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Ghost of the Union Iron Works, Central Basin
For four decades the Union Iron Works was the largest industrial plant in the western United States. Located in San Francisco's Central Basin, south of downtown the shipyard employed up to 100,000 men in the late 1800s. The Union Iron Works was founded by two Donahue brothers, Peter and James and a group of 'fine old Scottish mechanics from Clyde.' The massive site built 86 vessels from 1884 to 1905 including the battleship USS Oregon and Admiral Dewey's flagship, the Olympia.

At the turn of the century questionable legal troubles started to dog the UIW. Many believed the plant was the target of dirty politics by Bethlehem Steel's owner Charles Schwab (no relation to the stockbroker). In 1905, mired in litigation, the 40-acre shipyard was put up for auction and purchased by the lone bidder, Bethlehem Steel for one million dollars. Bethlehem eventually closed the shipyard and only remnants of the great Union Iron Works are visible today.
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