Henry John Kaiser: Father of Modern American Shipbuilding

Henry John Kaiser was an American industrialist. He was more popularly known as the father of modern American shipbuilding. He founded the Kaiser Shipyard, which became the major supplier of Liberty ships during the World War II. Kaiser also founded other businesses and companies, including Kaiser Steel, Kaiser Aluminum, Kaiser Permanente, Kaiser-Frazer, and Kaiser Motors.

Kaiser was born in Sprout Brook, New York on May 9, 1882. His first job was a photography apprentice. At 20, Kaiser operated his own studio. With his savings, Kaiser moved to Washington to establish his own construction company. He became a contractor for government projects.

In 1906, Kaiser moved to the West Coast. A few years later, Kaiser opened a paving company. Kaiser’s company was one of the first construction companies to use heavy construction equipment. His greatest break happened in 1927 when his company was awarded a $20-million contract to pave roads in Cuba. Kaiser’s next break happened in 1931 when he was involved in the construction of Colorado River’s Hoover Dam, and Columbia River’s Bonneville Dam and Grand Coulee Dam.

Although he did not build ships before, Kaiser built shipyards in Tacoma and Seattle. He developed a new technique in shipbuilding – using welding instead of rivets. During the World War II, Kaiser Shipyard in Richmond, California built cargo ships. His technique produced each ship at an average of 45 days. These ships were known as Liberty ships.

Kaiser rose to popularity after he set a record of building a ship in four days. On November 8, 1942, Kaiser laid the keel of Robert E. Peary. The ship was launched from the shipyard in Richmond, California on November 12, four days and 15.5 hours later. Kaiser broke the previous record of ten days, which was held by the Liberty ship Joseph M. Teal.