1970 photograph of a football field superimposed over Drydock 2 at Pier 70.
BIG BILL, as the largest commercial floating dry dock in the United States was affectionately called, was officially placed into service on September 22, 1970 by Mayor Joseph Alioto at the Bethlehem Steel Corporation’s San Francisco Shipyard. It is large enough to hold three football fields inside its 900 foot base.
The PIER 70 TIME MACHINE PROJECT Thanks William C. Brigham for his generous donation of the very rare Drydock material. I will be doing a complete biography on his father, W.C. Brigham, who was General Manager of the San Francisco Yard, an innovator, designer and builder of Beth’s BIG BILL. I will also include a profile of our co-founder, Rudolph Brito, who worked on the construction project and oversaw the operation of the huge drydock for many years.
Coming soon is a slideshow presentation on the construction, maintenance and operation of the drydock. Included will be exclusive photos from our archives of the inside of a drydock, its control room and even its sleeping accommodations.