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Boston Naval Shipyard | |
.jpg) Navy Yard in the 1930s | |
| Location | Southeast of Chelsea Street, Charlestown,Boston, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°22′34″N71°3′9″W / 42.37611°N 71.05250°W /42.37611; -71.05250 |
| Built | 1800 |
| Architect | Alexander Parris, et al. |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000134[1] |
| Added to NRHP | 15 November 1966 |
| Boston Naval Shipyard | |
|---|---|
| Boston, Massachusetts | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Shipyard |
| Controlled by | United States Navy |
 | |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1800 |
| In use | 1801–1975 |
TheBoston Navy Yard, originally called theCharlestown Navy Yard and laterBoston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldestshipbuilding facilities in theUnited States Navy. It was established in 1801 as part of the recent establishment of the newU.S. Department of the Navy in 1798. After 175 years of military service, it was decommissioned as a naval installation on 1 July 1974.
The 30-acre (12 ha) property is administered by theNational Park Service, becoming part ofBoston National Historical Park. Enough of the yard remains in operation to support the mooredUSSConstitution ("Old Ironsides") of 1797, built as one of theoriginal six heavy frigates for the revived American navy, and the oldest warship still commissioned in theUnited States Navy and afloat in the world.USS Cassin Young (DD-793), a 1943World War II-eraFletcher-classdestroyer serving as amuseum ship, is also berthed here. The museum area includes a dock which is a stop on theMBTA ferry water transport system. Among local people in the area and the National Park Service, it is still known as the Charlestown Navy Yard.[2]
TheSouth Boston Naval Annex was located along thewaterfront inSouth Boston, an annex of the Navy Yard from 1920 to 1974. Other annexes of the Navy Yard during World War II were theChelsea Naval Annex (formerly the Green Shipyard, now the Fitzgerald Shipyard),[3]East Boston Naval Annex, andBoston Naval Yard Fuel Depot Annex.[4][5]
The earliest naval shipbuilding activities inCharlestown, Massachusetts across theCharles River andBoston Harbor to the north from the city ofBoston, began during theAmerican Revolutionary War (1775–1783). The Charlestown Arsenal ofUnited States Army was established in 1794.[6] Shortly thereafter, in 1800, the land for the Charlestown Navy Yard was purchased by the United States government and the yard itself was established. The yard built the first U.S.ship of the line,USS Independence in 1814, and at least twelve small vessels for theAmerican Civil War, 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 24 June 1833, the staff and dignitaries including then Vice PresidentMartin Van Buren,Secretary of WarLewis Cass,Secretary of the NavyLevi Woodbury, and many Massachusetts officials, witnessed "one of the great events of American naval history": the early United StatesfrigateConstitution was inaugurating the first navaldrydock inNew England designed by prominent civil engineerLoammi Baldwin Jr.[7]
Theropewalk supplied cordage used in the Navy from the time it opened in 1837 until the Yard closed in 1975. After theCivil War (1861–1865), the Yard was downgraded to an Equipment and Recruit Facility.[8]
In the late 1880s and 1890s, the Navy began expanding again bringing into service new modern steel-hulled steam-powered warships and that brought new life to the Yard. In the first years of the 20th century, a second drydock was added. DuringWorld War II (1939/1941–1945), it worked to fixBritishRoyal Navy warships and merchant transports damaged by theNazi Germans when crossing theNorth Atlantic Ocean. On 27 September 1941—Liberty Fleet Day—Boston launched twodestroyers, USSCowie and the USSKnight. Even before the U.S. entered the Second World War after thePearl Harbor attack on 7 December 1941, a month before in November, Boston was one of four United States naval shipyards selected to buildCaptain-class frigates under theLend-Lease military assistance program for the Royal Navy. Since the United States was at war when these ships were finally completed, some were later requisitioned and used by the United States Navy asdestroyer escorts.[9]
In the post war period, the shipyard modified World War II ships forCold War (1945–1991) service throughFleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM). TheKorean War (1950–1953), andVietnam War (1964–1975) did not bring much work to the yard since it was so far from the fighting.[citation needed] The Yard closed after the Vietnam War.
It was also the location of the Marine Barracks Boston.
| Dock No. | Material of which dock is constructed | Length | Width | Depth | Date Completed | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Granite | 348 feet 11 inches (106.35 m) | 86 feet (26 m) | 25 feet 5 inches (7.75 m) | 1833 | [10] |
| 2 | Granite and concrete | 719 feet 1 inch (219.18 m) | 114 feet (35 m) | 30 feet 4 inches (9.25 m) | 1905 | |
| 5 | Concrete and steel | 518 feet 3 inches (157.96 m) | 98 feet 6 inches (30.02 m) | 21 feet (6.4 m) | 1942 | |
| South Boston Annex | ||||||
| 3 | Granite and concrete | 1,158 feet 9 inches (353.19 m) | 149 feet (45 m) | 44 feet 9 inches (13.64 m) | 1919 | |
| 4 | Reinforced concrete | 687 feet 6 inches (209.55 m) | 104 feet (32 m) | 36 feet (11 m) | 1943 | |
| January 1, 1946 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Shipbuilding ways | Width | Length | Source |
| 1 | 100 feet (30 m) | 445 feet (136 m) | [11] |
| 2 | 110 feet (34 m) | 425 feet (130 m) | |
When ideas were floated for redevelopment of the yard, one of the people's popular idea was to have the yard turned into a construction yard foroil tankers.[12] Ultimately, these plans fell through, and the site became part of theBoston National Historical Park. Its mission is, "to interpret the art and history of naval shipbuilding".[8]
The Boston Navy Yard hosts many attractions, includingCharlestown Naval Shipyard Park. The fully commissionedUSS Constitution and themuseum shipUSS Cassin Young (DD-793) are tied up at Pier 1 and open to the public.[13] The Navy Yard also hosts theUSSConstitution Museum. Dry Dock No. 1 is still used for ship maintenance forConstitution andCassin Young.[14] In May 2015,Constitution entered the dry dock for three years of repairs.[15]
The Yard is toward the north end of theFreedom Trail. TheMBTA ferry stops at nearby Pier 4, providing easy visitor access to the Yard. The campus of theMGH Institute of Health Professions occupies seven buildings in the Yard, including classroom, office, and clinical space. Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and multiple Massachusetts General Hospital research laboratories occupy the perimeter.
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