Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
Encyclopedia
The Philadelphia Naval Business Center, formerly known as the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Philadelphia Navy Yard, was the first naval shipyard of the United States
. The U.S. Navy
reduced its activities there in the 1990s, and ended most of them on September 30, 1995. Soon after, the west end of the site became a commercial shipyard, currently called the Aker Philadelphia Shipyard
.
Presently, Navy activities there include the Naval Surface Warfare Center Ship Systems Engineering Station, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Mid-Atlantic Public Works Department Pennsylvania (NAVFAC MIDLANT PWD PA) and the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility
(NISMF), which stores decommissioned and mothballed warships and auxiliary naval vessels.
on the Delaware River
that was founded in 1776 and became an official United States Navy
site in 1801.
After the advent of ironclad warships made the site obsolete, new facilities were built in 1871 on League Island
at the confluence of the Delaware and Schuylkill River
s.
The Naval Aircraft Factory
was established at the League Island site in 1917. Just after World War I
, a 350-ton capacity hammerhead crane
was ordered for the yard. Manufactured in 1919 by the McMyler-Interstate Company
in Bedford, Ohio
, the crane was called the League Island Crane by its builder. Weighing 3,500 tons, the crane was shipped to the yard in sections, and it was the world's largest crane at the time. The "League Island Crane" was for many years the Navy's largest crane.
Its greatest period came in World War II
, when the yard employed 40,000 people who built 53 ships and repaired 574. During this period, the yard built the famed battleship New Jersey
and its 45,000-ton sister ship, the Wisconsin
. In the Naval Laboratory Philip Abelson
developed the liquid thermal diffusion technique for separating U-235 for the Manhattan Project
.
After the war, the workforce dropped to 12,000, and in the 1960s, new ships began to be contracted out to private companies. The yard built its last new ship, the command ship 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 west end of property has been leased to Aker Kværner
, a tanker and commercial shipbuilding firm.
The memorial to the Four Chaplains
currently resides on the grounds of the shipyard.
The PNBC is home to several companies as the site continues to expand and develop. Clothing manufacturer Urban Outfitters
consolidated its Philadelphia headquarters on the site, while Tasty Baking Company, makers of Tastykake
s, is in the process of moving their headquarters and main bakery to the site as well as pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline
. Athletic Base Ball Club of Philadelphia
hosts the annual Philadelphia Base Ball Fair & Exhibition at the Navy Yard Parade Grounds.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The U.S. Navy
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...
reduced its activities there in the 1990s, and ended most of them on September 30, 1995. Soon after, the west end of the site became a commercial shipyard, currently called the Aker Philadelphia Shipyard
Aker Philadelphia Shipyard
Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, formerly Kværner Philadelphia Shipyard, is a shipyard located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States on the site of the defunct Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, which closed in 1995....
.
Presently, Navy activities there include the Naval Surface Warfare Center Ship Systems Engineering Station, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Mid-Atlantic Public Works Department Pennsylvania (NAVFAC MIDLANT PWD PA) and the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility
Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility
A Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility is a facility owned by the U.S. Navy as a holding facility for decommissioned naval vessels, pending determination of their final fate...
(NISMF), which stores decommissioned and mothballed warships and auxiliary naval vessels.
History
The yard has its origins in a shipyard on Philadelphia's Front StreetFront Street (Philadelphia)
Front Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is a north-south street running parallel to and near the Delaware River. It was constructed when Philadelphia was laid out by William Penn in 1682....
on the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
that was founded in 1776 and became an official United States Navy
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...
site in 1801.
After the advent of ironclad warships made the site obsolete, new facilities were built in 1871 on League Island
League Island
League Island was an island in the Delaware River, part of the city of Philadelphia, just upstream from the mouth of the Schuylkill River, which was the site of the Philadelphia shipyard, which eventually became the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, now known as the Philadelphia Naval Business...
at the confluence of the Delaware and Schuylkill River
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about long. Its watershed of about lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in...
s.
The Naval Aircraft Factory
Naval Aircraft Factory
The Naval Aircraft Factory was established by the United States Navy in 1918 at Philadelphia in order to assist in solving the problem of aircraft supply which faced the Navy Department upon the entry of the U.S. into World War I...
was established at the League Island site in 1917. Just after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, a 350-ton capacity hammerhead crane
Crane (machine)
A crane is a type of machine, generally equipped with a hoist, wire ropes or chains, and sheaves, that can be used both to lift and lower materials and to move them horizontally. It uses one or more simple machines to create mechanical advantage and thus move loads beyond the normal capability of...
was ordered for the yard. Manufactured in 1919 by the McMyler-Interstate Company
McMyler-Interstate Company
The McMyler-Interstate Company, a pioneer in the design, development, and manufacturing of ore- and coal-handling equipment as well as a manufacturer of heavy industrial equipment, was established in 1910 as the result of a consolidation of four companies in the city of Bedford, Ohio:* The...
in Bedford, Ohio
Bedford, Ohio
Bedford is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 13,074 at the 2010 census. It is an eastern suburb of Cleveland.-Geography:Bedford is located at ....
, the crane was called the League Island Crane by its builder. Weighing 3,500 tons, the crane was shipped to the yard in sections, and it was the world's largest crane at the time. The "League Island Crane" was for many years the Navy's largest crane.
Its greatest period came in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when the yard employed 40,000 people who built 53 ships and repaired 574. During this period, the yard built the famed battleship New Jersey
USS New Jersey (BB-62)
USS New Jersey , is an , and was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the U.S. state of New Jersey. New Jersey earned more battle stars for combat actions than the other three completed Iowa-class battleships, and is the only U.S...
and its 45,000-ton sister ship, the Wisconsin
USS Wisconsin (BB-64)
USS Wisconsin , "Wisky" or "WisKy", is an , the second ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the U.S. state of Wisconsin...
. In the Naval Laboratory Philip Abelson
Philip Abelson
Philip Hauge Abelson was an American physicist, a scientific editor, and a science writer.-Life:Abelson was born in 1913 in Tacoma, Washington. He attended Washington State University where he received degrees in chemistry and physics, and the University of California, Berkeley , where he earned...
developed the liquid thermal diffusion technique for separating U-235 for the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
.
After the war, the workforce dropped to 12,000, and in the 1960s, new ships began to be contracted out to private companies. The yard built its last new ship, the command ship Blue Ridge
USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19)
USS Blue Ridge is the lead ship of the two Blue Ridge-class command ships of the U.S. Navy, and is the command ship of the United States Seventh Fleet. Her primary role is to provide Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence support to the commander and staff of the United...
, in 1970.
Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...
Commission, as a result of foreign competition and reduced needs due to the end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. Although local politicians tried to keep the Yard open, it finally closed in 1995 with a loss of 7,000 jobs. Senator Arlen Specter
Arlen Specter
Arlen Specter is a former United States Senator from Pennsylvania. Specter is a Democrat, but was a Republican from 1965 until switching to the Democratic Party in 2009...
charged that the Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
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 west end of property has been leased to Aker Kværner
Aker Kværner
Aker Solutions ASA is a Norwegian multinational provider of services related to engineering, construction, maintenance, modification and operation of both large and small industrial facilities. The company, with roots back to 1841, has its headquarters in Oslo and is listed on Oslo Stock Exchange...
, a tanker and commercial shipbuilding firm.
The memorial to the Four Chaplains
Four Chaplains
The Four Chaplains, also sometimes referred to as the "Immortal Chaplains," were four United States Army chaplains who gave their lives to save other civilian and military personnel during the sinking of the troop ship USAT Dorchester during World War II. They helped other soldiers board lifeboats...
currently resides on the grounds of the shipyard.
The PNBC is home to several companies as the site continues to expand and develop. Clothing manufacturer Urban Outfitters
Urban Outfitters
Urban Outfitters, Inc. is a publicly traded American company that owns and operates five retail brands: Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People, Terrain, and BHLDN....
consolidated its Philadelphia headquarters on the site, while Tasty Baking Company, makers of Tastykake
Tastykake
Tastykake is the brandname for a line of snack foods manufactured by the Tasty Baking Company, currently headquartered at the Philadelphia Naval Business Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in 1914 by Philip J. Baur and Herbert T...
s, is in the process of moving their headquarters and main bakery to the site as well as pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
. Athletic Base Ball Club of Philadelphia
Athletic Base Ball Club of Philadelphia
Athletic Base Ball Club of Philadelphia is a vintage base ball team based in Philadelphia, which plays by 1864 National Association Rules. Athletic is a member of the Mid Atlantic Vintage Base Ball League...
hosts the annual Philadelphia Base Ball Fair & Exhibition at the Navy Yard Parade Grounds.
Notable projects
- New JerseyUSS New Jersey (BB-62)USS New Jersey , is an , and was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the U.S. state of New Jersey. New Jersey earned more battle stars for combat actions than the other three completed Iowa-class battleships, and is the only U.S...
- WisconsinUSS Wisconsin (BB-64)USS Wisconsin , "Wisky" or "WisKy", is an , the second ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the U.S. state of Wisconsin...
: Last keel laid for a completed battleship of the United States Navy, 25 January 1941 - The final ships built were LST-1179, LST-1180 and LST-1181 starting in 1969 and completed in early 1971.
- Philadelphia ExperimentPhiladelphia ExperimentThe Philadelphia Experiment is the name of an alleged naval military experiment said to have been carried out at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA sometime around October 28, 1943. It is alleged that the U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Eldridge was to be rendered...
: site of the supposed Philadelphia Experiment.
External links
- Philadelphia Naval Business Center official site
- Barry Yeoman, Subsidies at Sea, Mother Jones