New York Shipbuilding
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The New York Shipbuilding Corporation (or New York Ship for short) was founded in 1899 and opened its first shipyard in 1900. Located in Camden, New Jersey on the east shore of the Delaware River, New York Ship built more than 500 vessels for the U.S. Navy, the United States Merchant Marine, the United States Coast Guard, and other maritime concerns.
New York Ship's unusual covered ways produced everything from aircraft carriers, battleships, and luxury liners to lowly barges and car floats. At its peak during World War II, NYSB was the largest and most productive shipyard in the world. Its best-known vessels include the destroyer USS Reuben James (DD-245), the cruiser USS Indianapolis (CA-35), the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63), the nuclear-powered cargo ship NS Savannah, and a quartet of cargo-passenger liners nicknamed the Four Aces.
During World War I, New York Ship expanded rapidly to fill orders from the U.S. Navy and the Emergency Fleet Corporation. A critical shortage of worker housing led to the construction of Yorkship Village, a planned community of 1000 brick homes designed by Electus Darwin Litchfield and financed by the War Department. Yorkship Village is now the Fairview section of the City of Camden.
New York Ship's World War II production included all nine Independence-class light carriers (CVL), built on Cleveland-class light cruiser hulls; the 35000-ton battleship USS South Dakota (BB-57); and 98 LCTs (Landing Craft, Tank), many of which took part in the D-Day landings at Normandy.
After World War II, a much-diminished New York Ship subsisted on a trickle of contracts from the United States Maritime Administration and the U.S. Navy. The yard launched its last civilian vessel (S.S. Export Adventurer) in 1960, and its last naval vessel (USS Camden) in 1967. The former yard's site is now part of the Port of Camden, handling breakbulk cargo.
[edit] Ships built
Ships built by New York Ship include:
- Lexington class aircraft carrier:
- USS Saratoga, launched 7 April 1925
[edit] External links
- New York Shipbuilding Company Historical Sites
- A Tribute to a Place Called Yorkship
- list of ships built
- A web exhibit of ship christening photos that includes twenty images of launching ceremonies at New York Shipbuilding
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