December 7, 1941: America rushes to produce the ships, planes, supplies, & weapons for the horrendous war that is to follow. In the San Francisco Bay Area, the World War II shipbuilding boom changed society more than any event since the California Gold Rush. In fact, during WW II, the Bay Area was the biggest shipbuilding center the world has ever seen. Noted historian Charles Wollenberg now tells the inside story of these events & of the people who gave them shape. Bechtel's operation employed over 20,000 workers, & ...
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December 7, 1941: America rushes to produce the ships, planes, supplies, & weapons for the horrendous war that is to follow. In the San Francisco Bay Area, the World War II shipbuilding boom changed society more than any event since the California Gold Rush. In fact, during WW II, the Bay Area was the biggest shipbuilding center the world has ever seen. Noted historian Charles Wollenberg now tells the inside story of these events & of the people who gave them shape. Bechtel's operation employed over 20,000 workers, & used mass production, assembly-line techniques so that unskilled workers could handle complex tasks. Women, Blacks, & other minorities comprised over one third of Marinship's work force. "Rosie the Riveter" flourished here. Black protests led to a landmark Supreme Court ruling. Here is a dramatic microcosm of the fundamental transformation of American life & culture that occured during World War II.
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