Tampa Shipbuilding Company, or TASCO, was a shipyard in Tampa, Florida. Started in 1917, it had three shipways in the years before World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. It grew larger because of its involvement in the United States Maritime Commission

United States Maritime Commission

The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and replaced the U.S. Shipping Board which had existed since World War I...

's pre-war long-range shipbuilding program. During the war it participated in the subsequent Emergency Shipbuilding Program

Emergency Shipbuilding program

The Emergency Shipbuilding Program was a United States government effort to quickly build simple cargo ships to carry troops and materiel to allies and foreign theatres during World War II. Run by the U.S...

. At its peak, it was one of the country's largest shipbuilders and the largest employer in Tampa, employing 16,000 people. Tampa Shipbuilding closed after the war, and few traces remain of its facilities.