Marinship for kids
The Ship Factory and the Giant Puddle. A true story near Sausalito, CA, told for kids 3-12.
Read along
Right around here in Sausalito, something amazing happened a long time ago. During a big war, about eighty years ago, the country needed lots of ships, super fast. So people came from all over America to work here, at a giant ship factory called Marinship. Moms, dads, grandpas, young and old worked together, day and night.
Clang! Bang! In just three and a half years, they built ninety-three huge ships! And next door, there's something even sillier.
A building with the whole San Francisco Bay inside it! It's a giant model, bigger than a football field, with tiny pretend water, tiny tides, and tiny islands. Scientists built it to learn how the water moves. It's called the Bay Model, and you can walk around in it!
Quiz the back seat
What did the workers at Marinship build?
Show the answer
Ships. Ships! Ninety-three of them, in just three and a half years.
3 fun facts
- Marinship built 93 ships from 1942 to 1945.
- The Bay Model, built in 1957, covers about 1.5 acres.
- Marin City grew as housing for shipyard workers.
For grown-ups
Written by the Tumbly team, then checked claim by claim against the sources below before it was published; stories that don't pass stay off the app and this site. Narration is pre-recorded, and nothing you do on this page is tied to your kids.
Sources
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Town and county names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).