Launching of First Eagle Boat at Ford Rouge Plant, 1918
THF97490 / Launching of First Eagle Boat at Ford Rouge Plant, 1918
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Artifact Overview
During World War I, Ford built Eagle anti-submarine patrol boats at a new plant on the Rouge River. Ford assembled the boats using the same mass production techniques it perfected for its automobiles. The launching of the first Eagle on July 11, 1918, was cause for celebration. The war ended four months later, before any of the boats saw combat.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Photographic print
Subject Date
11 July 1918
Collection Title
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
84.1.1660.P.O.2840
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Material
Paper (Fiber product)
Technique
Gelatin silver process
Color
Black-and-white (Colors)
Dimensions
Height: 8.25 in
Width: 10 in
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Related Content
SetBuilding Eagle Boats at the Rouge
- 27 Artifacts
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.