Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company: from Depression to Wartime Boom

Abstract

Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company (1902-1945) went through a variety of changes and struggles. This paper examines how Manitowoc's population and skilled labor force, as well as its location on the Great Lakes, was the perfect place for a shipbuilding company. World War II and submarine contracts also played a vital role in why Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company had survived the Great Depression without failing. Submarine and other shipbuilding contracts awarded to Manitowoc Company helped the Company and the city of Manitowoc to thrive after the Great Depression.