The Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation was a United States corporation which built ships for the United States Navy and merchant marine during World War II . The shipyard had existed since the 1920s as part of the Todd Dry Dock & Construction Company, but had shut down some time after the First World War. In 1939, the old shipyard in Commencement Bay, Tacoma was revived by Todd and Kaiser Shipbuilding together with the aid of some $15 million in capital provided by the U.S. Navy, for the production of vessels in anticipation of possible US entry into World War II. The money enabled the owners to expand the number of ways from three to eight in total.