NORFOLK NAVAL shipyard
CELEBRATING 250 YEARS OF HISTORY & INNOVATION
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FROM THE COMMANDER
DRY DOCK 6 & 7 DRY DOCK 4 WITH GRAND OPENING IN 1919 SUBMARINES IN 1920
USS LA JOLLA (SSN 701) HULL IN THREE PIECES
USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN 75) IN DRY DOCK 8
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It is a great privilege to serve as the 107th commanding officer of Norfolk Naval Shipyard, the U.S. Navy’s oldest and largest industrial facility. While this would have been an awesome responsibility at any period in the shipyard’s history, it’s especially so this year, as Norfolk Naval Shipyard celebrates 250 years of history and innovation, honoring our important past and ensuring our vital future. The title “first” provides a unique jewel in an institution’s crown, a significant distinction that brings an undeniable pride. The first and oldest continuously operating U.S. Navy Shipyard is an especially grand label, for it highlights such a yard as a beacon of patriotism, strength, and determination that the entire country can trust and respect. This remarkable honor belongs to Norfolk Naval Shipyard. During the past 250 years, this former colonial shipyard has assisted the nation in winning 11 major wars, putting an end to piracy, sending the Great White Fleet around the world, scientifically exploring the Pacific, and opening Japan to American trade. Our shipyard workforce is incredibly diverse – we employ almost 11,000 civilians, including thousands of veterans – but no matter the service, no matter the duty, we are each connected by our shared commitment to the Navy and our nation. We are still keeping the world’s sea lanes free and serving as ambassadors of history’s greatest democracy. From the age of sail to nuclear power, the shipyard has measured up to the highest standards of ship construction and maintenance. Generations of workers have passed on their skills and, above all, the pride of workmanship in their labors. That the Norfolk Naval Shipyard has survived when other naval shipyards have closed speaks to the quality of its operations. Throughout our history, Norfolk Naval Shipyard has been agile in adapting to new challenges and maximizing new opportunities, and we will continue to adapt to the challenges and opportunities this
changing maritime landscape presents. The City of Portsmouth will host a 250th Anniversary Celebration in honor of Norfolk Naval Shipyard Nov. 1. We are fortunate to have a strong partnership with the city and we look forward remembering our past and envisioning our future as we celebrate 250 years on the Portsmouth waterfront. This anniversary provides an excellent opportunity for us to build on our past, celebrate our victories, and discover new and innovative ways to accomplish our mission to deliver ships and systems on time and at cost for the U.S. Navy. We are the Navy’s stewards to meet this challenge. It is an honor to be the commanding officer during this remarkable occasion and I look forward to celebrating 250 years of Norfolk Naval Shipyard with all of you.
Capt. Scott Brown Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s 107th Commander
Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s powerful battleship USS Alabama was commissioned August 16, 1942. It joined the fight in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters during World War II, and was ultimately awarded nine battle stars. Since 1964, Alabama has served as a museum ship at Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, Alabama. The former battleship is now a National Historic Landmark. SEE MORE FACTS ON PAGE 12.
our COMMUNITY MATTERS Norfolk Naval Shipyard is a full service shipyard and the fourth largest employer in Hampton Roads, with a workforce of 10,552 civilians, 750 active duty and Reserve Sailors, and more than 6,000 tenant command employees and Ship’s Force. The shipyard completes more than 1.5 million mandays of work each year, with an annual operating profile of more than $1.5 billion. Most of this work is done in Portsmouth. The shipyard boasts five dry docks, including the first dry dock built in North America and the only federally-owned aircraft carrier dry dock on the East Coast. However, Norfolk Naval Shipyard also has approximately 1,000 employees each day supporting the Navy’s mission around the globe.
RIVER STAR Norfolk Naval Shipyard was inducted into the Elizabeth River Project 2017 Inside Business River Star Hall of Fame during a recognition luncheon Jan. 26. With this award, the Elizabeth River Project recognizes one business that has done the most to exemplify the spirit of the River Stars program, an initiative to salute businesses and government facilities for voluntarily preventing pollution, enhancing wildlife habitat, and leading community efforts to protect the environment. In a letter to NNSY, the Elizabeth River Project commended the shipyard’s exemplary leadership during its involvement with the program to “do right by the river” through responsible environmental stewardship practices that save money, improve employee morale and reduce safety risks at the facility while safeguarding the health of the Elizabeth River.
ENVIRONMENTAL AWARDS The shipyard’s St. Juliens Creek Annex won the 2016 Chief of Naval Operations Environmental Award in the Environmental Restoration, Installation Category. Its achievements included becoming only the third Navy facility in the Mid-Atlantic Region to achieve the construction complete milestone, reducing concentrations of contaminants, and optimizing remedial strategies to reduce costs. NNSY received the Secretary of Defense Environmental Award in the same category for fiscal years 2015 and 2016 for conducting cultural resource training sessions to promote awareness and stewardship of cultural resources and familiarization with the history of Norfolk Naval Shipyard; capturing geographic information system (GIS) data to identify archaeological sites, cemeteries, historic buildings and areas that require further investigations; development of a one-hour driving tour highlighting sixteen significant resources with documentation of the historical importance, key features, preservation challenges, and preservation successes; and completion of a comprehensive photographic archival study at the National Archives and Records Administration. St. Juliens Creek Annex was also announced as the recipient of the Secretary of Navy Award for Environmental Restoration.
TUTORING AND MENTORING Each year, Norfolk Naval Shipyard hosts high school students from Hampton Roads for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Career Days. The purpose of these STEM Career Days is to inspire young minds by enhancing student interest in STEM related educational opportunities and careers at NNSY. The shipyard is also proud to sponsor summer camps for elementary, middle, and high school students in the community as part of a partnership established through Science and Technology Academies Reinforcing Basic Aviation and Space Exploration (STARBASE) at Victory Elementary School and Cooperating Hampton Roads Organizations for Minorities in Engineering (CHROME). The camps engage learning in areas of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The NNSY outreach program also partners with schools in Hampton Roads to provide mentoring opportunities for students. During the 2016-2017 school year, volunteers assisted seven schools within the community. Shipyard volunteers commit one hour each week to visit their sponsored school, working with students and providing assistance in robotics, reading, science, spelling, mathematics, and SAT preparation.
CLEAN THE BAY DAY Every year, Norfolk Naval Shipyard service members participate in Clean the Bay Day as part of a partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Heeding the call to “save the bay,” service members clean debris from Virginia’s urban, suburban and rural shorelines and waterways. In 2016, shipyard volunteers collected more than 36,000 pounds of trash, which included more than 37 tires as well as bottles from the 1800s. 250 YEARS • 5
NNSY: THE BIRTHPLACE OF NAVAL TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION
The Norfolk Naval Shipyard has built historic ships, developed mines and torpedoes, outfitted ships for around-theworld diplomatic voyages, aided the fleet during wartime, made the transitions from sails to coal and oil and then to nuclear power, and developed skills and technologies that embraced Dahlgren guns, 16-inch batteries and guided missiles. Within the span of history here, the shipyard has hosted presidents, created 250 YEARS • 6
the Navy’s first hospital, recruited workers from many states, repaired and overhauled thousands of American and allied ships, and earned a host of awards. Continuing success means aligning priorities with the future of ship modernization and repair, and Norfolk Naval Shipyard is invested in doing just that. With a focus on forward-thinking high-velocity learning and dependence on a young workforce, NNSY is evolving
its processes and workflow to fit tomorrow’s needs. Planning for the future also means implementing emerging technologies. Norfolk Naval Shipyard has resources dedicated to developing cleaner and more efficient ways of accomplishing the Navy’s mission. With an eye on innovation, NNSY will continue to lead the way. An organization doesn’t get to its 250th anniversary without successfully reinventing itself along with the times. The Continuous Performance Improvement and Innovation (CPI&I) Executive Steering Committee, founded this year, is working to maximize awareness and effectiveness while minimizing redundant efforts and wasted time. This year alone, the shipyard’s Rapid Prototype Center and Technology and Innovation Laboratory, which have an impressive array of additive manufacturing (3-D printing), metrology (the scientific study of measurement) and laser ablation (the process of removing unwanted material from a surface) capabilities, completed several valuable projects. They created a three-dimensional (3D) Tie Bolt Anti-Rotation tool for use on a variety of components aboard naval vessels. They made a new molded case breaker assembly test stand, reducing shock safety concerns and wasted man-hours to create a more efficient environment for electrical mechanics. They developed a cable winch guide to make life raft testing and repair safer for employees in the sail loft by reducing the amount of heavy lifting strain and making cable spooling quick and easy. They created a 3-D printed tool called a sanitary clamp wrench to deliver an ergonomic alternative to temporary service workers during their everyday cleaning and special emphasis work. Every day, the shipyard puts innovative ideas to work to create new and more efficient ways to meet our mission.
our ACHIEVEMENTS MATTER
Today’s successes: keeping the fleet fit to fight As the nation’s oldest continuously operating shipyard and one of the U.S. Navy’s largest industrial facilities, Norfolk Naval Shipyard boasts an unparalleled list of firsts. Norfolk Naval Shipyard, home to the first functioning dry dock in North America, now a national historic landmark. Norfolk Naval Shipyard, home to the Navy’s first battleship (USS Texas). Norfolk Naval Shipyard, home to the birth of naval aviation. Norfolk Naval Shipyard, home to the Navy’s first aircraft carrier, USS Langley (CV 1). But we’re not here to rest on the laurels of those generations that came and toiled before us. Norfolk Naval Shipyard is just as important to the Atlantic Fleet, and the United States Navy, in the 21st century as it was in the 19th and 20th centuries. This year alone, Norfolk Naval Shipyard completed the USS Rhode Island (SSBN USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN 75)
740) refueling in record time, finishing three days ahead of schedule and surpassing a major milestone for the availability. The boat later undocked two days early, setting a new record for Engineered Refueling Overhauls on the East Coast and beating the shipyard’s former record set nearly a decade ago. Norfolk Naval Shipyard welcomed USS San Francisco for its conversion from an operational fast-attack submarine into a Moored Training Ship, which will eventually provide a platform to train nuclear officers and Sailors at the Nuclear Power Training Unit in Charleston, South Carolina. Norfolk Naval Shipyard completed mission-critical ballast tank and tode array handling system repairs and testing on USS Albany (SSN 753) three weeks ahead of schedule, which allowed the boat to undock three days early. USS RHODE ISLAND (SSBN 740)
USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69) Norfolk Naval Shipyard performed its first-ever pierside Dual Media Discharge on USS San Francisco (SSN 711), completing special-emphasis maintenance vital for submarine readiness. Norfolk Naval Shipyard completed the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) 10-month availability two days early. Norfolk Naval Shipyard welcomed USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) for its six-month Planned Incremental Availability. Norfolk Naval Shipyard, in partnership with Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, completed highly complex work on San Francisco conversion project 13 days early. The work performed at Norfolk Naval Shipyard—by Norfolk Naval Shipyard— is critical not only to the Atlantic Fleet, but the whole United States Navy and the entire nation.
USS SAN FRANCISCO (SSN 711)
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1767
Gosport Shipyard founded by Andrew Sprowle Nov. 1, 1767.
1779
British military leaders commanded a raid on the shipyard in May 1779. The invaders took over Fort Nelson, burned Gosport, and destroyed 137 ships in Hampton Roads.
1794
Following the British surrender, the shipyard was annexed to Portsmouth and eventually leased to the federal government by the Commonwealth of Virginia. The shipyard once again was operated under the American flag.
1798
1833
Congress created the U.S. Navy Department and designated the shipyard as Gosport Navy Yard.
Dry Dock #1 was christened with docking of USS Delaware, the first ship to be dry docked in the United States, June 17, 1833. The dry dock was completed in 1834.
1775-1783 The American Revolutionary War, also known as the American War of Independence, was fought from 1775 to 1783. Andrew Sprowle, a loyal British Navy Agent, fled the area, and Gosport Shipyard was confiscated by the Colony of Virginia.
1858
1799
The City of Portsmouth was incorporated as an independent city.
USS Chesapeake launched at the shipyard. Chesapeake was a 38-gun wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy.
1801
In June of 1801, the federal government bought the shipyard, which at the time consisted of just 16 acres, from Virginia for $12,000.
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1862
In March, USS Merrimack was rebuilt and designated as CSS Virginia. Also that month was the first battle between the ironclads USS Monitor and CSS Virginia.
1861
Civil War began with the Battle of Fort Sumter and Virginia convention votes to secede from the Union. The shipyard was burned by fleeing federal troops and taken over by the Virginia State Navy under the Virginia flag. USS Merrimack was burned to the waterline. The shipyard transferred from the Virginia Navy to Confederate States Navy under the Confederate Stars and Bars flag.
1942
The Shipyard-built 3,500-ton battleship USS Alabama (BB 60) was commissioned Aug. 16, 1942.
1889-1892
The shipyard builds USS Texas, the first U.S. naval battleship to be commissioned.
2015
USS La Jolla (SSN 701) arrives for conversion to a Moored Training Ship.
1953 1929
Shipyard renamed Norfolk Navy Yard.
The last ship built by Norfolk Naval Shipyard, USS Bulwark (AM-425), was commissioned.
1910
1965
Flying from the first flight deck built on a ship, Eugene B. Ely took off from USS Birmingham (CS-2).
The shipyard attained nuclear technology capability when USS Skate (SSN 578) became the first modern submarine to undergo a major overhaul here.
1945
2017
Shipyard renamed Norfolk Naval Shipyard.
1862
NNSY successfully undocked USS Rhode Island (SSBN 740) two days early and completed the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) Planned Incremental Availability two days early.
In May, the shipyard was evacuated and burned by the Confederate States Navy, reoccupied by the United States Navy under the U.S. flag, and designated as U.S. Navy Yard, Norfolk, Virginia, after the county in which it was located.
1919-1922
The first aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy’s history, USS Langley (CV 1), was converted from the collier USS Jupiter (AC 3).
2017 2012
The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) arrives at NNSY for the first time for a four-month Planned Incremental Availability.
ON NOV. 1, 2017, NNSY CELEBRATES 250 YEARS OF SHIPBUILDING, MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR.
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our HISTORY MATTERS
The nation’s first dry dock in a shipyard on fire
It’s the United States Navy’s oldest, largest and most multifaceted industrial facility, now on the eve of its 250th anniversary in November 2017. But as flames consumed the structures and ships of Norfolk Naval Shipyard the evening of April 20, 1861, its future and legacy were very much in jeopardy. At the advent of the Civil War, Gosport Shipyard (as NNSY was then known) was a premier naval facility in Portsmouth, Virginia. Two huge ship houses loomed over the waterfront. The shipyard was home to the Navy’s largest arsenal, which included 300 Dahlgren cannons and more than 50 nineinch guns, as well as a squadron of active and reserve vessels. The control of Gosport Shipyard wasn’t just a game changer; it was a war changer. As southern naval officers resigned in increasing numbers, the southern states seceded. U.S. Navy ships were scattered across the world’s oceans, and President James Buchanan was a thoughtful, moderate man whose rationales were a whisper in a
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hurricane of inflamed emotion on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line. Weeks after President Abraham Lincoln took office, frenzied preparations were underway to hurry Gosport’s strategic asset— the 12-knot screw frigate USS Merrimack— off to Philadelphia. On April 17, 1861, the very day Virginia seceded, steam was up, and permission to get Merrimack underway was requested. However, Shipyard Commander, Commodore Charles McCauley, denied the request. On April 20 while awaiting Northern reinforcements, McCauley received reports Confederate attack was imminent, with forces arriving locally in one large trainload after another. Proving the benefits of deception in wartime, the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad was actually just continuously running a single convoy of soldiers to Norfolk—a convoy masquerading as an army. McCauley ordered the scuttling of ships, and destruction of America’s first dry dock, Dry Dock 1.
Dry Dock 1 was set for demolition, black powder loaded into the dock’s pumping galley and slow burning fuses strategically placed. It’s unknown how the dock survived—faulty materials? Water in the dock? Sympathetic union soldiers who snuffed the fuses, or a shrewd Southern officer who opened up the dry dock to the river? With the shipyard’s ships and structures ablaze the evening of April 20, 1861, Portsmouth’s citizens were initially fearful but ultimately fortunate, and damage was largely limited to the shipyard, with the exception of when USS Pennsylvania’s guns heated past the firing point, shooting cannonballs down a city street and damaging at least one private residence. The invading Confederates overtook the shipyard, and the ships of Merrimack, Germantown, Plymouth and Dolphin were severely damaged or altogether destroyed. Much of the shipyard’s weaponry survived, including the highly valuable 300 Dahlgren cannons. Despite the determined efforts to destroy Merrimack, the Confederacy raised the ship’s remains and rebuilt it as the ironclad ram CSS Virginia. This ship became the Confederacy’s foremost hope in defending local waters, at least until the shipyard was seized a year later in May 1862.
Designed by famed civil engineer Colonel Loammi Baldwin, Dry Dock 1 could host the nation’s largest ships at the time. Upon completion, it measured 320 feet long at ground level and 85.5 feet wide at the coping. USS Delaware became the first ship in America to be dry docked on June 17, 1833. NNSY, then known as Gosport Navy Yard, spent more than three years constructing Delaware before it was launched Oct. 21, 1820. Delaware’s docking actually preceded the completion of Dry Dock 1 by nine months. Completed at a cost of $974,365.65, Dry Dock 1 has undoubtedly proved its worth to the Navy and nation. Indeed, it is still in limited use today. SEE MORE FACTS ON PAGE 12.
Battle of Ironclads: The Battle of Hampton Roads As the spring of March 1862 approached ,the nation had been at civil war within itself for almost a year. No place held more strategic importance in eastern Virginia’s theater of war than the harbor known as Hampton Roads. This vast natural deep water harbor receives the rivers Nansemond, James and Elizabeth before exiting into the Chesapeake Bay and afforded miles of shoreline for each side to establish defenses. Both the Northern Federal and Southern Confederate forces realized that control of this waterway would be vital to their cause. The Federal forces occupied Newport News Point with a heavily reinforced Camp Butler, the man-made Rip Rap island found at the channel entrance otherwise known as Fort Wool which gave the Union forces a great forward observation point. Most importantly, Fortress Monroe functioned as a secure base for both land and sea operations. On the southern shores of the Hampton Roads harbor, the Confederate forces established reinforcements at Pig Point, Craney Island and Sewell’s Point. They also held their grand prize, abandoned by the Union in April 1861: Gosport Navy Yard. The South, lacking material resources and a robust industrial base, had raised and converted the burnt hulk of the steam frigate USS Merrimack. Torched and sunk by the Union, the new ironclad CSS Virginia was
commissioned in about nine months, yet it was still incomplete at time of sailing. Given the marginal performance of the steam engines, Virginia made up for any shortcomings by way of firepower with two seven-inch Brooke-rifled guns, six nine-inch Dahlgren smoothbores and two 6.4-inch Brooke-rifled pivot guns. It sailed with a casemate of two alternating layers of bolted two-inch iron bars over a 24-inch wooden backing all configured at a 35-degree angle in order to best deflect shot. Virginia also had an iron ram mounted to the bow, a feature that would be soon tested with much success against wood. On the morning of March 8, 1862, Virginia slipped away from Gosport Navy Yard and sailed into history. Flag Officer Franklin Buchanan commanded his flagship against the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron consisting of USS Roanoke, USS Minnesota, USS Congress and USS Cumberland. Buchanan set his target upon Cumberland, sinking it with a massive broadside hit from the ram. Next, Buchanan turned his attention to Congress, firing upon the ship until a white flag was raised. Virginia ceased fire long enough to take the surviving officers as prisoners before burning the ship. With falling tide, proper attention could not be made to USS Minnesota, so Virginia took up anchor.
On the morning of March 9, 1862, naval warfare would be changed forever on the second day of the Battle of Hampton Roads. As the fog burnt away on Sunday morning, something strange was seen alongside USS Minnesota. USS Monitor, the invention of Swedish designer John Ericsson, had made the voyage from the Brooklyn Navy Yard to Hampton Roads. Monitor was an experimental vessel, featuring a round rotating turret that was covered by eight inches of rolled iron plate. Inside the turret were two 11-inch Dahlgren cannons that could be trained in any direction. Given the shallow draft required, Monitor had much greater maneuverability than Virginia. After four hours, Virginia and Monitor faced a tactical draw. There was no loss of life or damage to either ship, and although worse for the battle, the Minnesota was saved and the Federal blockade remained. Each side claimed its own victory. One only needs to travel on either of the two bridge tunnel complexes that cross the Hampton Roads harbor and consider that they act as a natural picture frame showcasing where naval history was made 155 years ago upon these waters. 250 YEARS • 11
250 YEARS OF FACTS FACT: The screw frigate USS Merrimack was one of the best known warships in the world when it was burned to the waterline and sunk by Union forces at the shipyard April 20, 1861 to prevent capture by Confederate forces. While it was raised, rebuilt and renamed at the shipyard, with CSS Virginia engaging in the first ironclad battle in naval history with USS Monitor, there is some spirited debate locally about the spelling of the local Monitor-Merrimac
FACT: NNSY moved two carriers simultaneously in May 2011, as USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) had to make room to have USS Harry S Truman (CVN 75) properly aligned with Dry Dock 8 when it arrived for overhaul. At the closest point of approach, there was a mere 48 feet of clearance between the two carriers.
FACT: It was customary in the days of sail for naval ships to fire an evening gun as an unmistakable signal that 9 p.m. was the time to officially conclude the day’s events. This naval tradition helped launch the shipyard’s traditional firing of its “Nine o’ clock gun,” which began announcing the 9 p.m. hour for Portsmouth residents in 1847 and continued until 2001. 250 YEARS • 12
Bridge named to memorialize the battle. The bridge spells “Merrimac” without the ‘k.’ The discrepancy is possibly due to many references to the Merrimack after it was renamed Virginia not having the ‘k’ at the end. But the name of the ship of ironclad fame should be spelled with a ‘k,’ according to the Office of Naval History.
FACT: Built during World War II, NNSY’s USS Shangri-La (CV 38) is surely the only aircraft carrier to have ever been named in honor of a joke. The name originated from President Roosevelt’s quip during a news conference announcing the first air raid on Japan in 1942. When asked from where the planes had flown, the president protected the vessel from targeted retaliation by telling reporters the planes took off from Shangri-La, the mythical kingdom in James Hilton’s book Lost Horizon. Shangri-La was commissioned September 15, 1944. FACT: The brother of Gen. Robert E. Lee, Capt. Sidney Lee commanded the shipyard for less than a week in early May 1862. Serving as the shipyard’s “executive officer,” Lee was responsible for transferring industrial and military resources to a newly established and landlocked “Confederate Naval Shipyard” in Charlotte, North Carolina. FACT: Several U.S. Presidents have visited the shipyard while in office, including Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, John Tyler, James Polk, Millard Fillmore, James Garfield, Theodore Roosevelt, Warren Harding, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
FACT: The NNSY-built USS Texas was commissioned Aug. 15, 1895. It was not only the first U.S. Navy battleship to be commissioned, but also the first steel vessel constructed at the shipyard.
FACT: World War I introduced women volunteers into the Navy and Norfolk Naval Shipyard. About 800 “Yeomanettes” performed shipyard administrative jobs, issued supplies, ran messages, and drove vehicles. After being discharged in 1919, some began shipyard civilian careers that continued for 30 years or more. FACT: In response to the USS Cole (DDG 67) attack on October 12, 2000, a Norfolk Naval Shipyard team was quickly assembled and headed to Yemen to stabilize the guided missile destroyer and help recover missing sailors. All 22 employees were honored with a Meritorious Civilian Service Award.
FACT: Norfolk Naval Shipyard was originally established on a 16-acre site. Prior to the formal establishment of the shipyard, the site was already being used for loading, repairing and careening ships. FACT: On July 9, 1829, President Andrew Jackson arrived in Hampton Roads in advance of a visit to the shipyard. During the excitement of a presidential visit, Jackson somehow became separated from the official party while at the shipyard. He then stopped a waterboy who had been given specific instructions to keep only shipyard employees hydrated. When Jackson asked for a drink, the waterboy told him, “I haven’t time, sir. I’m hired by the government to wait on its employees.” “Then, my lad,” Jackson replied, “I am entitled to a drink, for I, too, am an employee of the government as its president. Andrew Jackson at your service.”
FACT: How do you hide an aircraft carrier? The British aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious’ arrival to undergo a six-month repair at the shipyard beginning in May 1941, was never announced and protected by voluntary censorship on the part of local news media. Rumors spread about the British ship being sunk by the Germans, but with strong public sympathy for the Allied cause and tightening security regulations, folks stayed mum about its status. Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox bolstered the silence by asking people to refrain from divulging such news.
FACT: The shipyard commander’s residence, Quarters A, is on the National Register of Historic Places. FACT: The person who started the trend of referring to the shipyard as “Norfolk Navy Yard” was President Abraham Lincoln. In May 1862, Lincoln surveyed the shipyard burned by evacuating Confederates and the destroyed CSS Virginia from a Union steamer in Norfolk’s inner harbor. Lincoln’s recurring references of the facility as the “Norfolk Navy Yard” were a major influence on the general adoption of that name, which would last through World War II.
FACT: In advance of the first flight off of a naval vessel in the fall of 1910, shipyard employees worked night and day to build an 83-foot sloping platform on the cruiser USS Birmingham, assembled and hoisted the plane on deck, and passed the civilian pilot aboard. Eugene B. Ely flew the four-cylinder Curtiss biplane for the first time, planning to land at the shipyard but choosing to land at Willoughby Spit because of bad weather. Ely’s “life jacket” was comprised of inflated bike tires.
FACT: Great Lake! As one of the three aircraft carriers built at Norfolk Naval Shipyard during World War II, USS Lake Champlain was commissioned on June 3, 1945. As part of “Operation Magic Carpet” returning servicemen from war, the carrier set a speed record in November 1945 for crossing the Atlantic in four days, eight hours and 51 minutes.
FACT: Shipyard apprentices applied knowledge of their trades when constructing a Dry Dock l scale model, which would later be displayed in Portsmouth’s Naval Shipyard Museum.
FACT: On August 21, 2003, NNSY and the City of Portsmouth dedicated the first phase of the Path of History, providing a collection of naval artifacts along a paved path spanning from just outside the shipyard gates across from Quarters A and into downtown Portsmouth. 250 YEARS • 13
our PEOPLE MATTER
THE DIVERS The story of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard is one of its people. Throughout the centuries, tens of thousands of men and women have passed through its gates, from admirals to apprentices. The shipyard is a microcosm of America itself, with people from all walks of life, backgrounds and generations. Protecting and strengthening the nation is what brings this team together, and allows it to achieve great things. So when photographer Glen McClure set out on a project to capture photographs of hard-working individuals, focusing on the Hampton Roads ship building and repair industry was a natural choice. McClure visited Norfolk Naval Shipyard May 20, 2016, taking photographs of various workers throughout the day. Code 106 Safety and Health Specialist Stephanie Twine, Shop 72 Rigger Apprentice Kristin Fly, Shop 64 Woodcrafter Kelby Lilly, and Shop 64 Woodcrafter Daniel Bundy were among those chosen to showcase their jobs, providing insight to their day-to-day work. The photos of Twine, Fly, Lilly, and Bundy were featured at the Portsmouth Art and Cultural Center as part of “Hard Hat Heroes: A Photographic Portrait Exhibit by Glen McClure.” The shipyard is also home to several proud, generational legacies. One such family, the Pendletons, trace their shipyard lineage back five generations to the early 1900s. The Wynne family legacy started in 1999 when Jesse Wynne arrived for his first day of work at NNSY, and many family members have since followed him to the shipyard, including his father. Several of the Wynnes have married other shipyard
employees, and thus the legacy grows. Former Shipyard Commander Adm. Elmer Westfall’s influence at NNSY continues four decades after his retirement. His son, Tim, retired from NNSY as a Lt. Cmdr. His granddaughter, Alexandra, is currently working for Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) here. The Divers family’s claim to shipyard fame lies with Great Uncle Henry, who served in the Navy and performed in New York City’s vaudeville circuit before coming to NNSY in the 1920s as an inside machinist and director of the shipyard orchestra. Claud Divers Jr. and his son Claud Divers III also worked on the waterfront, and grandson Will is currently an Electrical Group employee. These are but a few examples of NNSY’s connection to its community and its people. There are also icons like Sammy Chory, who has worked at the shipyard since 1972, before more than 58 percent of the current workforce was even born. There’s Olin Roberson, an apprentice turned branch head at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Calibration Center, who has 42 years under his belt. And there’s Marie Roberson, a World War II tack welder who lied about her age so she could contribute to the country’s war effort at NNSY. Our people have always been our greatest asset. The mission is what keeps us charging forward. The overwhelming pride in contributing to the surrounding communities, the Navy, and to the defense of this nation gives us a sense of purpose. Many shipyard employees served in our nation’s military, and have come here with the desire to continue serving. Others come in as apprentices, having seen the positive impact of the shipyard while growing up nearby. But regardless of the path they took to get here, the common goals are what unite them.
THE WESTFALLS
SAMMY CHORY
MARIE ROBERSON
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WE SALUTE THE NORFOLK NAVAL SHIPYARD FOR 250 YEARS OF PROUDLY BUILDING, OVERHAULING AND REPAIRING THE SHIPS THAT HELP PRESERVE OUR FREEDOM.
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With special thanks to the City of Portsmouth and Inside Business