Eagle Boat in Boat Slip at the Ford Rouge Plant, August 1918

THF270348 / Eagle Boat in Boat Slip at the Ford Rouge Plant, August 1918
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Artifact Overview

During the First World War, Ford Motor Company built Eagle anti-submarine patrol boats for the U.S. Navy at Ford's Rouge River plant. Once the boats were lowered into the river, they were docked alongside fit-out shops where boilers, engines, propulsion machinery, and armaments were installed. Ford built 60 Eagles in total, though the war ended before any saw combat.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic print

Date Made

19 August 1918

Subject Date

19 August 1918

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

84.1.1660.P.833.22862

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)
Linen (Material)

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 7.25 in
Width: 11 in

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    Over the years, Ford Motor Company's River Rouge factory turned out everything from tractors to cars to pickup trucks. But its first products had no wheels at all. From May 1918 to October 1919, Ford built 60 "Eagle" anti-submarine patrol boats at the Rouge. World War I ended before any of the Eagles saw action, but they proved that even warships could be made on an assembly line.