Tampa Shipbuilding Company

Tampa Shipbuilding Company, or TASCO, was one of a number of shipyards in Tampa, Florida. Originally Tampa Shipbuilding & Engineering Company founded 1917 the yard built ships under the United States Maritime Commission's pre-war long-range shipbuilding program. The company was sold and renamed Tampa Shipbuilding Company (TASCO) after financial difficulties.^[1]

Immediately before and during the United States entry into the Second World War the company built some commercial type hulls that became naval auxiliaries (USS Lassen, USS Mauna Loa as examples). One prewar ship, the C2 cargo ship Sea Witch, gained some note in a last attempt to deliver U.S. Army planes to Java, though the twenty-seven crated P-40’s had to be destroyed after delivery to prevent them from falling into Japanese hands.^[2] During the war TASCO built a number of naval vessels (USS Cates and USS Sutton as examples). At its peak, it was the largest employer in Tampa, employing 16,000 people. Tampa Shipbuilding closed after the war, and few traces remain of its facilities.^[1]

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