BAE Systems Southeast (Mobile, Alabama)

 Second World War 1939-1945, company, shipyard, production

Founded in 1917 by a merger of the Alabama Iron Works, Ollinger & Bruce Dry Dock Company, Gulf Dry Dock Co and Gulf City Boiler Works, the Alabama Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Company (ADDSCO) was a prolific barge builder from 1917 to 1941, but mainly served as a ship repair facility until the US became involved in the Second World War.

In serious need of shipyards in the beginning of WWII, Alabama Drydock & Shipbuilding became one of the original nine WWII emergency yards and with a $19 million dollar influx of cash from the U.S. Maritime Commission the yard constructed four slipways for large vessel construction. Shortly after the completion of the original four ways and the implementation of the Liberty & T2 tanker designs, the yard increased in size to twelve slipways and at it's peak size employed some 18,500 workers, about 6,000 of which were African-American. The yard's proximity to the oil refineries of the US Gulf Coast led to it being a prolific builder of T2 type tankers during the war.

Following the war, the yard reverted to its prewar role to being primarily a ship repairer and barge builder into the late 1970s, when it was reorganized into the Alabama Maritime Corporation in 1980. Sold again in 1989, the yard was renamed Alabama Shipyard, and operated as two separate yards, with the shipbuilding yard retaining the original ADDSCO name and the repair yard operating under the Atlantic Marine Mobile name. The yard continued to be mainly a barge production and ship repair facility and was sold yet again in 2006 and operated as a single shipyard and ship repair facility under the Atlantic Marine Alabama name. The yard was subsequently aquired by BAE Systems in 2010 and changed names once again to BAE Systems Southeast while continuing its ship repair operations.

In early 2018 BAE announced that the yard would be closed upon the completion of existing contract work and would be placed into catetaker status. The announcement followed a protracted series of workforce layoffs and downsizing at the facility which BAE blamed on the lack of repair and newbuild work in the oil industry exploration and supply sector.
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For a complete list of ships built here please see:
www.shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/2large/ac...