In 1901, the Moran Brothers shipyard of Seattle won the bid to build one of three battleships for the US Navy. Construction of the ship, named Nebraska, began with a keel laying ceremony on July 4, 1902. Over1,000 workers helped build the ship, which was 441 feet long with a beam of 76 feet.
On launch day, most businesses in Seattle closed and school let out early so everyone could get to the waterfront to see the Nebraska hit the water. Over 40,000 people showed up at the launch site, with another 15,000 watching from boats.
This photo shows the battleship Nebraska and its construction shed festooned for its launch from the Moran Brothers shipyard on October 7, 1904.
Photograph is part of an album titled "'Building a Battleship' Moran Bros. Company Seattle 1903"
Caption information source: "Moran shipyard in Seattle launches battleship Nebraska on October 7, 1904" by Alan J. Stein, http://www.historylink.org/File/5401
ID Number: 2000.87.21.43
Date: 1904
Physical Description: 1 photographic print : b&w ; 7.5 x 9.5 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. View the finding aid for this collection at https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:80444/xv59864
Credit: MOHAI, Betty Burns Papers on Robert Moran, 2000.87.21.43
