Welding Shipyard

"The second of his government-owned ships was one D.K. did plan to use. The Hampton Roads, last and largest of the tankers the WSA had contracted with Ludwig to build at Sewalls Point, was sitting in the yard’s only building way when the war ended, a few months from being completed. Legally, she was still the property of Welding Shipyard, but Ludwig, utilizing a provision of his contract dealing with unfinished vessels, was able to sell her to the government in September 1946 for $3 million and buy her back a few months later under the Ship Sales Act for $1.3 million, turning a quick $1.7 million profit at the expense of U.S. taxpayers."

"factor. Most of National Bulk’s liabilities were owed to Welding Shipyard. Thus, the figures on the debit side of National Bulk’s ledger were really assets for Daniel Ludwig, who paid himself to build the tankers he operated. And since American Petroleum Transport brought in a good steady income by operating a fleet of government-owned tankers, he got additional revenue from U.S. taxpayers. Exactly how much money he made from Welding Ship¬ yard will probably never be known; with no government inspectors at Sewalls Point to oversee construction, D.K. may have indulged in one of his chief moneymaking talents — scrounging up cheap"