THEN & NOW: WW II Picket Boat, 1943

One of the most fascinating aspects of Kirkland’s colorful history is its contribution to the World War II effort in the construction of warships and boats.

Seaplane tenders were built at the Lake Washington Shipyards in Houghton, at the site of today’s Carillon Point complex. Closer to town, in south Kirkland near the site of todays Brink Park, Kirkland Marine Construction at its peak employed 50 people building 36-foot, wooden-hulled picket boats for the U.S. Coast Guard.

This fabulous 1943 photo from the archives of the Kirkland Heritage Society graphically tells the story in ways words alone simply cannot.

Here on the ways and apparently about to be launched is CG-38745, watched over by two Coast Guard officers (right). Workers scurry around in preparation. Downtown Kirkland can be seen in the background.

The boats were built first hull side up inside the Kirkland Marine boat works, then flipped over so the cabin, deck and engine could be installed. As you can clearly see here, they were then rolled out of the shop onto the ways before being slipped into the drink.

Kirkland Marine had a big contract for the day and built 68 of the picket boats, which were single-screw (one propellor) craft powered by six-cylinder, 225-horsepower engines. With a range of about 200 miles at 10 knots and a top speed of about 25 knots, they were used in coastal and inland waters for harbor protection, law enforcement and search and rescue.

After the war, Kirkland Marine Construction slipped into history itself.

Wouldn’t it have been a blast to take one of those picket boats for a cruise on the lake?