Boston Navy Yard

The Boston Navy Yard was founded in 1801, but today is one of the most popular attractions in the Boston National Historical Park. The yard was originally known as the Charlestown Navy Yard because all of the naval shipbuilding activities took place during the American Revolutionary War in none other than Charlestown, Massachusetts. The United States Navy used by the United States Navy for over 174 years and was the first of its kind in the New England area. The Boston Navy Yard was mostly used to repair ships, but it was also credited for building the "first United States ship of the line, USS Independence."

One of the most notable things about this Navy Yard is that it was the very first naval dry dock in all of New England, which allowed them to repair ships in any type of weather. This dock performed under the name of the Charlestown Navy Yard for most of the 1800's, but by the 1890's it was commonly referred to as the Boston Navy Yard. This is also the period that marks the time when the Yard began building steel ships for the "New Navy".

As the 19th century came to a close there were many changes that were being made to the Boston Navy Yard, and by the early 20th century the Yard had changed drastically. The Navy expanded the Boston Navy Yard by adding a second dry dock, ropewalk and brick buildings in the early years of the 20th century. They also updated their technology with new radar as well as a new set of skills for installing and repairing missiles. The second dry dock was very useful during World War II when it repaired ships that had been damaged by the Germans. However, this was the last major war to bring work to the Boston Navy Yard; it was too far away from the fighting of the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

The Navy Yard saw its last historic ship float out of the dock on March 14, 1975, and since this time it has been converted into part of the Boston National Historical Park. Although the Boston Navy Yard has many different attractions, its primary mission is "to interpret the art and history of naval shipbuilding." This is something that everyone can enjoy, which is why the Boston Navy Yard has remained a main attraction in the Historical Park for over a quarter of a century.

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