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AsbestosAsbestos Industry

Job SitesShipyards

Brooklyn Navy Yard

A small shipyard was established on the East River in the 1700s that would come to be known as the New York Navy Yard. The first merchant ship to be built in the yard was the Canton by John Jackson. In 1798 a contract was signed to build the yard's first navy vessel. In 1801 the Secretary of the Navy authorized the purchase of the yard, henceforth establishing the New York Navy Yard.

In 1837 the yard launched the first US steam warship assigned to sea duty, the 9-gun, side-wheel steamer Fulton. The most famous ship to be built at the yard at this time was the 40-gun steam frigate Niagara which laid the first transatlantic cable. In the 1920s the yard hit one of its most inactive periods. Even the merchant vessel industry experienced an enormous decline after the Civil War. Not a single ship for foreign trade was built in any American shipyard from 1922 to 1928. To add to the decline in construction of naval yards across the United States, the passage of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936 led to naval construction in private shipyards. However, in the 1930s the yard was revived and initiated construction once again.

From 1933 to 1936 construction started on two destroyers, two Coast Guard cutters, the gunboat Erie, and three light cruisers, including the USS Brooklyn. In 1937 the 35,000-ton battleship North Carolina (BB-55) was started. The ship was more than 728 feet long and had a maximum speed of 27 knots. It was the first of the modern class of American battleships built just before World War II, where high speed was combined with powerful armament.

At this time the yard became the leader in battleship construction. The ship Iowa was completed at the New York Navy Yard in 1942. The Iowa was considered at the time to be the world's most powerful ship. In the 1900s the yard, known by its workers and neighbors as the "Brooklyn Navy Yard", drew from the vast population pool of the New York metropolitan area. The Navy yard's activity peaked around October of 1944, at this point employing over 71,000 workers, while earnings surpassed $4.2 million weekly. The shipyard worked through the night, maintaining activity a full 24 hours a day. With an enormous supply department, it moved more than 22,000 tons of supplies daily and stocked more than 75,000 items. During World War II, women were hired for the first time at the yard serving as mechanics and helpers.

Repair soon became the yard's most important function. During the war, damaged ships were rehabilitated and civilian ships were converted for wartime use. Even ally ships were brought to Brooklyn for repair and the yard gained the moniker: "British Naval Base of Repairs." The New York Navy Yard was the first yard to win the Navy "E" for Excellence. This yard developed into the largest industrial complex in New York-state history and also reached the status of the largest single industrial activity of the Navy. The yard was made up of 6 dry docks, 2 building ways, 8 piers, 270 buildings, 19 miles of paved streets, and 30 miles of railroad tracks. The yard also contained the nation's largest hammerhead crane, which placed and retracted battleship barbettes and gun turrets. Also during World War II, in addition to battleships and workshops, the yard built coal and oil barges and freight and ammunition lighters. Furthermore, the yard laid keels for LSTs and 27,100-ton aircraft carriers.

After the war, the yard's demand and work force scaled down. Nonetheless, activity continued throughout the Cold War with the attention shifted towards aircraft carriers. The yard remodeled older ships to accommodate jet operations. Korean War ships were being commissioned from retirement and active service ships needed shipyard work as well. Due to the hostilities abroad, the yard's workforce increased to 22,000, and at this point the yard was valued at $300 million. Even after a treaty, activity continued in the shipyard. Large carriers were constructed and other ships were refitted for antisubmarine warfare.

In December of 1960, when the majority of the carrier Constellation was finished, a tragic fire killed fifty workmen. Following the completion of Constellation, only six other ships, all LPDs (landing personnel docks), were built. By February 1966 all industrial activity had stopped. In the last full year of the New York Navy Yard, 7000 workers were employed. The shipyard was finally closed June 30, 1966. The city of New York then purchased 265 acres of the yard. The land was used as an industrial park but shipyard activity had ceased.

Types of ships constructed at the New York Navy Yard (1930s-1960s):

Names of Ships Constructed, Repaired, and Remodeled at the New York Navy Yard:

Additional Facilities at the New York Navy Yard (1930s-1960s):

If you were exposed to asbestos at Brooklyn Navy Yard, please contact us.