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• Welderette Contest, 1943

Media Collection: Welderette Contest, 1943

The1943 women's welding competition in Mississippi, judged by the inspectors from the Maritime Commission, the Bureau of Ships, and the U.S. Navy.

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Strmiska competing in the welding contest held in Mississippi in May 1943. Notice her Kaiser Shipyards helmet. Courtesy Oreg. Hist. Soc. Research Library

One of the welding skills in the competition required a horizontal weld. Courtesy Oreg. Hist. Soc. Research Library

Strmiska is on the left; her competitor from Ingalls Shipyards is on the right. Courtesy Oreg. Hist. Soc. Research Library

A crowd gathers to see the national welding competition in Mississippi. Courtesy Oreg. Hist. Soc. Research Library

The organizers of the competition created an elaborate "set" designed to look like a boxing ring on the deck of a ship. The two women were given corners to sit in between welds and support staff to coach them along. Courtesy Oreg. Hist. Soc. Research Library

Strmiska and Anderson were given beauty pageant sashes with their employers' company names to wear before and after the competition. Vera Anderson, the winner, holds the victor's cup. The event was highly publicized, and the women were interviewed throughout the day. Courtesy Oreg. Hist. Soc. Research Library

Strmiska won second place in the national contest, which earned her a trip to the White House to visit with Eleanor Roosevelt. Courtesy Oreg. Hist. Soc. Research Library

Vera Anderson (left) was the champion welder from Ingalls Shipbuilders (Mississippi) and Hermina Strmiska was the champion welder from the Kaiser Shipbuilding Co, during the 1943 competition, which took place in the Ingalls shipyards. Courtesy Oreg. Hist. Soc. Research Library