NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 (8-86)

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service

National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet

Section number 8 Page 4

Chronology of the Pier 70 District The following chronology outlines significant events associated with the Pier 70 Historic District including the history of Union Iron Works, , Pacific Rolling Mills, Risdon Iron and Locomotive Works, U. S. Steel Corp., and U. S. Navy, all land owners in the district during the period of significance. This chronology also includes significant events that shaped the United States steel hull shipbuilding industry.

1849 Donahue brothers open ’s first iron foundry during the height of the California Gold Rush 1853 Peter Donahue becomes the sole-owner and renames the works the Union Iron Works 1857 Bethlehem Steel Company starts as an iron works in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania c.1860 Wooden shipbuilders John North and Henry Owen move to Potrero Point 1861-1865 Civil War 1865 Irving M. Scott becomes a partner and Peter Donahue retires 1868 Pacific Rolling Mills opens on Potrero Point as the first steel mill on West Coast c.1870s Irish Hill neighborhood established Union Iron Works purchases Henry Owen’s shipyard 1884 The Union Iron Works shipyard opens 1885 First U. S. Naval contract for steel hull ship given to John Roach’s Delaware River Iron Shipbuilding and Engine Works shipyard (“ABCD ships”, or Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, and Dolphin) iron workers’ strike successfully for higher wages, reviving labor movement in San Francisco, leading to leading to formation of the first iron trades council in the United States (Federated Iron Trades Council), and creating model of labor organization across the country 1886 Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company opens in Virginia UIW secures first Naval Contract to build the steel steamer General McDowell UIW builds world’s first hydraulic dry dock 1898 Spanish American War; UIW’s Olympia serves as Admiral George Dewey’s flagship during is successful defeat of the Spanish fleet at Manila Bay UIW’s battleship Oregon completes high-profile, 15,000-mile trip around tip of South America to confront four cruisers of the Spanish fleet in Cuba 1900 Risdon Iron and Locomotive Works purchased the Pacific Rolling Mills, demos all the mill buildings and establishes a shipyard 1901-1903 San Francisco machinists, in association with International Association of Machinists, launch successful two-year strike for nine-hour day 1902 Union Iron Works acquired by United States Shipbuilding Company

NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 (8-86)

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service

National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet

Section number 8 Page 5

1905 Union Iron Works Company incorporated in New Jersey on January 1 Bethlehem Steel Corporation purchases the Union Iron Works Company. The yard takes on several names, including the Union Plant, Union Yard and Potrero Yard. 1908 Hunter’s Point Dry Dock acquired by Union Iron Works Dry Dock Company, and Union Iron Works Company subsidiary 1912 U. S. Steel Products Company formed as a subsidiary of U. S. Steel 1914 WWI breaks out in Europe United States Shipping Board (USSB) established to direct national shipbuilding program Sanborn map shows U. S. Steel Products Company owning the Risdon Iron and Locomotive Works 1916 UIW Company purchases the Alameda shipyard of the United Engineering Co. UIW runs U. S. Naval Destroyer Plant on US Steel Products Co. property 1917 United States officially enters World War I Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) incorporated to distribute funds to national shipbuilding program Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Ltd. incorporated in October and leases the Alameda and Potrero Plants from the UIW Company Shipbuilding Labor Adjustment Board established to broker regional wartime agreements on hours, wages, working conditions, and union powers Pacific Coast Strike over wage demands in San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland 1918 World War I ends 1924 Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., Ltd., buys UIW, Alameda, and San Pedro plants 1927 American Bureau of Shipping approves welded hulls 1929 Stock Market Crash U. S. Steel Corp. absorbs Columbia Steel Corp., Los Angeles; uses former destroyer plant Bethlehem acquires Pacific Coast Steel Company in Seattle and its subsidiary, Southern California Iron & Steel Co. 1932 Franklin Delano Roosevelt elected President 1934 General Strike in San Francisco 1936 Merchant Marine Act passed and United States Maritime Commission established to direct national shipbuilding program (replaces United States Shipbuilding Board) UIW receives contracts from Navy for two 1500-ton destroyers, first of 70+ ships to be built at UIW during WWII era; major modernization program at Pier 70 begins 1938 Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., Ltd. becomes the Bethlehem Steel Company, Shipbuilding Division and the UIW yard is renamed the San Francisco Yard 1939 Germany invades Poland, WWII begins

NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 (8-86)

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service

National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet

Section number 8 Page 6

1940 U. S. Navy purchases the Risdon Plant from Columbia Steel of San Francisco, a U. S. Steel subsidiary, and constructs the Building 12 Complex, also known as the New Yard National Defense Appropriation Act passed U. S. Navy purchases Hunter’s Point Henry J. Kaiser opens first of eventual four shipyards in Richmond 1941 Japan attacks Pearl Harbor; U. S. enters WWII President Roosevelt signs Executive Order 8802, creating a Fair Employment Practices Committee and paving way for African Americans to work at shipyards 1942 W. A. Bechtel Co. opens Marinship in Sausalito 1945 WWII ends Marinship in Sausalito and Kaiser shipyards in Richmond close 1982 Bethlehem sells UIW to the