World War I-Era Rudder

Soon after the United States entered World War I in 1917, the government placed a heavy emphasis on shipbuilding, including the construction of merchant ships. This led to the government issuing many new contracts to new privately owned shipyards that opened up on the country’s coastline, particularly the East Coast. 

The Virginia Shipbuilding Corporation, based in Alexandria, Virginia, was one of these companies. Construction on the shipyard on infilled land at Jones Point began in 1918, and the company launched its first ships in 1919. The end of World War I in 1918 did not necessarily affect the company’s business. However, allegations of either corrupt or questionable business practices plagued the company, and lawsuits and a Congressional investigation related to those allegations led to the shipyard being closed in 1921 and the site being largely demolished in the decade afterwards.

One of the few objects that survived from the shipyard was a wooden rudder that was found in 2000 in the Potomac River. Although the use of a wooden rudder on a modern steel cargo ship during the World War I era may seem unusual, such a rudder could be built cheaply and quickly, and the rudder was as functional as a steel one. In any case, the salvaged rudder is now on public display underneath the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge, where casual visitors to the area can learn about the hidden industrial heritage of this part of Alexandria.