Page 29: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2025)

COLONNAS SHIPYARD guys that I was working with side-by-side – remarkably is still in operation 135 “I think that those low points, and our still work here today.” years later, and booked nearly 300 days willingness to get through them, is what

After earning his degree, Crutch? eld a year, a living monument to durability ends up being the highlight reel. returned to the yard with a long-term and tradition. One was a large capital outlay during commitment to his family’s legacy. His When asked to discuss the shipyard’s World War One to install another marine ? rst major assignment was spearhead- pivotal moments over 15 decades, railway at the request of the DoD to help ing a land development project that Crutch? eld was eager to share a select the war effort. But by the time the rail- would rede? ne the yard’s capabilities. few of the shipyard’s failures, instead. way was built, the war was over and the

The centerpiece? A then-record-setting 1,000-metric-ton Marine Travelift, transforming underutilized acreage into a bustling 12-slot service center for tug- boats, ? shing vessels, Coast Guard cut- ters, and Navy support craft.

“The lift changed everything,” Crutch- ? eld explained. “Instead of hauling out one or two vessels at a time, we could now work on a dozen—simultaneously.”

It was a bold move that signaled Colon- na’s appetite for reinvestment and scale.

From Railways to Dry Docks: “A two horsepower business”

Colonna’s origins date back to 1875, when Charles Colonna secured a $2,000 loan—twice—from his brother.

“We started out with a horse-drawn marine railway,” said Crutch? eld. “Think about that, think about where we are today. Think about a horse walking in a circle around a king post hauling a ship out of the water. If the ship was heavy, two horses were needed, so we make the joke that we were two horse- power business when we ? rst started out. I’m just trying to contextualize the beginnings of the place.”

That original railway – built in 1890

Willoughby Warren “Bill”

Colonna, Jr. becomes principal owner of

Benjamin Okeson

Colonna’s Shipyard as its

Colonna becomes