, and accompanying research notes. This series, along with series "II. Publications," features materials from naval architect Merville E. Willis (mostly invitations and programs to launchings and christenings from the 1970s). Additionally, there are research materials pertaining to the Hughes Glomar Explorer of 1974. This series is arranged by contract number from 17 to 678 (incomplete), with folders without contract numbers following chronologically. While the majority of material in this series is undated, the collection’s accompanying inventory information suggests that contract numbers are chronological in arrangement.

Generally this collection documents 20th century shipbuilding in the United States – specifically in the Philadelphia area – and documents the activities of Sun Shipbuilding and its various clients. Researchers would therefore find this collection useful for information about the 20th century American shipbuilding industry, whether realized through information about the organization of the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, or the design of the ships that it built. More specifically, through the ships commissioned by the Corps of Engineers and the United States Maritime Commission, this collection documents the industrial efforts of American corporations during World War II.