Defoe Shipbuilding Company The Defoe Shipbuilding Company was a small ship builder established in 1905 in Bay City , Michigan , USA . It ceased to operate in 1976 after failing to renew its contracts with the United States Navy . The site of the former company is now a scrapyard on the bank of the Saginaw River . Founding . Harry J . Defoe organized the Defoe Boat and Motor Works in 1905 on the Saginaw River in Bay City , Michigan . At that time , the firm built " knock - down " boats and gasoline powered boats for business and pleasure . In 1917 , the company got its first Navy contract for five Spent Torpedo Chasers . This order was followed in 1918 by an order for eight steel Tumor Mine Planters . From 1920 to 1939 , the company built various types of government and commercial vessels and private yachts , including three Coast Guard Cutters . In 1931 , Defoe built the " Lenore " , a yacht for Montgomery Ward Chairman Sewell Avery , who named it after his second daughter who died at the age of four ; this yacht was taken by the U . S . Government in World War II for coastal picket duty by the Coast Guard , and in 1956 it was assigned as a Presidential Yacht . It was called the " Barbara Anne " by President Eisenhower after his granddaughter , the " Honey Fitz " by President Kennedy in honor of his maternal grandfather John Francis Fitzgerald , and the " Tricia " by President Nixon after his daughter . In 1941 , the name of the company was changed to Defoe Shipbuilding Company . World War II . During World War II , all production went to the war effort . From 1939 to 1945 , the company built 154 ships , including four s , 13 destroyer escorts , 11 destroyer transports ( converted destroyer escorts ) , patrol craft , and numerous landing craft of various types . Defoe developed a construction technique called the " upside - down and roll - over " method . This allowed most of the welding of the hull to be done " hand down " which is much easier . After the hull was completely welded , it was rolled over by a set of large wheels fastened to each end of the hull . Work then continued on the ship right - side up . Faster welding allowed the company to build one 173 - foot patrol craft every week . Of all of the major ships built there , the three that were lost in action during World War II were the destroyer escort , the U . S . Coast Guard Cutter , and the patrol craft . After World War II . After World War II , this company built two large Great Lakes bulk carriers , and it did repair work on Great Lakes ships including several repowerings , and self - unloading conversions . In later years , several ships were built for the U . S . Navy , including two " Dealy " - class destroyer escorts , four " Charles F . Adams " - class guided missile destroyers , and three " Garcia " - class destroyer escorts ( later re - classified as frigates ) for the U . S . Navy , and three guided - missile destroyers for the Royal Australia Navy . Also built there were the research vessels RV " Melville " and RV " Knorr " . This last was the ship that found the wreck of the . Great Lakes Bulk Freighters . In the early 1950s Defoe Shipbuilding constructed two large Great Lakes freighter s . They were both roughly based on U . S . Steel ' s Pittsburgh Steamship Company AA Class ship design and shared similar dimensions . As of April 2009 , one of the two vessels is still in service on the Great Lakes . The only remaining large Great Lakes bulk freight vessel built by Defoe Shipbuilding still in service is the 642 ' 03 " long , M / V " Ojibway " ( Defoe hull # 00422 ) operated by the Canadian firm Lower Lakes Towing , of Port Dover , Ontario , Canada . The " Ojibway " was originally built as the steamer " Charles L . Hutchinson " ( 2 ) for the Pioneer Steamship Company of Cleveland , Ohio , and entered service on September 24 , 1952 . In 1961 , the Hutchinson was sold to Ford Motor Company of Dearborn , Michigan and was renamed " Ernest M . Breech " . In 1988 , Ford was in the process of eliminating its Great Lakes shipping fleet and sold the " Breech " to George Steinbrenner ' s Kinsman Marine of Cleveland , Ohio . The Kinsman fleet in turn renamed the vessel " Kinsman Independent " ( 2 ) . She sailed with Kinsman until 2002 when her main unloading dock in Buffalo , New York , updated its unloading equipment , allowing it to be serviced by newer more common self - unloading vessels . The vessel laid up in Buffalo for the last time under US flag on December 16 , 2002 . In the spring of 2004 , McKeil Marine of Hamilton , Ontario , Canada purchased the " Kinsman Independent " . The ship was refurbished and repowered with a diesel engine , then sold to Voyageur Marine Transport LTD . , of Ridgeville , Ontario , who returned her to service in late 2005 under the name " Voyageur Independent " . Her current owner ( Lower Lakes Towing ) has operated the vessel since August 28 , 2007 , and renamed her " Ojibway " on February 29 , 2008 . The second Great Lakes freighter built by Defoe was the 644 ' long S / S " Richard M . Marshall " ( Defoe hull # 00424 ) which was constructed in 1953 for the Great Lakes Steamship Company , of Cleveland , Ohio . She was a near twin to her predecessor ( " Charles L . Hutchinson " ) in size and capacity both having approximate dimensions of 640 ' long , 67 ' wide , 35 ' deep , and a cargo capacity of approximately 18 , 500 tons . In December , 1956 , Great Lakes Steamship started the process of selling off their fleet , and the " Marshall " was sold to The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company . Starting with the 1957 season , Northwestern Mutual chartered the ship to the Wilson Marine Transit Company of Cleveland , Ohio , who in turn renamed the vessel " Joseph S . Wood " . In 1966 , the charter agreement between Wilson and Northwestern Mutual was canceled , and the vessel was sold to the Ford Motor Company of Dearborn , Michigan , for $ 4 . 3 million ( US ) . Ford renamed the ship " John Dykstra " and she resumed trading on the Great Lakes on May 11 , 1966 . In 1983 , Ford renamed the ship " Benson Ford " ( 2 ) after the retirement of the original S / S " Benson Ford " . In 1985 , the vessel was renamed " US . 265808 " ( the name Benson Ford being passed on to a third vessel ) , and was withdrawn from service . The final voyage began when she cleared Quebec City , Quebec , Canada in tow of the Polish tug " Jantar " on August 11 , 1987 along with the former US Steel freighter " T . W . Robinson " bound for Recife , Brazil , for dismantling . Closure . The yard closed on 31 December 1976 after the Navy contracts ran out . Along with its dwindling navy contracts in its final handful of seasons , the yard was contracted for three larger Great Lakes Freighter projects . The first project was construction of the 68 ' x 104 ' 7 " x 46 ' 6 " bow section to the 1000 ' long integrated tug and barge " Presque Isle " . The bow was launched July 27 , 1972 and was towed to Erie by the tugs Maryland and Laurence C . Turner arriving October 6 , 1972 . There it was combined with the balance of the barge which was under construction at Erie , PA . The combined tug and barge unit would be the second 1000 ' vessel trading on the lakes . The second was the conversion of 690 ' S / S " Herbert C . Jackson " from a conventional style Great Lakes freighter to a self unloader . The final major project was the conversion of the 620 ' lake freighter " Richard J . Reiss " from steam to diesel power . All three vessels are still activity trading on the Great Lakes , the latter sailing now as the M / V " Manistee " . The site of the shipyard later became the location for H . H . Hirschfield & Sons scrap yard . Hirschfield was recently bought out by OmniSource , Inc . , another scrap company .