Levingston Shipbuilding Company and Edward T. Malloy

In 1859, three brothers, Samuel, David and John Levingston, arrived in Orange from Ireland and purchased an existing shipyard, where they built wooden ships for more than thirty years. The son of Samuel Levingston, "Captain" George Levingston, established his own shipbuilding business in 1919-1920. In 1930, Levingston purchased five acres at Front and Mill Streets in Orange, enlarging his operation, and Levingston Shipbuilding Company operated from this location fro the remainder of its existence. Incorporation in 1933 sustained the company during the slow economic times of the 1930s. Edward T. Malloy was hired in 1939 as a general manager, and stayed with the company for thirty-seven years, becoming president of the company when he bought the controlling interest in 1945. World War II brought a vast influx of business--the company had begun construction of military vessels before the United States entered the war, and continued to be a major supplier for the Army and Navy during the duration. Levingston Shipbuilding delivered its first vessel for the war effort, a 530-ton steel tugboat named Tuscarora on December 13, 1941. Between 1941 and 1945, Levingston built and delivered a total of 160 vessels for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army including tugs, tankers, barges and ocean going rescue tugs. After World War II, Levingston Shipbuilding changed with the economic times and became a worldwide leader in the design, engineering and construction of off-shore drilling rigs, jack-up platforms, and self-propelled drilling ships. Levingston Shipbuilding was the only U.S. builder of all five types of offshore drilling rigs until it cesed operations in 1985. (2008)

Levingston Shipbuilding Company and Edward T. Malloy is a historical marker in Orange, Orange County, dedicated in 2008. It is one of 66 historical markers documented in Orange County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 91 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 30.0943, -93.7263 near Orange. The nearest cataloged historic site is Office of the Supervisor of Shipbuilding and Consolidated Steel Corporation (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include U. S. S. Aulick, Riverside Addition: World War II Housing in Orange, and Weaver Shipbuilding.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507014471. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.