Bureau of Yards and Docks
Encyclopedia
The Bureau of Yards and Docks was the branch of the United States Navy
responsible from 1842 to 1966 for building and maintaining navy yards, drydocks
, and other facilities relating to ship construction
, maintenance, and repair.
The Bureau was established on August 31, 1842 by an act of Congress
(5 Stat. 579), as one of the five bureaus
replacing the Board of Naval Commissioners
established in 1815.
The Bureau was abolished effective in 1966 as part of the Department of Defense
's reorganization of its material establishment, being replaced by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC).
This article contains public domain
information from the United States National Archives and Records Administration
.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
responsible from 1842 to 1966 for building and maintaining navy yards, drydocks
Dry dock
A drydock is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform...
, and other facilities relating to ship construction
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
, maintenance, and repair.
The Bureau was established on August 31, 1842 by an act of Congress
Act of Congress
An Act of Congress is a statute enacted by government with a legislature named "Congress," such as the United States Congress or the Congress of the Philippines....
(5 Stat. 579), as one of the five bureaus
United States Navy bureau system
The "bureau system" of the United States Navy was the Department of the Navy's material-support organization from 1842 through 1966. The bureau chiefs were largely autonomous, reporting directly to the Secretary of the Navy and managing their respective organizations without the influence of other...
replacing the Board of Naval Commissioners
Board of Navy Commissioners
The Board of Naval Commissioners was a United States Navy administrative body in existence from 1815 to 1842, with responsibility for the Navy's material support. The three-member Board was created as part of an expansion of the U.S. Navy Department at the end of the War of 1812. The system was...
established in 1815.
The Bureau was abolished effective in 1966 as part of the Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
's reorganization of its material establishment, being replaced by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC).
Chiefs of the Bureau
The following, incomplete list includes the names of several notable individuals who served as Chief of the Bureau.- Commodore Lewis WarringtonLewis WarringtonLewis Warrington was an officer in the United States Navy during the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812. He temporarily served as the Secretary of the Navy.-Life and career:...
, circa 1842-1844 - Commodore (later Rear Admiral) John Cumming Howell, 1874-1878
- Rear Admiral David B. HarmonyDavid B. HarmonyDavid Butts Harmony was an rear admiral of the United States Navy, who served during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
, 1885-1889 - Rear Admiral Norman von Heldreich FarquharNorman von Heldreich FarquharRear Admiral Norman von Heldreich Farquhar was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War...
, 1890s - Rear Admiral (later Admiral) Ben MoreellBen MoreellAdmiral Ben Moreell was the chief of the U.S. Navy's Bureau of Yards and Docks and of the Civil Engineer Corps. Best known to the American public as the Father of the Navy's Seabees, Admiral Ben Moreell's life spanned eight decades, two world wars, a great depression and the evolution of the...
, World War II
External links
- Records of the Bureau of Yards and Docks - U.S. National Archives and Records AdministrationNational Archives and Records AdministrationThe National Archives and Records Administration is an independent agency of the United States government charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records and with increasing public access to those documents, which comprise the National Archives...
- Building the Navy's Bases in World War II: History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil Engineer Corps 1940-1946 (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1947)
See also
- United States Navy bureau systemUnited States Navy bureau systemThe "bureau system" of the United States Navy was the Department of the Navy's material-support organization from 1842 through 1966. The bureau chiefs were largely autonomous, reporting directly to the Secretary of the Navy and managing their respective organizations without the influence of other...
This article contains public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
information from the United States National Archives and Records Administration
National Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration is an independent agency of the United States government charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records and with increasing public access to those documents, which comprise the National Archives...
.