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California Shipbuilding Corporation (CalShip) Collection
URB.CALSHIP  
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Collection Overview
 
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Description
The California Shipbuilding Corporation (CalShip), established in February 1941 on Terminal Island, became one of the focal points in Los Angeles' war effort. At CalShip, forty thousand men and women worked under war contracts to produce 467 vessels in four years. Known as the "Liberty Fleet," these cargo ships were designed to be constructed faster and less expensively than traditional cargo ships. The CalShip shipyard closed in September 1945 after the launching of its last Victory ship, "four years to the minute after the first slid into the water." The collection is comprised copies of the bi-weekly magazine, CalShip Log, for the period of September 1, 1941 to September 27, 1945; the CalShip Cavalcade; and a CalShip Labor Day program.
Background
The California Shipbuilding Corporation (CalShip), established in February 1941 on Terminal Island, became one of the focal points in Los Angeles' war effort. With the United States' entry into World War II, shipbuilding turned from a small industry into an industrial giant up and down the West Coast. Large Navy contracts brought port expansion and shipbuilding to California, and shipyards sprang up from San Francisco to San Diego. Under contracts from the U.S. Department of Maritime Commission and a number of U.S. Navy contracts, Los Angeles engaged in a thriving shipbuilding business in the early 1940s. Workers from every region of the United States migrated to the area for work in the shipyards and the docks of California. As a result, at the peak of shipbuilding in California, the industry employed over 282,000 people. Shipbuilding became a highly efficient wartime industry in California, employing laborers dedicated to quality and expediency in their work. The building of ships and the number of jobs in the industry peaked in mid-1943 and held together well until the end of the war.
Extent
0.42 linear feet
Restrictions
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge. Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Availability
The collection is open for research use.