Waterman Steamship Corporation

John B. Waterman, a native of New Orleans, moved to Mobile in 1902. In 1919, in response to the subsidation of the American Merchant Marine fleet, he helped organize the Waterman Steamship Corporation and served as its president until his death in 1937. Eventually, the Corporation would own and operate its own shipbuilding and repair yards, possess its own terminal facilities, carry on its own airline freight operations, control several subsidiaries, and operate a fleet of 125 ships active throughout the seven seas. The Waterman Steamship Corporation ceased to exist in 1955 when its stock was purchased by McLean Industries, Inc.