Todd Shipyards Corporation, the Los Angeles Division Collection consists of photographs, engineering drawings, photographic slides and negatives, and papers related to the company and its involvement in shipbuilding. The bulk of photographs are of specific ships and Navy vessels that Todd repaired or built in the port of Los Angeles.

In 1917 the Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Corp began business on Smith Island in San Pedro. Decades later in 1930, the Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Corp. went into receivership. The Todd Shipyards Corporation took over active management of the facilities on December 7th, 1943, by direction of the U.S. Government. On January 6th, 1946 Todd Shipyards purchased the facilities owned by the Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Corp. During, and subsequent to the war, Todd rebuilt the facilities into a modern efficient yard. The U.S. Navy installed an 18,000 ton dry dock, and with a new look the yard had taken on the business of ship-repair and conversion work in the post war period. In 1958 Todd re-entered the shipbuilding business by modernizing its plant with expenditure in excess of two million dollars. Over the years the Los Angeles Division continued repairing, constructing, and converting ships. In 1983, Todd Pacific Shipyards, the Los Angeles Division employed more than 5600 workers and was enlisted on a multibillion-dollar Navy program to build 18 frigates. Despite the success the Los Angeles division eventually closed in 1990 due to the inability to secure new Navy construction contracts. In the 1990s Todd Shipyard Corporation continued work at its other divisions in the Northwest. In 2011, Todd was bought by Vigor Industrial, where it continues the shipbuilding business.

9.5 cu. feet: 10 boxes. 85 engineering drawings, average size 25x35 inches.

Prior arrangement with the Library for all materials.