World War II brought tremendous change to Evansville, including the announcement in February 1942 that would make Evansville a site for an inland shipyard. Population, employment and the economy boomed in Evansville as the city continued to support the war effort – Over 70,000 people were employed in the three years of the shipyard's existence, peaking at 19,500 employees.
The first LST (Landing Ship Tank), number 157, was completed on October 31, 1942 and launched onto the Ohio River. The LSTs were designed to carry large quantities of equipment and to directly offload their cargo onto land. The Evansville shipyard was later recognized for the having the greatest output of any shipyard at the time.