The story of Yawah may not be lengthy, but it is telling of the industrial boom that resulted due to the shortage of cargo vessels at the outset of the war. With the implementation of the U.S. Emergency Fleet Corporation, contract orders were sent out all across the country to build up the cargo fleet. Seemingly overnight, small towns with waterfront access were turned into massive shipyards. At the Shattuck Shipyard near Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where Yawah was built, close to 8,000 workers came together, by rail from towns over, to work on these vessels. Laboring day and night, a sense of community and pride was felt by the workers.