Philadelphia Naval Shipyard

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Reserve Fleet in Philadelphia in 1955
Type	Shipyard
Built	1917 (League Island Facility)
In use	1801 — 1995
Controlled by	United States Navy

The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, formerly Navy Yard, was the first naval shipyard of the United States. It officially closed 30 September 1995, although various projects were still underway in 2003 under new ownership.

The yard originated on Front Street in Philadelphia and became an official United States Navy site in 1801. With the advent of ironclad warships the site became obsolete and new facilities were built on League Island at the confluence of the Delaware River and Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Naval Aircraft Factory was established at the League Island site in 1917. Just after WW1, a 350-ton capacity Hammerhead Crane was ordered for the yard and for many years it was the largest crane in the US Navy.

Its greatest period came in World War II, when the yard employed 40,000 people on the construction of 53 ships and the repair of 574. During this period, the yard built the famed USS New Jersey and its forty-five thousand ton sister ship, the USS Wisconsin.

After the war, the workforce dropped to 12,000, and in the 1960s new ships began to be contracted out to private companies. The last new ship constructed was the command ship USS Blue Ridge, in 1970.

The yard's closure was originally recommended in 1991 by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, as a result of foreign competition and reduced needs due to the end of the Cold War. Although local politicians tried to keep the Yard open, it finally closed in 1995 with a loss of 7,000 jobs. Senator Arlen Specter charged that the Department of Defense did not disclose the official report on the closing. This resulted in a controversy that led to further legal disputes to no avail. Since its transfer from the government, the property has been sold to Aker Philadelphia Shipyards, formerly Kvaerner, a tanker and commercial shipbuilding firm.

The memorial to the Four Chaplains currently resides on the grounds of the shipyard.

[edit] Notable projects

USS Indiana: Battleship No. 1 of the Navy, fitted out from 28 February 1893, commissioned 20 November 1895
USS New Jersey
USS Wisconsin: Last keel laid for a completed battleship of the United States Navy, 25 January 1941^[1]
USS Blue Ridge: Final new ship project
Philadelphia Experiment:Supposed site of the Philadelphia Project