John Frederick Duthie (1876-1945) was born in England and immigrated to the U. S. about 1887 with his parents and siblings. Around 1899 he moved to Seattle with his wife and the following year he opened a small shipyard, J. F. Duthie & Company, on land leased from the Port of Seattle, located on the Duwamish River's East Waterway, just north of where the SW Spokane Street Bridge is now located. The yard was enlarged during World War I to build cargo ships for the United States Shipping Board (USSB). In 1928 the company left the maritime sector and its name changed to Wallace Bridge Company.

This image was taken during a campaign by yard workers to elect sponsors for two 8,800-ton steel steamships to be launched by the Duthie yard on July 4, 1918. Both Hull 16 (christened Western Star, later renamed Viviani) and Hull 18 (christened Western Cross, later renamed War Disk) were cargo ships owned by the USSB and were scrapped in the 1930s. The many handmade signs promote different candidates for the ships' sponsors; one on the left of the frame reads, "The man who put our Ball Team out front is seeking the honor of naming the sponsor for Hull 18. Does he get it? Altogether boys, vote for Joe Devine." Another sign promoting the yard's baseball team reads, "At Liberty Park, Sat Eve, 5 o'clock, J. F. Duthie's versus Spelger & Hurlburt. This should be a good game."

Photographer's number: 602

Caption information source: The Seattle Daily Times, June 26, 1918, p. 18.
Caption information source: http://shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/emergencylarge/duthie.htm