The Yard: Building a Destroyer at the Bath Iron Works [Paperback]

Michael S. Sanders (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 5, 2001

For a century, the Bath Iron Works has been building some of the finest, dealiest ships in the U.S. Navy. But now the Maine shipyard is facing mounting competition and a pressing need to modernize, especially in the way it launches ships. No more will the great gray leviathans roar down the "ways" -- the traditional inclined ramp -- into the Kennebec River; this ancient technology will give way to the modern dry dock.

The Yard captures this moment of change and the end of an era, as old ways give way to new, through the eyes of the workers as they build and launch a U.S. Navy destroyer. From the first cutting of steel to the destroyer's triumphant commisioning, Michael Sanders chronicles the complex evolution of a ship coming into being -- and the incredible world in which it happens. It is a world rich in danger, humor, and lore, one filled with uncertainty, hope, and not a little fear of change as this venerable company fights against steep odds to find its place in a new world.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Michael S. Sanders describes the birth of a ship with the love of a parent, relating how the naval destroyer USS Donald Cook was "assembled over four years piece by piece, steel plate by steel plate, from the first half-moon slices of keel to topmost radar mast, almost by hand." The Yard is a land-based tale focusing on the thousands of men and women in Bath, Maine, who practice the old craft of shipbuilding. Their business has adapted itself to modern ways, but Sanders intriguingly shows how ancient Phoenicians would nevertheless recognize important parts of today's construction process. Sanders spends plenty of time explaining what goes into making a ship: the engineering, the materials, and the labor. He also tells of an industry in peril, as American shipyards compete against foreign builders whose governments subsidize their work. Yet The Yard is ultimately about ordinary people who build: "electricians, pipefitters, welders, braziers, tinknockers, riggers, anglesmiths, straighteners, blasters, and shipfitters" plus "legions of naval architects, draftsmen, and marine engineers." The Yard may lack the dazzle of Blind Man's Bluff and its stories of submarine espionage, but it will hold a similarly strong attraction for readers drawn to human endeavor on the open sea and what makes it possible. --John J. Miller --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

This book is richAin content, in texture and not least in integrity. Sanders has been a ghostwriter, but he finds his own voice in this story of a shipyard, a ship and their people. The yard is the Bath Iron Works (BIW), in Maine, and it has been building ships for more than a century. The ship is the U.S.S. Donald Cook, a state-of-the-art destroyer. From the first rough sizing of the plates to the actual launching takes almost four years. Sanders's greatest triumph is his description of shipbuilding processes in language that a lay reader can readily understand. His second achievement is his depiction of the shipyard culture. Sanders eschews an elegiac approach, depicting a shipbuilding community whose ties and loyalties cut across management-labor lines. Shipbuilding is a skilled craft that demands a synergy of strength and artistry. It is dirty. It is dangerous. And BIW's employees merit respect for their skills. At the book's end BIW, rather than fading from the scene, is poised to enter the 21st century at the cutting edge of ship construction. When the navy takes over, the Cook becomes the focus of a different but equally effective kind of crew. The shipyard community is local, coming largely from Bath itself, and it is essentially male. The Cook's commissioning crew is cosmopolitan, with a broad spectrum of backgrounds and experiences, and it includes three dozen women. The men and women who serve on the Cook are like their ship and its builders: among the best in the world. Sanders's own craftsmanship is as worthy of recognition as that of the shipbuilders whose story he so ably tells. Illustrations not seen by PW. (Nov.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (June 5, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060929634
• ISBN-13: 978-0060929633
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #761,460 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #72 in Books > Professional & Technical > Transportation > Ships > Pictorial

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb! A well written and accurate portrait of "The Yard", November 20, 1999

By 

Mike Powers "mkp51" (Woolwich, ME USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Yard: Building a Destroyer at the Bath Iron Works (Hardcover)

Hard hats off to Michael Sanders for a magnificent book! He has presented a thoroughly researched and extremely well written account of life inside Bath Iron Works. In the space of only 236 pages, he manages to portray just how difficult and dangerous an occupation shipbuilding is.(I know; I currently work at Bath Iron Works and spent several months on the USS Donald Cook.) I found the book to contain just the right combination of the basics of ship design and construction, and a wonderful human interest story. I highly recommend this book to everyone!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow!, December 19, 1999

By 

julian fischer - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Yard: Building a Destroyer at the Bath Iron Works (Hardcover)

I could not put this book down. "The Yard" is without a doubt the best industrial/military history I have read in years. Sanders delivers a complete understanding of the incredible complexity in building a warship, the interactions of the many trades involved, the context of the community and the workers, and the military-industrial dialogue necessary to the realization of the Aegis program. In addition, Sanders , in the most dramatic and eloquent chapter, describes in detail the launching of the Donald S. Cooke, a process with technological antecedents to the beginnings of shipbuilding history. Because of competition from technically advanced shipbuilding yards, Bath Ironworks will launch its last vessel from the traditional ways this winter. A massive renovation of the yard with a floating drydock for launching vessels is currently underway . Sanders has done a superb job describing the entire process from the first steel bending to the menu served on the comissioning cruise. He deserves top honors for "The Yard".

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The compelling story behind a warship, October 14, 1999

By 

Kurt A. Greiner (Grass Valley, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Yard: Building a Destroyer at the Bath Iron Works (Hardcover)

This book details the building and fitting out of an Arleigh Burke class destroyer, the Donald Cook, at Bath Iron Works, Maine. From the initial design, cutting and bending plate, assembling the modules, installation, launch, crew training and trials, the whole process is described through the stories of the men and woman who build and work on the Destroyers. A number of photographs and illustrations help the reader to understand the various processes involved, although the book is mostly text. Sanders has an easy writing style that lets him relate complex details in an easily understandable way. When you put this book down, you will have a greater understanding of not only warship construction, but why people do difficult, dangerous work for less than they might make elsewhere. You will also learn a bit about piloting, how to launch a large ship, and the lore of commissioning ceremonies, and even the training of a ship's crew.

I really enjoyed this book a lot, and recommend it to those interested in modern warships and their construction.