Aerial View of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard
The
Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the
Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a
U.S. Navy facility in
Portsmouth,
Virginia, for building, remodeling, and repairing the Navy's ships. It's the oldest and largest industrial facility that belongs to the U.S. Navy as well as the most multifaceted. Located on the
Elizabeth River, the yard is just a short distance upriver from its mouth at
Hampton Roads. The name was changed from
Gosport Shipyard in 1862.
History
British control
The
Gosport Shipyard was founded on
November 1,
1767 by
Andrew Sprowle on the western shore of the
Elizabeth River in
Norfolk County in the
Virginia Colony. This shipyard became a prosperous naval and merchant facility for the British Crown. In
1775, at the beginning of the
American Revolution, Sprowle stayed loyal to the Crown and fled
Virginia, which confiscated all of his properties, including the shipyard. In
1779, while the newly formed
Commonwealth of Virginia was operating the shipyard, it was burned by British troops.
American control
In
1794,
United States Congress passed "An Act to Provide a Naval Armament," allowing the Federal Government to lease the Gosport Shipyard from Virginia. In
1799 the keel of
USS Chesapeake, one of the first six frigates authorized by Congress, was laid, making her the first ship built in Gosport for the
U.S. Navy.
The federal government purchased the shipyard from Virginia in
1801 for $12,000. This tract of land measured 16 acres (65,000 m²) and now makes up the northeastern corner of the current shipyard. In
1827, construction began on of one of the first two
dry docks in the United States. Additional land on the eastern side of the Elizabeth River was purchased in
1845.
American Civil War
In
1861, Virginia joined the
Confederate States of America. Fearing that the Confederacy would take control of the facility, the shipyard commander ordered the burning of the shipyard. The Confederate forces did in fact take over the shipyard, and did so without armed conflict through an elaborate
ruse orchestrated by civilian
railroad builder
William Mahone (then President of the
Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad and soon to become a famous Confederate officer). The
Union forces withdrew to
Fort Monroe across Hampton Roads, which was the only land in the area which remained under Union control.
In early 1862, the Confederate
ironclad warship CSS Virginia was rebuilt using the burned-out hulk of
USS Merrimack. In the haste to abandon the shipyard, the
Merrimack had only been destroyed above the waterline, and an innovative armored superstructure was built upon the remaining portion. The
Virginia, which was still called the
Merrimack by Union forces and in many historical accounts, engaged the
Union ironclad
USS Monitor in the famous
Battle of Hampton Roads during the Union blockade of
Hampton Roads. The Confederates burned the shipyard again when they left in May of
1862.
Following its recapture of Norfolk and Portsmouth (and the shipyard) by the Union forces, the name of the shipyard was changed to Norfolk, after the
largest city in the area even though the shipyard was actually located in Portsmouth. This choice of name was also probably to minimize any confusion with the pre-existing
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in
Kittery, Maine near
Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Modern shipyard
For $3, visitors can go aboard the
Lightship Portsmouth at the Naval Shipyard Museum
From the
Reconstruction Era until 1917, the shipyard was used both for ship repair and construction and for ship stationing; the current major naval base for the region,
Naval Station Norfolk, did not yet exist. As such, the then Norfolk Navy Yard served as the official
Homeport for ships stationed in the
Hampton Roads region.
No major expansion occurred at the facility until World War I when it was expanded to accommodate 11,000 employees and their families. The shipyard was again expanded in
World War II, doubling its physical size, and greatly expanding its productive capacity. During its peak, from
1940 to
1945, 43,000 personnel were employed and 6,850 vessels were built.
After World War II, the shipyard shifted from being a ship construction facility to an overhaul and repair facility. Its last two ships,
USS Bold and her sister ship,
Bulwark, wooden minesweepers, were christened on
March 28,
1953 during the
Korean War.
Currently, the shipyard is composed of several noncontiguous areas totaling 1,275 acres (5.2 km²). Norfolk Naval Shipyard provides repair and modernization services for every type of ship that the U.S. Navy has in service, which includes amphibious vessels,
submarines, guided missile
cruisers, and
supercarriers, although in recent years the shipyard has primarily focused on nuclear ships and nuclear support ships. The Norfolk yard is one of the few facilities on the east coast capable of dry docking nuclear aircraft carriers. Another facility capable of drydocking such carriers is
Northrop Grumman Newport News, located on the other side of Hampton Roads in
Newport News, which is the only U.S. shipyard that currently builds and refuels nuclear aircraft carriers.
Notable ships
- - 38 gun frigate, contemporary to , fought in the War of 1812.
- - First modern cruiser completely built by the U.S. government.
- - First U.S. aircraft carrier; converted from USS Jupiter.
- - Only U.S. aircraft carrier paid for solely by U.S. Warbonds and subscriptions.
See also
