Editing Union Iron Works (section)

==History==
Peter Donohue, an Irish immigrant, founded '''Union Brass & Iron Works''' in the south of Market area of [[San Francisco]] in 1849. It was later run by his son, James Donohue. After years as the premiere producer of mining, railroad, agricultural and locomotive<ref name="Loco">{{Cite journal |last=Kneiss |first=Gilbert H. |title=Locomotives of The Union Iron Works |journal=[[Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin]] |volume=68 |date=November 1946 |issue=68 |pages=40–49 |jstor=43517446}}</ref> machinery in [[California]], Union Iron Works, led by I. M. Scott, entered the ship building business and relocated to [[Potrero Point]] where its shipyards still exist, making the site on the north side of the Potrero the longest running privately owned shipyard in the United States. After [[Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation]] bought the works in 1905, the consolidated company came to include the [[Alameda Works Shipyard]], located across the [[San Francisco Bay]] in [[Alameda, California|Alameda]] and the [[Bayview-Hunters Point, San Francisco|Hunter's Point]] shipyard to the south.
[[Image:USS Oregon 1896 USN 010331.jpg|thumb|right|USS ''Oregon'' in 1896 at a Bremerton, Washington state Drydock]]
In 1885, the Union Iron Works launched the first steel-hulled ship on the west coast, {{ship||Arago|ship|2}}, built with steel from the Pacific Rolling Mills. In 1886, UIW was awarded a $1,000,000 contract to build the cruiser {{USS|Charleston|C-2|6}} for the [[United States Navy]], which they completed in eighteen months. From the completion of ''Arago'' in 1884 to 1902, UIW built seventy-five marine vessels, including two of the most famous vessels of the [[Spanish–American War]], {{USS|Olympia|C-6|6}} and {{USS|Oregon|BB-3|6}}.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/large/bethsanfrancisco.htm|title=Bethlehem San Francisco, Union Iron Works}}</ref><ref>Sacramento Daily Union, Volume 96, Number 115, 14 December 1898</ref>

An 1892 description of the yards stated that between 1200 and 1500 men were employed and the yearly gross revenue was between $2,000,000 and $4,000,000. By the turn of the century, the shipyard had expanded in area and employment had more than doubled to 3,500.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/00694327/|title=Union Iron Works shipyard in San Francisco, California.|author=Edison Manufacturing Co.|date=January 22, 1898|website=loc.gov|access-date=19 March 2018}}</ref> These industrial facilities used five types of power, distributed throughout; electricity, compressed air, steam, hydraulic and coal or gas fire.
Union Iron works built a number of ships for the United States Navy. These ships include USS ''Oregon'' laid down in 1891, and {{Sclass|Adder|submarine|1}}s {{USS|Grampus|SS-4|2}} and {{USS|Pike|SS-6|2}} which were launched in 1902 and 1903, respectively. The latter two were subcontracted from the [[Holland Torpedo Boat Company]], and were the first submarines built on the West Coast.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pier70sf.org/history/p70_history.html|title=Pier 70: History|website=www.pier70sf.org}}</ref>

In 1902, the Union Iron Works was absorbed into a combine called the [[United States Shipbuilding Company]] and was mired in three years of litigation. In 1905, the entire {{convert|40|acre|m2|adj=on}} shipyard was purchased by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation for one million dollars. [[Charles M. Schwab]] stood on the steps of the UIW office building on 20th Street during the auction. At this point, he was the only bidder. Schwab was widely believed to have engineered the demise of the U.S. Shipbuilding Corporation in order to gain control of the industry. Whether or not that was true, he certainly benefited from the collapse of the US Shipbuilding combine.<ref name="auto"/>

[[File:Capsized SS Columbia.png|thumb|{{SS|Columbia|1880|2}} rolled over at the company dry dock following the earthquake.]]
[[File:OldBethelemSteelHeadquartersInSanFranciscoAt20thAndIllinois.jpg|thumb|right|Bethlehem shipbuilding offices 1913]]

At the time of the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake]], the coastal passenger liner {{SS|Columbia|1880|2}} of the San Francisco and Portland Steamship Company had been undergoing a refit at the yard's hydraulic [[drydock]]. The earthquake caused the iron-hulled ''Columbia'' to shift off her supports and roll onto the drydock on her starboard side. This damaged the drydock, a key feature of the yard, beyond economic repair. ''Columbia'' on the other hand, despite being partially flooded and damaged, was repaired and returned to service in January 1907.<ref name="Pier70">{{cite web | url=http://www.pier70sf.org/history/p70_history.html | title=Pier 70: History | publisher=Pier 70 San Francisco - Historic Shipyard at Potrero Point (pier70sf.org) | access-date=21 August 2013}}</ref><ref name="Belyk" /> In 1908, Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation bought the Hunter's Point drydocks. In the pre-World War I era, Union Iron Works built several navy ships that became internationally famous due to the Spanish–American War including Commodore Dewey's flagship the ''Olympia''. After 1905, the shipyard operated as part of [[Bethlehem Steel]], and produced both warships and merchant ships. The shipyard was expanded in 1911 by purchasing '''Risdon Iron Works''', the land next to the shipyard. Risdon Iron Works built [[locomotive]]s, this was closed and a new shipyard was built to build US Navy including [[Wickes-class destroyer|destroyers]] and [[United States R-class submarine|submarines]]. Risdon Iron Works was founded by John Risdon of Saline, Michigan in 1896. Risdon Iron Works started by building [[boiler]]s, iron pipes, [[steam engine]]s and [[gas engine]]s. From 1873 to 1909 Risdon Iron Works also built ships, tugs, ferries and barges. John Risdon held the patents for the first river mining dredge.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=3661|title=Risdon Iron Works - History &#124; VintageMachinery.org|website=vintagemachinery.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/items/show/10165|title=Santa Cruz Water Works|via=DPLA}}</ref>