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Shipyards

Many dockyards and ship builders were involved in the production and maintenance of these vessels; some were large companies producing merchant shipping for international operators, others were Naval Dockyards in both the US and UK, yet others were smaller yards involved in the war effort at home. This list is by no means definitive -some UK yards have yet to be identified.

Shipyards Building basic C3 merchant hulls and those building complete Escort Carriers *completed on site

John Brown. Laid, Clydeside, Glasgow, Scotland [1 ship: NAIRANA*]

Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd. Dundee, Scotland. [1 ship: ACTIVITY*]

Harland & Wolff, Belfast, Northern Ireland  [1 ship: CAMPANIA*]

Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi [4 Ships: BATTLER*, CHASER*, HUNTER*, PURSUER*] Details

Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Co. Tacoma, Washington. [26 ships: AMEER, ARBITER, ATHELING, BEGUM, EMPEROR, EMPRESS*, KHEDIVE*, NABOB*, PATROLLER*, PREMIER, PUNCHER*, QUEEN*, RAJAH, RANEE*, RAVAGER, REAPER*, RULER*, SEARCHER, SHAH*, SLINGER, SMITER*, SPEAKER, THANE*, TRACKER, TROUNCER, TRUMPETER] Details

Sun Shipbuilding & Dry-dock Co. Chester, Pennsylvania. [5 ships: ARCHER, AVENGER, BITER, CHARGER, DASHER] Details

Swan Hunter, Wallsend-on-Tyne, Northumberland [1 ship: VINDEX*]

Western Pipe & Steel, San Francisco California.
[4 ships: ATTACKER, FENCER, STALKER, STRIKER] Details

Shipyards completing installation of machinery, equipment, flight deck installation & fitting out † completed fitting out, Ω additional equipment installation

Atlantic Basin Iron Works, Brooklyn, New York [1 ship: BITER] †

Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Staten Island, New York. [1 ship: AVENGER] †

Commercial Iron Works, Portland, Oregon. [4 ships: ARBITER,  SEARCHER, TROUNCER, TRUMPETER] †

Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo California [4 ships: ATTACKER, FENCER, STALKER, STRIKER] †

Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry-dock Company, Virginia. [2 ships: ARCHER, CHARGER]†

Norfolk Navy Yard, Norfolk, Virginia [11 ships: BATTLER, CHASER, HUNTER, PURSUER, RAVAGER, SEARCHER] ATTACKER, [SLINGER, STALKER, STRIKER, TRUMPETER] Ω

Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton Washington [4 ships: ATHELING, AMEER, BEGUM, EMPEROR] †

Tietjen and Lang Dry Dock Co., Hoboken, New Jersey [1 ship: DASHER]†

Willamette Iron & Steel, Portland, Oregon. [6 ships: PREMIER, RAJAH, RAVAGER, SLINGER, SPEAKER, TRACKER] †

Rosyth naval dockyard, Rosyth, Scotland. [1 ship: ACTIVITY] †

Swan Hunter [1 ship: PRETORIA CASTLE] (Conversion from Armed Merchant Cruiser)

 

Shipyards undertaking modification of U.S. CVEs to Admiralty standard, refits, and conversions for different roles

Vickers Armstrong & Co., Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria [QUEEN conversion for trooping]

Burrard Dry-dock Co. Ltd., North Vancouver, British Columbia [ARBITER, ATHELING, AMEER, BEGUM, EMPRESS, NABOB, PREMIER, PUNCHER, QUEEN, REAPER, RAJAH, RANEE, RULER, SEARCHER, SMITER, SPEAKER, THANE, TRACKER, TROUNCER] Details

Belfast, Northern Ireland. (Yard unknown) [ARCHER - conversion to A/C transport, EMPEROR, TRACKER]

Blyth Shipbuilding, Northumberland, [AUDACITY]

Caledon Shipbuilding, Dundee, Scotland [SPEAKER, HUNTER -modifications and conversion to fighter carrier]

Chatham Naval Dockyard, Kent, England [SLINGER, STALKER, STRIKER]

Devonport Naval Dockyard [ATHELING- conversion for trooping]

Durban, South Africa {refit work} [BATTLER, SHAH]

Glasgow, Scotland. (Yard unknown) [DASHER. ATHELING - conversion to assault carrier. RAJAH, PATROLLER conversion for trooping, REAPER]

Harland & Wolff's Royal Albert dry dock, London [SLINGER]

Liverpool, Lancashire (Yard unknown) [ATTACKER, BATTLER, FENCER, PATROLLER, SEARCHER]

London, (Yard unknown) [FENCER - conversion for trooping]

Newport, S. Wales (Yard unknown) [EMPEROR - refit]

Portsmouth Naval Dockyard, Hampshire, England [ACTIVITY - refit]

Rollo's & Grayson, Liverpool, Lancashire [PREMIER]

Rosyth Naval Dockyard, Scotland. [ATTACKER -modifications and conversion to assault carrier, TRUMPETER]

Tyneside, Northumberland (Yard unknown) [RANEE - conversion for trooping]

 



 

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Shape: Standard, circular.

Blazon (Heraldic description) On a blue field: A ram in the act of butting, proper.  

------: One who assaults or assails an opponent. The butting Ram in the design is an illustration of this act. The original design suggested by the ship’s officers depicted a stylised seahorse, having the head and neck of a horse, the body and tail of a griffon with feathered wigs and two hind legs with talons. Volant, ready to dive. It also carried the unofficial motto “Oppugnare, vincere est” – "Attack to conquer”. A bronze cast of this design was made by her builder and was displayed on the quarterdeck until the official design was approved in 1943.

For explanations of heraldic terms see the Royal Navy Ship's Badges page.