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NASSCO
(National Steel and Shipbuilding Co.)
National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) is a major ship design, construction and repair facility located in San Diego, California. It was founded as a small machine shop in 1905 called the California Iron Works Company. It grew over the years from a small machine shop and foundry to one of the largest shipyards in the United States. In 1945 California Iron Works moved to its present location on the waterfront in order to build ships. And four years later, as a result of their expansion into the shipbuilding market, the company was renamed National Steel and Shipbuilding Company.
NASSCO has changed hands a number of times over the years. First, it was acquired by Henry J. Kaiser Company and Morrison-Knudsen Company in 1959. Then, twenty years later, Morrison-Knudsen bought Kaiser's shares and became the sole owner. In 1989, through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), NASSCO was purchased and became an employee-owned company. And most recently, NASSCO was purchased from the employees by General Dynamics of Falls Church, Virginia, in 1998 and remains theirs today.
In all, 296 ships, almost evenly divided between Navy and commercial, have been constructed or converted at NASSCO's facility on the San Diego Bay. The types of ships built or converted include: hospital ships, oil tankers, ferries, containerships, fast combat support ships, tank landing ships, roll-on/roll-off ships, and even oceanographic research ships. Repair and overhaul of the Navy's Pacific Fleet makes up about 25 percent of the shipyard's business. Their facility encompasses 147 acres (59 hectares), and employs about 5,000 people.
Sources:
- NASSCO
- NASSCO, Corporate Overview
