Shipbuilding

In 1871, Eber Ward, who had earlier founded the Eureka Iron Co., was instrumental in building a large shipbuilding facility on the Detroit River between Pine and Orchard streets. Over the next 51 years, renowned marine architect Frank E. Kirby and his brother F. A. "Joe” Kirby oversaw the construction of 212 iron and steel vessels at this site. Under the names Detroit Dry Dock Co. and Detroit Shipbuilding Co., hulls for tugs, freighters, ocean vessels and excursion steamers, including the Tashmoo, the Put-in-Bay and the Boblo boat S. S. Columbia, were built here. Hulls were towed to Detroit to be fitted with boilers and upper works. The freighter Wyandotte, launched in 1907, was the world's first boat constructed as a self-unloader. Ship launchings were festive occasions, as crowds gathered to cheer while ships, some over 300 feet in length, slid down the ways and into the water with a mighty splash. The shipyard experienced economic cycles of boom and bust. During World War I, thousands of workers toiled here, but by 1920, business was sporadic. The facility closed in 1922, with some operations moved to Detroit and others to Lorain, Ohio.

Wyandotte, Michigan · United States