Unable to rely on private carriers to serve its far-flung canneries from Southeast Alaska to the Aleutian Islands, Pacific American Fisheries built its own shipyard to produce vessels that ensured the transfer of crew, materials, and the salmon pack. The yard, which laid its first keel in May 1916, produced top-quality 1,800-ton wooden steamers including the Redwood and the Firwood, each capable of carrying 60,000 cases of canned salmon. Dead Man's Point, a bluff at the end of Harris Avenue, was leveled to create land for the busy shipyard, which at times had hulls under construction in each of its five marine ways. The ships' reputation for quality led the U.S. government to call upon Pacific American Fisheries to produce transport vessels during World War I. After various changes in ownership through the decades, the shipyard remained active, providing repair service to numerous commercial fishing and government vessels.