George Williams Gibbs III

1936 - 2020

Gibbs
George Williams Gibbs, III, of Jacksonville, Florida died October 10, 2020 from complications of Lewy body dementia. He was born December 21, 1936 in Jacksonville to Jean Blount Gibbs and George Williams Gibbs, Jr. He was predeceased by his parents and his two sons, George Williams Gibbs, IV, and Francis Boll Gibbs.
Descending from a long line of Jacksonville natives and shipbuilders, George was immersed in the industry from an early age, working for his father's and grandfather's companies, Gibbs Shipyard and Southern Shipbuilding. Both companies, and later George's companies, Atlantic Marine and Atlantic Dry Dock, provided critical industrial infrastructure to downtown Jacksonville, Mayport and Fort George Island. At the age of 27, in 1964, George followed his dream of forming his own shipyard, Atlantic Marine, on Fort George Island. During its early years, Atlantic Marine mainly built steel-hulled fishing boats. As the company grew, Atlantic Marine expanded its capability and expertise to include aluminum patrol and steel research vessels, tugboats, ferries and supply boats. Notably, the company was one of the first shipyards in the country to build casino boats. The company also built two shuttle-booster retrieval ships for NASA — the Liberty Star and the Freedom Star.
In 1966, George expanded the business to include Atlantic Dry Dock, and he sought to provide the best in ship repair and conversion. Atlantic Dry Dock performed hundreds of overhauls on US Navy vessels ranging from small minesweepers to mighty aircraft carriers, including the USS Forrestal and USS Saratoga. George's work culminated in the largest reconstruction job ever performed outside a Navy shipyard on the USS Kennedy. Following the successful conversion of the Miami yacht, The Floridian, the mega-yacht world discovered Atlantic Dry Dock, which led to many other successful overhauls.
With his sharp business acumen, George continued to expand his shipyard business in 1990, by acquiring ADDSCO, a shipyard facility in Mobile, Alabama. Under George's leadership, the new construction shipyard, renamed Alabama Shipyard and the repair shipyard, renamed Atlantic Marine-Mobile, greatly expanded their services. Atlantic Marine-Mobile added an 853-foot dry dock capable of lifting 40,000 tons. This addition enabled the company to work on some of the largest ships in the world such as Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas and Carnival's Imagination. Meanwhile, Alabama Shipyard built a variety of new vessels, including an offshore drilling unit, semi-submersible pontoons, deep-sea rescue vessels and various precipitator units for electric power companies, drill barges and chemical carriers.
Under his quiet and strategic leadership, his companies became highly successful. Over the years, the companies became globally recognized for their careful consideration of each customer's time schedule and budget considerations. Careful attention to the customers' needs resulted in considerable repeat business over the years. In total, Atlantic Marine built around 350 new construction vessels for businesses all over the world, including throughout Asia, Europe and South America. During Atlantic Marine's peak, the two locations had over 3,000 employees. In 2006, George sold the shipyards to a private equity firm, J. F. Lehman and Company. In 2010, BAE, a large defense contractor, acquired the shipyards from the Lehman group. They continue to operate in Jacksonville.
In addition to his own business enterprises, he was deeply involved in Jacksonville's broader business and civic community. In 1982, he served as the Vice-President of Business and Industry for the Chamber of Commerce, and he later served on the boards of Jacksonville Federal Reserve, the James Madison Institute and the Episcopal School of Jacksonville. In 2000, he was named the Propeller Club's Maritime Person of the Year.
George never took for granted the business environment that allowed him to create his own success through his entrepreneurial endeavors and firmly believed in maintaining these opportunities for generations to come. In this vein, George supported several organizations that upheld his belief that the free market system must be preserved and that the government that "governs least, governs best." He became involved with many organizations that supported these beliefs, including the American Enterprise Institute, CATO, the Institute of Humane Studies, the Mercatus Center, and the James Madison Institute.
In addition to spending his workdays around boats, George's favorite past time activities always involved being close to the water. He was an avid sailor his entire life and owned many sailboats and trawler boats, which he enjoyed maintaining as much as he did sailing. While he explored many areas via sailboat, he was always drawn to cruising the Bahamas and the British Virgin Islands.
George Gibbs is survived by his wife of 35 years, Ann Darden Gibbs; four children: Catherine Jean Gibbs of Seacrest Beach, Florida; Robert Kingsley Gibbs (Melinda) of Jacksonville Beach; Ann Thompson Gibbs of Ponte Vedra Beach; and Elizabeth Stockton Gibbs Tanzler (Hans) of Jacksonville. His seven grandchildren include Celeste Dodrill (Leonard), Tucker Juan, Anna Giampetro, Cullen Giampetro, Robert Gibbs, Jr., Couper Gibbs and Riley Gibbs. His great-grandchildren include John and William Dodrill.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in George's memory to St. Mark's Episcopal Church, the Episcopal School of Jacksonville or the James Madison Institute.
Due to the COVID pandemic, the funeral services will be held privately. The family welcomes visitors to join them to celebrate George's life at The Florida Yacht Club on Wednesday, October 14 between 2:00 and 4:00 pm.
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