Todd Pacific Shipyards Los Angeles Division Operating History

The Todd Pacific Shipyards Los Angeles Division has a rich history dating back to 1939, when it was established as a subsidiary of the Todd Shipyards Corporation. The division was initially focused on ship repair and maintenance.

In 1942, the Los Angeles Division shifted its focus to shipbuilding, producing numerous naval vessels for the US Navy during World War II. The division's wartime efforts were instrumental in supporting the Allied war effort.

The division's shipbuilding capabilities were expanded in the 1950s, with the construction of larger vessels, including tankers and cargo ships. This marked a significant milestone in the division's history, as it began to cater to the growing demand for commercial shipping services.

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The Todd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles Division, has a rich history dating back to 1946. In November of that year, Todd Shipyards purchased the Los Angeles SB&DDC and began operating it as the Todd Shipyards, Los Angeles Division.

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Wartime labor at the LA division peaked at around 20,000 workers. The division turned to ship repair and conversions after the war ended, and also started doing machine work and fabrication for other industries.

Business volume declined until the Korean War, but then dropped even lower after it ended in 1953. The LA division had projects in the early 1950s for Disneyland, including building a replica of the sternwheel riverboat Mark Twain.

Todd's Hoboken, New Jersey, operation built two sternwheel riverboats for Freedomland U.S.A., a theme park in New York City that existed from 1960 to 1964. The LA division also constructed eight 52-foot tourist submarines and the masts, rigging, spars, and sails of Sailing Ship Columbia after the Korean War.

Todd invested heavily into the LA division in the years following the 1958 tax changes and built a number of cargo ships for various companies. The LA division built two cruisers, England and Fox, in the 1960s and seven Knox-class frigates in the late 1960s.

The LA division manufactured "thousands of feet of special piping for the Atomic Energy Commission." They also did work fabricating test missiles for the Polaris missile program and a base for a tracking antenna used by NASA.

In the early 1970s, the LA division built four handysize 25,000 DWT tankers for Marine Transport Lines and four 35,000 DWT tankers for Zapata Marine.

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The operating period of Todd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles Division, was marked by significant changes and milestones. The yard was seized by the US Navy in 1943 due to concerns about management and efficiency, and was later managed by Todd Shipyards until 1946.

Todd Shipyards purchased the yard after World War II and operated it as the Todd Shipyards, Los Angeles Division until 1977. During this time, the yard employed up to 20,000 workers and built several notable ships, including the replica of the sternwheel riverboat Mark Twain.

The yard also converted USS Paul Revere (APA-248) and USS Ashtabula (AO-51), and manufactured "thousands of feet of special piping for the Atomic Energy Commission."

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After the war, Todd Shipyards purchased the Los Angeles SB&DDC in 1946 and began operating it as the Todd Shipyards, Los Angeles Division. The yard's workforce peaked at around 20,000 workers during this time.

Todd's management brought significant changes to the yard, and it turned to ship repair and conversions, as well as machine work and fabrication for other industries. Business volume declined after the war, but picked up during the Korean War.

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The yard built the replica of the sternwheel riverboat Mark Twain, which was part of the Disneyland project in the early 1950s. Todd's Hoboken, New Jersey, operation built two sternwheel riverboats for Freedomland U.S.A., a theme park in New York City that existed from 1960 to 1964.

Todd invested heavily in the LA division after the 1958 tax changes and built a number of cargo ships for various companies. The yard built two cruisers, England and Fox, in the 1960s and seven Knox-class frigates in the late 1960s.

Here are some notable projects completed by the LA division during this time:

The LA division continued to operate until 1977, when it was likely sold or merged with another company.

In 1977, Todd Pacific Shipyards Corporation was formed as a wholly owned subsidiary of Todd Shipyards Corporation.

The company was formed on October 1, 1977, and its main goal was to manage the Los Angeles and Seattle divisions of Todd Shipyards Corporation.

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The Los Angeles division was a significant part of Todd Pacific Shipyards Corporation, employing 5,600 people in 1983.

By 1989, the yard's employment had dropped to just 400 people.

The yard occupied 112 acres of land, leased from the Port of Los Angeles.

The last Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate built at the San Pedro yard was the USS Ingraham, completed in 1989.

Here's a list of some of the ships built at Todd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles Division:

The property where the yard was located was returned to the Port of Los Angeles in 1989.