Fore River Shipyard The Fore River Shipyard of Quincy , Massachusetts , more formally known as the Fore River Ship and Engine Building Company , was a shipyard in the United States from 1883 until 1986 . Located on the Weymouth Fore River , the yard began operations in 1883 in Braintree , Massachusetts before being moved downstream to its permanent location in Quincy , Massachusetts in 1901 . The shipyard helped build early U . S . submarines and many ships commissioned by the United States Navy , including the World War II battleship and aircraft carriers and . In the 1960s , the yard was purchased by General Dynamics . It continued to produce ships for the navy until being converted to LNG tanker production before finally closing in 1986 . The yard built the " Thomas W . Lawson " , the largest pure sailing ship ever built , and , one of two foreign battleships built in the United States . It was home to the " Goliath " crane , for a time the second - largest shipbuilding crane in the world . It is also the likely origin of the World War II " Kilroy was here " graffiti character . History . Early history and war years . Started by Thomas A . Watson in 1883 , the shipyard was located on the Weymouth Fore River near East Braintree , Massachusetts . In 1901 , the yard was moved to Quincy in the eastern part of the Quincy Point neighborhood . By the time that the Russo - Japanese War broke out in 1904 , the company was operated under the direction of former Admiral Francis T . Bowles , who had become the company ' s president in a late 1903 reorganization , displacing Thomas Watson , who assumed the title Chairman of the Board . Watson , who was pleased with how Bowles ran the yard , stepped aside in 1904 . In 1913 , Bethlehem Steel purchased the yard . It built many renowned warships and Liberty ship s during World War II . John J . Kilroy , the apparent originator of the famous " Kilroy was here " graffiti , was a welding inspector at Fore River during the war years . General Dynamics years . Fore River changed hands again in 1964 , when it was purchased by General Dynamics Corporation . The shipyard became General Dynamics Quincy Shipbuilding Division , and General Dynamics invested $ 23 million to improve the shipyard to make it more competitive . The yard constructed several ships for the U . S . Navy , including nuclear - powered submarine s , ammunition ship s , replenishment oiler s , and dock landing ship s . The shipyard converted to building LNG tanker s during its final years . Despite a last minute attempt at an employee buyout , the shipyard closed for good in 1986 . Although shipbuilding operations ceased at that time , the name of the yard continues to be used , and the location is still referred to as Fore River Shipyard . Post - closing years . In 1994 , — the last all - gun heavy cruiser ever built — returned to the Quincy yard , becoming the centerpiece of the United States Naval Shipbuilding Museum . Following several abortive attempts to restart the shipyard as a shipbuilding center , Daniel J Quirk , a local auto dealer , bought the property in 2004 for use as a motor vehicle storage and distribution facility , but it still serves also as a port for commuter boats to Boston and Hull run by Harbor Express for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority ( MBTA ) . The yard is also used by Jay Cashman , Inc . , for heavy construction and marine equipment services , by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority as a sewage sludge heat - drying and pelletizing facility , and by Fore River Transportation Corporation for short line freight rail service to CSXT South Braintree . Goliath crane . An important facility at the shipyard was the " Goliath " crane , at one point the second largest shipbuilding crane in the world . Constructed in 1975 for building LNG tankers , the crane was a prominent part of the harbor skyline for over thirty years . In early 2008 , the tall crane located at the former shipyard was sold to Daewoo - Mangalia Heavy Industries S . A . , a joint - venture company of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co . , Ltd . of South Korea and former state shipyard 2 Mai Mangalia S . A . of Romania , which dismantled it in July , 2008 for relocation to Mangalia , Romania . On August 14 , 2008 , ironworker Robert Harvey was killed when a portion of the Goliath crane collapsed during dismantlement . Work on the crane ' s removal was halted for two months while local and federal officials investigated the accident , but the work later resumed and was completed in early 2009 . As a result of their investigation , on January 13 , 2009 the U . S . Occupational Safety and Health Administration imposed fines totalling $ 68 , 000 . A barge carrying the crane was christened the USS " Harvey " in honor of the fallen worker and left the shipyard on March 7 , 2009 en route to Romania . The August 2008 fatal incident was preceded by two other deaths involving demolition of the main gantry at the shipyard on January 26 , 2005 . The earlier incident resulted in an OSHA ruling against Testa Corporation of Lynnfield , Massachusetts , including a proposed $ 60 , 400 fine . Following the 2005 collapse , violations involving improper cleanup and removal of asbestos found in debris left by the accident resulted in a $ 75 , 000 penalty imposed against Testa by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection . Significant ships . U . S . Navy warships . Numerous famous warships were built at the Fore River Shipyard . A partial list is below . The date in parentheses indicates the date the ship was commissioned by the U . S . Navy , and not the date of its launch . Destroyers . Built at the Hingham Shipyard