Finding Aid to the Bethlehem Steel Corporation. Shipbuilding Division Photographs, circa 1900-1945
This description was produced by the Historic Documents Department of San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.
Historic Documents Department
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
National Park Service
2007
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
National Park Service
Third Floor, Building E, Fort Mason
San Francisco, CA 94123
Phone: 415-561-7030
Fax: 415-556-3540
Contact Information at:
www.nps.gov/safr/historyculture/researchcontact.htm
All written inquiries should include your name, mailing address, and telephone numbers.
Finding Aid to the Bethlehem Steel Corporation. Shipbuilding Division photographs, circa 1900-1945
Collection Number: P05-008
San Francisco Maritime National Historical ParkHistoric Documents Department
San Francisco, California
- San Francisco Maritime
- National Historical Park
- Third Floor, Building E, Fort Mason
- San Francisco, CA 94123
- Phone: 415-561-7030
- Fax: 415-556-3540
- All written inquiries should include your name, mailing address, and telephone numbers.
- Processed by:
- Charles Miller
- Date Completed:
- 3/15/2005
- Encoded by:
- San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park,
Historic Documents Department
Title: Bethlehem Steel Corporation. Shipbuilding Division photographs,
Date: circa 1900-1945
Collection No: P05-008
Creator:
Bethlehem Steel Corporation. Shipbuilding Division
Extent:
63 items.
Repository:
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park (Calif.)
Historic Documents Department
Building E, Fort Mason
San Francisco, California 94123
Abstract: This collection consists of photographs of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation Shipbuilding Division machinery, employees and
War Production Board activities in San Francisco, California during the Second World War.
Physical Location: Historic Documents Department
Language:
In English.
The following are indexing terms related to the description of this collection.
United States. War Production Board.
Bethlehem Steel Corporation
World War, 1939-1945
Group portraits
Portrait photographs
Access Information
Access
This collection is open for research.
Access Information
Condition Restrictions
There are no restrictions based on the condition of this material. However, you should be aware that access to collection material is always at the discretion of NPS curatorial staff if the condition warrants restricting the access and handling of the collection items at any time.
There are no restrictions based on the condition of this material. However, you should be aware that access to collection material is always at the discretion of NPS curatorial staff if the condition warrants restricting the access and handling of the collection items at any time.
Conditions of Use
Use
The San Francisco Maritime NHP possesses physical property rights through ownership of the materials. However, copyright may
reside with the individual or corporate body responsible for the creation of the materials, or with their heirs. It is the
user's responsibility to respect the provisions of the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code).
Permission to reproduce or publish from this collection must be secured by the user from the copyright holders.
Preferred Citation
[Item title or description including date]. Bethlehem Steel Corporation. Shipbuilding Division photographs, P05-008. [Location
within collection organization identified by container number, series number, file unit number, or item number]. Historic
Documents Department, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.
Processing/Project Information
Processing and Cataloging
Processed by Charles Miller and completed 3/15/2005.
ANCS+ Catalog No. SAFR 20646.
The collection is cataloged in the National Park Service (NPS) Automated National Catalog System (ANCS+). A portion of the ANCS+ catalog record can be viewed on the NPS Museum Collections on the Web Catalog by searching on the catalog number 20646 at http://www.museum.nps.gov/safr/page.htm. Do not include the acronym "SAFR" in the search.
The collection is cataloged in the National Park Service (NPS) Automated National Catalog System (ANCS+). A portion of the ANCS+ catalog record can be viewed on the NPS Museum Collections on the Web Catalog by searching on the catalog number 20646 at http://www.museum.nps.gov/safr/page.htm. Do not include the acronym "SAFR" in the search.
Administrative Information
Agency History
On November 15, 1938, the Bethlehem Steel Company, Shipbuilding Division (formerly the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Ltd.) was established and the former Potrero Yard was renamed the San Francisco Yard. On November 1, 1982, the City of San Francisco became owner of the Potrero location property, and Todd Shipyards, a repair and conversion corporation then headquartered in New York City, assumed title to the assets, the fixtures, and the hardware, of Bethlehem, San Francisco.
On November 15, 1938, the Bethlehem Steel Company, Shipbuilding Division (formerly the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Ltd.) was established and the former Potrero Yard was renamed the San Francisco Yard. On November 1, 1982, the City of San Francisco became owner of the Potrero location property, and Todd Shipyards, a repair and conversion corporation then headquartered in New York City, assumed title to the assets, the fixtures, and the hardware, of Bethlehem, San Francisco.
The Union Iron Works built and repaired battleships and merchant vessels, and manufactured a line of mining machinery. In
1849, Union Iron & Brass Co. was established by Irish immigrant Peter Donahue and two brothers. The company was soon known
as Union Iron Works. Donahue sold the company in 1864 to Irving M. Scott, who moved the company from First and Mission to
Potrero Point in 1883. At the turn of the century, Union Iron Works was sold to the United States Shipbuilding Corporation,
which promptly went bankrupt. The company was then sold to Bethlehem Steel Corporation in 1905.
The photographs were acquired by the San Francisco Maritime Museum from an unidentified source prior to Golden Gate National
Recreation Area acquisition of the collection and they were transferred to San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
under the blanket accession SAFR-00001.
Accession number SAFR-00001.
Administrative Information
This collection consists of photographs of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation Shipbuilding Division machinery, employees and
War Production Board activities in San Francisco, California during the Second World War.
(15) 5 x 7 in. black-and-white photographs, thirteen of them portraits of employees. The people are identified, however, the
names are written in reverse, so they were either mislabeled as a negative, or the image was inadvertently flipped over. There
are two images of machinery.
(48) 8 x 10 in. black-and-white photographs of machinery and parts, some of which are duplicated. There are three showing
War Production Committee honors and the War Production Suggestion box at the shipyard. Two are of officials issuing commendations
to personnel. There are five images of a negative image of the commendations, issued to R. B. Brown (Commendation for Production
Idea, Honorable Mention), Vic Lepkey (Commendation for Production Idea, Certificate for Production Ideas), and P. E. Pofahl
(Commendation for Production Idea), all dated December 27, 1944.
Organized in two series, people and machinery.