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Early shipyard work required stamina, skill, patience
Young laborers took on dirty, demanding jobs in hopes of rising through the ranks.


File photoNew training centers offer hope for an industry forced to look outside Maine for workers.
Show location on the map [Portland Press Herald 9/02/07]
File photo Maine floats tycoons' boats
Increasingly wealthy buyers are drawn to 'a boater's paradise' and the locally built yachts.
 Show location on the map [Maine Sunday Telegram 8/26/07]
File photoHuge, opulent yachts have history with state builders
Show location on the map [Portland Press Herald 8/26/07]
File photo John W. Brown comes to town
Two grandsons of the ship's namesake are among the greeters.
 See audio slideshow
 Show location on the map [Portland Press Herald 8/17/07]
File photoLiberty Ship work helped many escape Great Depression
Some former workers say the South Portland shipyard offered the best paychecks they would see for years. Show location on the map [Portland Press Herald 8/17/07]
File photoVictory ships: John W. Brown to visit Portland Harbor this week
Show location on the map [Maine Sunday Telegram 8/12/07]
File photoPortsmouth Naval Shipyard deals with hazy future
The Kittery yard receives accolades and is thought of as the best, but that might not be enough to keep it open. Show location on the map [Maine Sunday Telegram 8/05/07]
File photoNavy refined rescue technique with sunken Portsmouth-built sub
A Connecticut man recounts the harrowing 39 hours that survivors spent on the ocean floor. Show location on the map [Maine Sunday Telegram 8/05/07]
File photoShedding light on sunken treasures
Museums, libraries and attics hold a wealth of information on vessels built in Maine. Show location on the map [Portland Press Herald 7/22/07]
File photoCanoes of tomorrow rely on skills of early Mainers
The state remains a leading player in the canoe industry, using methods both modern and ancient. Show location on the map [Portland Press Herald 7/29/07]
File photoA hull of a hobby: From a dream, a boat is built
Amateurs challenge themselves with backyard projects Show location on the map [Maine Sunday Telegram 7/22/07]
File photoFor some boatbuilders, it's a small, small world
But many model makers are as skilled as those who build full-sized boats. Show location on the map [Portland Press Herald 7/15/07]
File photoBIW's long history, resilience buoys shipbuilders
The 123-year-old shipyard is fulfilling Navy contracts and exploring its options for the future. Show location on the map [Maine Sunday Telegram 7/08/07]
See reconstruction demonstrations of the Virginia
Show location on the map [Portland Press Herald 7/11/07]
Bond runs deep for generations of BIW workers
Some employees trace their family connection to the shipyard to the 1800s. Show location on the map [Maine Sunday Telegram 7/08/07]
File photoYoung Mainers get hands-on boatbuilding experience
Programs at the Maine Maritime museum help pass on the tradition to a new generation. Show location on the map [Maine Sunday Telegram 7/01/07]
File photoFor some families, dad was a captain and home was a ship
Historians say it was not uncommon for captains to bring their families along. Show location on the map [Maine Sunday Telegram 7/01/07]
File photoSpace-age technology helps keep wooden-boat
heritage afloat
Maine is a national leader in both traditional and innovative boat-construction techniques. construction, using both traditional and innovative methods. Show location on the map [Maine Sunday Telegram 6/24/07]
File photo The U.S. boat won the 1895 America's Cup, but 'Deer Isle boys' sailed her
The entire crew for the racing yacht Defender was recruited from the Maine island community. Show location on the map [Maine Sunday Telegram 6/24/07]
File photoWooden lobster boats now an endangered species
Beals Island's boat shops have translated their designs to fiberglass. Show location on the map [Maine Sunday Telegram 6/17/07]
File photoNew technology helps Maine boatyards build on tradition
Embracing high-tech designs, methods and materials keeps operations competitive. to remain competitive.
Show location on the map [Maine Sunday Telegram 6/17/07]
File photoShort-lived clippers were built for speed, profit
Market forces inspired what many consider to be the most beautiful ships of all time.
Show location on the map [Maine Sunday Telegram 6/10/07]
File photoFamous vessel to sail again
Workers at Boothbay Harbor Shipyard spend more than a year repairing the historic tall ship from the waterline up.
Show location on the map [Maine Sunday Telegram 6/10/07]
File photoState boatbuilders band under 'Made in Maine' brand
Among the targeted boat-buying-markets is the emerging wealthy upper class in mainland China.
Show location on the map [Maine Sunday Telegram 6/03/07]
File photoWhen sailing ships ruled, Maine was global player
A long coastline and abundant forests gave the state a competitive edge.
Show location on the map [Maine Sunday Telegram 6/03/07]
File photoThe sailing ship that started it all
A group hopes to create a replica of the Virginia, the first of thousands of ships and boats built in Maine.
Show location on the map [Maine Sunday Telegram 5/12/07]
File photoNew ship, old legacy
The third USS Sterett rescued Vietnamese people at sea, and one survivor served as a matron of honor Saturday
 Show location on the map [Maine Sunday Telegram 5/12/07]
Taped interviews reflect shipyards' legacy
Cape Elizabeth students talk with 35 former workers who played an unusual role in history.
Show location on the map [Portland Press Herald 05/18/07]
Woman shares her seafaring family's photos
Kathy Jensen of Windham says her great-grandfather commanded a schooner sunk by Germans in 1918.
 Show location on the map [Maine Sunday Telegram 5/12/07]
Historic harbor depiction part of family's legacy
As the paper readies its ship series, a Lisbon Falls man shares a photo that's fascinated him for years.
 Show location on the map [Maine Sunday Telegram 4/27/07]
Port call for a Liberty Ship
The John W. Brown, one of the last two left, will visit Portland in August
 Show location on the map [Maine Sunday Telegram 04/04/07]
Shedding some light on maritime history
A Bath symposium will try to set the record straight on a famous ship and detail Indian boats.
 [Maine Sunday Telegram 5/03/07]
Boat-building study says bigger's better
Some boat builders take issue with the study's conclusion that facilities that cap size will founder.
 Download the report. Show location on the map [Maine Sunday Telegram 2/04/07]
Editor's Note: Reader stories wanted for ship series
This year stands as a remarkable moment in Maine history, marking the state's 400th anniversary of shipbuilding.
 [Maine Sunday Telegram 2/04/07]
Full immersion
Building a 56-foot wooden schooner gives Paul Rollins Jr., left, a chance to decide if he's ready to commit to the same career course his boat-building dad set off on in the same York barn 30 years ago.
 Show location on the map [Portland Press Herald 1/15/07]
Navy order won't stop work at BIW
Work has been halted on a shallow-water combat vessel being built in Louisiana, but Bath's version is unaffected.
 [Portland Press Herald 01/16/07]
In composites, a cluster is key
A planned industrial campus, federal grant money and a new training center are taking the idea from theory to reality.
 [Portland Press Herald 01/16/07]
A Maine-made piece of history
A replica of a ship that brought early settlers to America is launched in Boothbay Harbor.
 Show location on the map [Portland Press Herald 12/12/06]
Master finisher restores gleam of wooden boats
Steve Coffin turns his passion for a job well done into a career creating works of art.
 Show location on the map [Portland Press Herald 12/14/06]
School nurtures spirit of wooden boats
Students at the Apprenticeshop learn by doing work on a wide variety of vessels.
 Show location on the map [Portland Press Herald 11/29/06]
One boat, one at a time
Brunswick boatbuilder Dick Pulsifer's 22-foot Hamptons
have developed a loyal following of boat enthusiasts.
 Show location on the map [Portland Press Herald 11/29/06]
A real love affair
Brothers Jamie and Joe Lowell build commercial and pleasure boats at their yard in Yarmouth.
 Show location on the map [Portland Press Herald 05/12/06]