Boston Navy Yard

Boston Navy Yard
Boston Naval Shipyard
1912 Map of the Charlestown Navy Yard and Mystic Wharf
Location: East of Chelsea Street, Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°22′34″N 71°3′9″W / 42.37611°N 71.0525°W / 42.37611; -71.0525Coordinates: 42°22′34″N 71°3′9″W / 42.37611°N 71.0525°W / 42.37611; -71.0525
Built: 1800
Architect: Alexander Parris, et al.
Governing body: National Park Service
NRHP Reference#: 66000134[1]
Added to NRHP: November 15, 1966

The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the 30-acre (120,000 m2) property was transferred to the National Park Service to be part of Boston National Historical Park. Enough of the yard remains in operation to support the USS Constitution. The USS Cassin Young, a World War II-era destroyer serving as a museum ship, is also berthed here. Among people in the area and the National Park Service, it is still known as the Charlestown Navy Yard.[2]

Contents

History

The earliest naval shipbuilding activities in Charlestown, Massachusetts, began during the American Revolutionary War. The land for the Charlestown Navy Yard was purchased in 1800 and the yard itself established shortly thereafter. The yard built the first U.S. ship of the line, USS Independence, but was primarily a repair and storage facility until the 1890s, when it started to build steel ships for the "New Navy". By then, it was called the Boston Navy Yard.

On June 24, 1833, the staff and dignitaries including Vice President Martin Van Buren, Secretary of War Lewis Cass, Secretary of the Navy Levi Woodbury, and many Massachusetts officials, witnessed "one of the great events of American naval history": the United States frigate Constitution was inaugurating the first naval drydock in New England designed by prominent civil engineer Loammi Baldwin, Jr..[3] On March 14, 1975, the historic ship floated out of the dock—the last commissioned vessel to use the facility.[4]

Boston Navy Shipyard
Boston, Massachusetts
Type Shipyard
Built 1800
In use 1800 — 1975
Controlled by United States Navy

The Ropewalk supplied cordage used in the Navy from the time it opened in 1837 until the Yard closed in 1975. After the Civil War, the Yard was downgraded to an Equipment and Recruit Facility.[4]

In the 1890s, the Navy began expanding and that brought new life to the Yard. In the first years of the 20th century, a second drydock was added. During WWII, it worked to fix British Ships damaged by the Germans. On 27 September 1941 Liberty Fleet Day Boston launched two destroyers USS Cowie and USS Knight. In the post war period, it worked on modernizing vessels through Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM). The Korean War and Vietnam War didn't bring much work to the Yard since it was so far from the fighting.

Notable ships built at Boston Navy Yard

Present day

USS Cassin Young berthed at the Boston Navy Yard
A view of the dry dock without water
The Cassin Young in drydock

The Yard closed after the Vietnam War. When ideas were floated for redevelopment of the yard, one popular idea was to have the yard turned into a construction yard for oil tankers.[18] Ultimately, these plans fell through, and the site became part of the Boston National Historical Park. Its mission is, "to interpret the art and history of naval shipbuilding." [4]

The Charlestown Navy Yard hosts many attractions. The fully commissioned USS Constitution and the museum ship USS Cassin Young (DD-793) are tied up at Pier 1 and open to the public (as the Constitution is a US Navy ship, consult her official website before visiting). The Navy Yard also hosts the USS Constitution Museum. Drydock No. 1 is still used for ship maintenance, mostly on historic vessels.

The Yard is toward the North end of the Freedom Trail and is seen by thousands every year. The MBTA Water Shuttle stops at nearby Pier 3, providing easy visitor access to the Yard.

See also

Media related to Boston Navy Yard at Wikimedia Commons

External links

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
  2. ^ Charlestown Navy Yard, National Park Service
  3. ^ Historic Naval Ships Association
  4. ^ a b c Charlestown Navy Yard: The Shipyard on the Charles
  5. ^ a b Silverstone, Paul H. U.S. Warships of World War II (1968) Doubleday & Company p.114
  6. ^ a b Silverstone, Paul H. U.S. Warships of World War II (1968) Doubleday & Company p.118
  7. ^ a b c d Silverstone, Paul H. U.S. Warships of World War II (1968) Doubleday & Company p.124
  8. ^ a b c d Silverstone, Paul H. U.S. Warships of World War II (1968) Doubleday & Company p.126
  9. ^ a b Silverstone, Paul H. U.S. Warships of World War II (1968) Doubleday & Company p.129
  10. ^ a b c d Silverstone, Paul H. U.S. Warships of World War II (1968) Doubleday & Company p.132
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i Silverstone, Paul H. U.S. Warships of World War II (1968) Doubleday & Company p.135
  12. ^ a b c d e f Silverstone, Paul H. U.S. Warships of World War II (1968) Doubleday & Company p.140
  13. ^ a b c Silverstone, Paul H. U.S. Warships of World War II (1968) Doubleday & Company p.141
  14. ^ a b c d e Silverstone, Paul H. U.S. Warships of World War II (1968) Doubleday & Company p.153
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h Silverstone, Paul H. U.S. Warships of World War II (1968) Doubleday & Company p.155
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h Silverstone, Paul H. U.S. Warships of World War II (1968) Doubleday & Company p.157
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Silverstone, Paul H. U.S. Warships of World War II (1968) Doubleday & Company p.175
  18. ^ "NEW ENGLAND: Bases for Sale". New England: Time Incorporated. July 1, 1974. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,942895,00.html. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 

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