- MANITOWOC COUNTY -

Shipbuilding History

It was 1847, four years before Manitowoc Harbor was chartered as a village, that the schooner Citizen was launched. Built by Capt. Joseph Edward this three masted schooner would be the first of its kind to be launched at Manitowoc, paving the way for an industry that would contribute immensely to the economic growth and development of the community and the surrounding county.

Four years would pass before another craft would be launched at Manitowoc. In 1851 came Stephen Bates and his son, William W., to establish the S. Bates & Son Shipyard. Stephen Bates was a master shipwright and William possessed a great skill for ship design. In 1851 they launched the schooner Challenge. Designed by William Wallace Bates it was the first clipper on the Great Lakes. In 1864 the pair relocated to Chicago and the shipyard was sold to G. S. Rand.

In 1858 Hans M. Scove moved to Manitowoc and, ten years later, joined the shipyard of Jasper Hanson. As Hanson & Scove the shipyard was moved to Two Rivers in 1873 but returned to Manitowoc six years later. Other notable shipbuilders of Manitowoc were Peter Larson, J. Butler, S. Jorgenson, Jonah Richards and Elias Sorenson. Richards, along with C. H. Walker and George Cooper organized to form the Manitowoc Dry Dock Company with Greenleaf S. Rand as superintendent.

In 1863 Henry Burger came to Manitowoc from Milwaukee where he had apprenticed as a shipbuilder at the well known Wolf & Davidson Shipyard. The H. Burger Shipyard became known for their high quality workmanship and the business flourished. In 1870 Henry Burger and Greenleaf S. Rand consolidated their two shipyards to form the Rand & Burger Shipyard. This partnership continued until the death of Greenleaf S. Rand on December 8, 1885. The following year George B. Burger joined the firm as a partner, the name being changed to Burger & Burger Shipyard. In 1887 Burger & Burger purchased the adjoining drydock, the only one in Manitowoc. The Cora A., the last commercial schooner ever to be built on the Great Lakes, was built at the Burger & Burger Shipyard in 1889. In 1902 Burger & Burger Shipyard was sold to Manitowoc Dry Dock Company.

In 1892 Henry B. Burger, nephew to the elder Henry B., started the Henry B. Burger Shipyard which was incorporated as the Burger Boat Company following his death in 1914. The company remained a family owned business until 1986 and, three years later, it was sold again to the struggling Tacoma Boat Building Company. After encountering several setbacks operations at Burger Boat Company were suspended and the doors closed in November 1990. In 1993 the company reopened under new ownership and continues to operate as the oldest yacht builder in the United States and enjoys a well deserved reputation for high quality craftsmanship.

During World War I Burger Boat Company built several wooden vessels for the U.S. Navy including tugs, rescue boats, submarine chasers and minesweepers. They also produced thirteen wooden tugs for the U.S. Army Emergency Corps. During World War II Burger Boat and the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company (formerly Manitowoc Dry Dock) produced a combined eighty-three craft for the U.S. Navy. Among these were twenty-eight submarines, ten Gato class and 18 Balao class, the U.S.S. Peto being the first. By now Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company occupied all of the Manitowoc River peninsula and provided employment to nearly 7,000 people working in three shifts seven days a week. In the years following the war Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company returned to building large freighters. As the freighters became larger and larger in size the Manitowoc location became too small for the company and they were forced to relocate in Sturgeon Bay, Door County, WI.