During World War II, women were encouraged to step into jobs traditionally filled by men. In the Swan Island Shipyard of Portland, Oregon, women answered that call and helped construct 153 tankers between 1942 and 1945. 

In her book Shipyard Agent: Augusta Clawson and the Women Welders of World War II, local author Beverly Lionberger Hodgins shares the story of Augusta Clawson, a remarkable woman hired by the U.S. government to observe and report clandestinely on the working conditions of women welders. Drawing from Clawson’s diaries, personal letters, and official reports, Hodgins gives us an insider’s view of this important piece of Pacific Northwest History.