US Barge History

Shipbuilding Returns to Portland Shipyard

U.S. Barge is located at the Portland Shipyard on Swan Island, former home of Kaiser Shipyard. In World War II, this location turned out a record number of tankers to help with the war effort. Our company is proud to bring shipbuilding back to Swan Island.

The image below shows Swan Island at peak wartime production. There are eight launchways and all are filled with vessels in various stages of the construction process. The large building in the middle of the picture is still standing today - U.S. Barge uses it to house their work bays. The clear area in between the bays and the launchways is where the U.S. Barge buildway is located.

To the left of the image, you see a slender bridge connecting the shipyard to the mainland. Workers crossed this bridge every day as they made their way to work from the large government housing area up on the Bluff.