With abundant lumber, steam-powered sawmills, and stretches of wide, flat beach, Belfast became a shipbuilding center with shipyards lining the waterfront. In 1793, Robert and James Miller built the schooner Jenny Miller, the first of many ships to be built there. Over the years, Belfast area shipyards launched more than 600 vessels, known for their size, speed, and beauty, and as many as one-third of the local men were employed as sailors or shipwrights. The largest yard was owned by Columbia P. Carter, who built over 100 vessels. A photograph taken in 1908 shows the Fields Pendleton shipyard with a ship under construction and three others possibly waiting for repair.