​Catalog #B60.040.019
Side-Angle View of Large Dry Dock​
Chamber of Commerce Collection

During World War II, the US Navy selected Eureka as a location for a yard floating dry-dock (YFD) manufacturing plant. ​Helping to minimize the time needed to repair vessels damaged in warfare, YFDs were important to the Pacific Fleet, allowing ships to be raised above the water for renovation. The Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, located at the foot of Washington Street from 1942 to 1946, completed 18 YFDs and 6 floating crane barges. More than 7,000 local individuals worked at the plant over the course of 5 years, earning over $20 million collectively.
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