Site of Heldenfels Shipyard

Shipbuilding outlasted the Heldenfels contract. The county's small boatbuilding trade, begun late in the nineteenth century, prospered through the 1920s and 1930s. T. Noah Smith Sr. founded the Rockport Yacht and Supply Company in 1935, and in World War II the Navy took it over to repair and maintain vessels of the 100-foot class, while Rob Roy Rice opened a yard in 1941 to build wooden submarine chasers and closed it after the war. Smith's yard installed a vertical-lift turntable and track in 1950, and in the 1960s it built a thriving trade in steel-hulled boats.

What the plaque says

Site of Heldenfels Shipyard Shipping industries flourished on the Rockport waterfront by the 1880s. Heldenfels Shipyard was established here on 12.9 acres in October 1917. Four 281-foot wooden cargo vessels were to be built for military use in World War I; the "Baychester" was launched on July 31, 1919, and the "Zuniga" on September 9, 1919. At the height of construction, over 900 men were employed at the shipyard. The need for ships fell as the war ended. Despite hurricane damage to the shipyard on September 14, 1919, the "Jasper" and the "Manchester" were completed as barges in 1920, ending this vital war contract. (1996)

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad in Rockport, The — 1.4 mi
• Aransas County — 1.5 mi
• Rockport Marine Laboratory — 1.6 mi
• Jackson Family Maritime Companies — 1.6 mi