Seattle Maritime 101:
A Celebration of a Five Star Working Waterfront
4
To learn more about Vigor’s shipyards, please visit
vigorindustrial.com
.
For more information about maritime trades training in Seattle,
visit
southseattle.edu/harbor-island-training-center
.
Up Close on our Waterfront:
Shipbuilding from Vigor Industrial
Shipbuilding company Vigor Industrial builds and repairs ships on Seattle’s
Harbor Island. New ships (including ferries) begin life here, transformed from
steel plates into the familiar shapes you see on the water. Vessels such as
fishing boats, Navy frigates and Coast Guard icebreakers visit the shipyard for
the repairs and upgrades they need to remain at sea in the Pacific Northwest
and beyond.
It takes huge machinery to do this kind of work: floating dry-docks longer than
football fields to lift ships out of the water; cranes to hold 100 tons of steel
in midair; tugboats to push and pull ships on the water; and trucks to move
components on land.
The most important element in the shipyard, however, is the people. On any
given day, you can find about 700 workers using their skills and knowledge
to make sure every inch of a ship is completed with the quality, precision and
strength needed to withstand the powerful forces of the sea. From the smallest
weld to 20-foot propellers, the lives of sailors, merchant mariners and everyday
Washingtonians depend on it.
All this work requires a diverse team of experts: engineers who plan each
project down to the smallest details; welders, mechanics, carpenters,
electricians and painters who turn those plans into real ships; dockmasters,
who manage the complex process of lifting vessels out of the water; and crane
operators and riggers who secure, lift and move heavy materials through the air.
Some of Vigor’s workers learned their skills in a classroom, while many others
honed theirs through hands-on experience. Whether they’re shaping steel with
their hands, fixing machinery on the fly or working with math formulas, every
person at the shipyard has a role in getting the job done.
In addition to playing a crucial role in shipbuilding, these jobs have another
thing in
common. They all offer opportunities for talented people to develop
long-term, living-wage careers on Seattle’s waterfront.
We’re building
meaningful
futures…
for our Workers,
our community
and our economy
leaders in shipbuilding
V igorindustrial .com
