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THE STURGEON BAY SHIPBUILDING SCENE by Peter B. Worden Although the American Shipbuilding Company continues to build a maximm-size laker every year at Lorain, with many components provided by its Toledo and South Chicago yards, there is no doubt that the heart of the Great Lakes shipbuilding industry today is the booming Door County, Wisconsin town of Sturgeon Bay. The specialty firm of Peterson Builders, Inc., has been located there for many years, while the acquisition by the Manitowoc Company, Inc., of Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in 1968 and the Christy Corporation in 1970 set the stage for the formation of the Bay Shipbuilding Corporation. The present contracts at these yards, as outlined below, provide a backlog of work unprecedented on the Great lakes in recent years. Bay Shipbuilding received its first large vessel contract in May of 1971 -- the CHARLES E. WILSON -- and later built the H. LEE WHITE, SAM LAUD, ST. CLAIR, and its first 1,000' vessel, the BELLE RIVER (See Cover), all for American Steamship Company, as well as the JOSEPH L. BLOCK for Inland Steel. In June of this year Bay Shipbuilding delivered its second 1,000 footer, the LEWIS WILSON FOY, to the Bethlehem Steel Corporation. At the present time, the following additional self- unloaders are under construction or have been contracted for at the rapidly expand- ing yard which now includes the former site of Captain John Roen's facilities where a new 1,000 foot dry dock was completed in 1976: Hull Completion Number Customer Dimensions Date Remarks 718 U.S. Steel 1,000 x 105 x 56 October 1978 EDWIN H. GOTT 719 American SS. 1,000 x 105 x 56 July 1979 Sister Ship to BELLE RIVER 720 Bethlehem 1,000 x 105 x 56 February 1980 Sister Ship to LEWIS WILSON FOY 721 American SS. 634 x 68x40 August 1978 BUFFALO (2) 722 Oglebay, Norton 634 x 68x40 May 1979 Sister Ship to BUFFALO 723 American SS. 730x 78x45 Spring 1980 Similar to JOSEPH L. BLOCK The EDWIN H. GOTT shortly before floating from the new dry dock (at left) and BUFFALO (2) alongside the pier. te