Norfolk Naval Shipyard, located in Portsmouth, Virginia, is now a sprawling complex, consisting
of 819 acres of land, 30 miles of streets, 324 permanent buildings, 33 miles of railroad
track, 4 locomotives, 137 train cars, 334 cranes, and 7 drydocks.
Originally just a 16-acre facility, the shipyard was established in 1767 when Virginia was
still a British colony, and it was called Gosport Shipyard.
The location was chosen because it provided access to the Chesapeake Bay and additional
waterways, which helped with the flow of trade.
The shipyard has been burned down three times in its existence, once during the American
Revolution and twice during the Civil War.
Aside from this destruction, the shipyard has survived ten wars.
The facility has supported the needs of the US Navy during times of peace and war and
has embraced the various changes in shipbuilding technology.
For instance, the first drydock to be used in the western hemisphere was at Norfolk Naval
Shipyard.
The dry dock, now called Dry Dock #1, began operations on June 17, 1833, and has now become
a national historic landmark.
Prior to World War I, the shipyard was the homeport for the Atlantic Fleet.
USS Texas, the very first American battleship for the US Navy, was built here in the 1890s.
Texas was also the first ship constructed entirely of steel that was built at the shipyard.
USS Texas saw action during the Spanish American War.
In the 1920s, several battleships were upgraded with more modern equipment at the shipyard.
These ships included USS Nevada and USS Arizona, which was sunk during the Japanese attack
on Pearl Harbor in 1941, as well as USS New York, which saw service in both the Atlantic
and Pacific during WWII.
The shipyard hit its peak of production, upgrade, and repair service during WWII.
From January 1, 1940 until the Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945, 101 new ships were built
at Norfolk Naval Shipyard.
These included 20 LSTs (Landing Ship Tank), 50 LCMs (Landing Craft Mechanized), two different
classes of destroyers (with ten ships in total being built), the battleship USS Alabama,
and three Essex Class aircraft carriers.
The shipyard was also able to provide repairs and equipment upgrades for ships that were
transferred to the Pacific Fleet as well as ships serving in the Atlantic Fleet.
World War II brought a population boom from the increased work at the shipyard.
At the beginning of the war, there were close to 8,000 people employed at the shipyard.
As the war progressed, that number increased to nearly 43,000.
To support this massive increase in the workforce, 45 public and private housing projects were
created in Portsmouth.
These endeavors provided the ability to accommodate over 16,000 family-sized units.
Today, only two of the original housing projects remain in Portsmouth.
The end of World War II brought downsizing to the shipyard as work transitioned to peacetime
operations.
The shipyard work force decreased accordingly.
Since then, the shipyard has focused on providing major repairs and technology upgrades for
the various types of vessels in the fleet.