History


Thunderbolt Marine Inc (TMI) is located on a 25 acre site on the Wilmington River three miles southeast of Savannah, an area which enjoys a rich seafaring tradition and where marine skills have been passed down through the centuries. Mr. W. E. Honey and his company, Latex Construction Company, purchased the property in 1965 to support the floating equipment associated with its dredging operations.


The 7.5 acre boat basin was originally established by Asa Candler, the founder of Coca-Cola, and was used by the US Army during World War II as a staging area for offshore patrol and rescue vessels.  Mr. Honey purchased the property from the Mingledorff family.


In 1969, Thunderbolt Marina started operations and erected the first dry-stack boat storage building in this area, Building 101. Thunderbolt Marina also sold runabouts and outboard engines. Mr. Honey had the foresight in the late 1960’s to develop a first-class yacht repair facility with the Syncrolift and rail system that is in use today. After some work on larger yachts, the company shifted to commercial and Government vessel repairs and construction. The company built tugs and barges in addition to repair work and changed its name to Thunderbolt Marine Industries in 1981 to better reflect the broader type of marine work being accomplished. Three tractor tugs were constructed for the Panama Canal Company. Thunderbolt Marine Inc. (TMI) was incorporated in 1985 and undertook various marine construction and dredging projects.


Lockheed Shipbuilding Company leased the yard for five years starting in 1986 to construct LCU 2000 Landing Craft for the US Army. Lockheed sold the Landing Craft contract to a Gulf Coast yard after the first two vessels were completed and conducted minor repair projects for the remainder of their lease period. In 1992, Palmer Johnson leased the yard and accomplished yacht repair and refit projects until departing in September of 2003.


In October, 2003, W.E. Honey, the founder’s son, resumed service and repair operations to yachts up to 200 ft. Thunderbolt Marine has hauling capabilities of 1,150 tons by Syncrolift and 160 tons by Marine Travelift. Yard facilities include precision cabinet, electrical, electronic, joiner, machine, paint and weld shops and several large buildings for marine coatings and other work requiring an enclosed environment. Thunderbolt Marine’s skilled craftsmen accomplish major refits of sail and power vessels to the highest standards and in accordance with all classification society requirements.