Eagle Boat Cruising in Open Water, September 1919

To combat German submarine attacks on U.S. cargo ships during World War I, Henry Ford suggested the mass production of submarine chasers. Ford Motor Company accepted a government contract to build these "Eagle Boats" and began production at its partially developed industrial complex along the Rouge River in 1918. By late 1919, Ford had completed 60 Eagle Boats for the U.S. Navy.