View source for Charleston Naval Shipyard

{{Short description|Former U.S. Navy ship building and repair facility}}
{{Redirect|Charleston Navy Yard|the naval shipyard in Boston also formerly called the "Charlestown Navy Yard"|Boston Navy Yard}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox military installation 	
|name= Charleston Naval Shipyard
|location= [[North Charleston, South Carolina|North Charleston]], [[South Carolina]]	
|image= Power House - 1975 North Hobson Avenue.jpg
|caption= 
|type= Shipyard	
|coordinates = {{coord|32|51|47|N|79|57|59|W|scale:30000|display=inline,title}}
|built= 1909
|materials=	
|used= 1901&ndash;1996 - now as Detyens Shipyards
|controlledby=	[[United States Navy]]
|garrison= 
|commanders= 
|battles=
{{Infobox NRHP
| name         = Charleston Navy Yard Historic District
| embed        = yes
| nrhp_type    = hd
| nocat        = yes
| image        =
| caption      =
| location     = Roughly bounded by First St., Hobson Ave., Avenue D, Fourth and Fifth Sts., and the drydocks bet. First and Thirteenth S, [[North Charleston, South Carolina]]
| coordinates  = {{coord|32|51|38|N|79|57|53|W|display=inline}}
| locmapin     = South Carolina#USA
| built        = 1903
| architect    = multiple
| architecture = Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Modern Movement
| added        = August 09, 2006
| area         = {{convert|145|acre}}
| refnum       = 06000699<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref>
}}
}}

'''Charleston Naval Shipyard''' (formerly known as the '''Charleston Navy Yard''') was a [[U.S. Navy]] [[ship]] building and repair facility located along the west bank of the [[Cooper River (South Carolina)|Cooper River]], in [[North Charleston, South Carolina]] and part of Naval Base Charleston.

==History==
It began operations in 1901 as a [[drydock]], and continued as a navy facility until 1996 when it ceased operations as the result of recommendations of the [[1993 Base Realignment and Closure Commission]].  At that time it was leased to ''Detyens Shipyards, Inc.''

Originally designated as the Navy Yard and later as the Naval Base it had a large impact upon the local community, the tri-county area and the entire State of South Carolina.<ref>{{cite web|title=Naval Base History|url=http://www.northcharleston.org/Visitors/Attractions/Greater-Charleston-Naval-Base-Memorial/Naval-Base-History.aspx|access-date=5 July 2016}}</ref>

The yard first produced the [[destroyer]] {{USS|Tillman|DD-135}}, then began to increase production in the 1930s. A total of 21 destroyers were assembled at the naval facility.
[[File:USS Beatty (DD-640) and USS Tillman (DD-641) at the Charleston Navy Yard in 1941.jpg|thumb|USS ''Beatty'' (DD-640) and USS ''Tillman'' (DD-641) at the Charleston Navy Yard in 1941]]

In 1931, [[Ellicott Dredges]] delivered the 20-inch cutter [[dredge]] ''Orion'' still in operation at the old Charleston Naval Shipyard.

Two of the largest vessels ever built at the yard were two [[destroyer tender]]s, {{USS|Tidewater|AD-31}} and {{USS|Bryce Canyon|AD-36}}. The keels of these ships were laid in November 1944 and July 1945, respectively. Peak employment of 25,948 was reached in July 1943.

After the war, the shipyard was responsible for the repairs and alterations of captured German submarines. In April 1948, Secretary of the Navy [[John L. Sullivan (Navy)|John L. Sullivan]] told Charleston's Representative [[L. Mendel Rivers|Rivers]] and Senator [[Burnet R. Maybank]] that the navy planned for CNSY to become a submarine overhaul yard and would ask for an initial appropriation for a battery-charging unit.

[[File:Aerial view of the US Charleston Naval Shiyard in 1941.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of the Charleston Navy Yard in 1941.]]

The first submarine, {{USS|Conger|SS-477}}, arrived for overhaul in August 1948. The shipyard expected to overhaul about 132 ships during the year, and its work force had stabilized to nearly 5,000 persons.

North Korean invasion of South Korea in June 1950 increased production once again. By 1951, the shipyard was back to over 8,000 employees. In all, the shipyard activated forty-four vessels and converted twenty-seven for active fleet duty during the [[Korean War]].

Submarines continued to be built into the 1960s along with missiles, and [[nuclear submarine]] [[Refueling and overhaul|overhauls]] took place including {{USS|Scorpion|SSN-589}} in 1962. In 1966, the shipyard completed the first [[Refueling and overhaul|refueling]] of a nuclear submarine, {{USS|Skipjack|SSN-585}}, and began its first overhaul of a [[Fleet Ballistic Missile]] (FBM) submarine, {{USS|Thomas A. Edison|SSBN-610}}. Captain [[Blake Wayne Van Leer]] led the expansion and construction of Dry Dock No.&nbsp;2 so it could handle the massive FBM submarines and destroyers fitted with [[sonar]].<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Colletta |editor-first=Paolo E. |title=United States Navy and Marine Corps Bases, Domestic |publisher=Greenwood Press |location=Westport, CT |year=1985 |pages=78–102 |isbn=0-313-23133-8 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1997/10/09/street-singer-arthur-tracy-dies-at-98/35e9e8ec-7757-4469-8b85-20a7b0d0e254/| title = 'STREET SINGER' ARTHUR TRACY DIES AT 98 - The Washington Post| newspaper = [[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>

The facility remained a major installation throughout the [[Cold War]] as a homeport to numerous cruisers, destroyers, [[attack submarine]]s, FBM submarines, destroyer tenders, and submarine tenders of the [[U.S. Atlantic Fleet]] until its closure in the 1990s as a result of the end of the Cold War and subsequent [[Base Realignment and Closure|BRAC]] Commission action.

==Dry Docks and Slipways==

{| class="wikitable" 
|-
!  style="text-align: center;" | Dock No.
! Material of which dock is constructed !! Length !! Width !! Depth !! Date Completed !! Source
|-
! style="text-align: center;" | 1 
| Concrete and granite
| {{convert|622|ft|m}}
| {{convert|134|ft|m}}
| {{convert|34|ft|5|in|m}}
| style="text-align: center;" | 1908
|rowspan=5|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tamug-ir.tdl.org/bitstream/handle/1969.3/29744/drydock_facilities_characteristics.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y|title=Drydocking Facilities Characteristics}}</ref>
|-
! style="text-align: center;" | 2
| Concrete
| {{convert|596|ft|6|in|m}}
| {{convert|114|ft|m}}
| {{convert|37|ft|6|in|m}}
| style="text-align: center;" | 1968
|-
! style="text-align: center;" | 3
| Concrete and sheet pile
| {{convert|365|ft|10|in|m}}
| {{convert|107|ft|4|in|m}}
| {{convert|10|ft|7|in|m}}
| style="text-align: center;" | 1943
|-
! style="text-align: center;" | 4
| Concrete and sheet pile
| {{convert|365|ft|10|in|m}}
| {{convert|107|ft|4|in|m}}
| {{convert|10|ft|7|in|m}}
| style="text-align: center;" | 1943
|-
! style="text-align: center;" | 5
| Concrete
| {{convert|751|ft|5|in|m}}
| {{convert|140|ft|m}}
| {{convert|37|ft|m}}
| style="text-align: center;" | 1984
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="4"| January 1, 1946
|-
!  style="text-align: left;" | Shipbuilding ways
! Width !! Length !! Source
|-
! style="text-align: center;" | 1
| {{convert|68|ft|m}}
| {{convert|350|ft|m}}
|rowspan=3|<ref name=Fassett>{{cite book|last1=Gardiner Fassett|first1=Frederick|title=The Shipbuilding Business in the United States of America|date=1948|publisher=[[Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers]]|page=177}}</ref>
|-
! style="text-align: center;" | 2
| {{convert|60|ft|m}}
| {{convert|350|ft|m}}
|-
! style="text-align: center;" | 3
| {{convert|90|ft|m}}
| {{convert|600|ft|m}}
|}

==List of Ships==

* 20 Destroyers
** 1 of 10 {{sclass|Benham|destroyer|0}}: {{USS|Sterett|DD-407|3}}
** 1 of 12 {{sclass|Sims|destroyer|0}}: {{USS|Roe|DD-418|3}}
** 1 of 30 {{sclass|Benson|destroyer|0}}: {{USS|Hilary P. Jones|DD-427|3}}
** 7 of 66 {{sclass|Gleaves|destroyer|0}}
*** {{USS|Grayson|DD-435|3}}
*** {{USS|Swanson|DD-443|3}}, {{USS|Ingraham|DD-444|3}}
*** {{USS|Corry|DD-463|3}}, {{USS|Hobson|DD-464|3}}
*** {{USS|Beatty|DD-640|3}}, {{USS|Tillman|DD-641|3}}
** 10 of 175 {{sclass|Fletcher|destroyer|0}}
*** {{USS|Pringle|DD-477|3}} ... {{USS|Stevens|DD-479|3}}
*** {{USS|Bell|DD-587|3}} ... {{USS|Twiggs|DD-591|3}}
*** {{USS|Albert W. Grant|DD-649|3}}
*** {{USS|Bryant|DD-665|3}}
* 26 Destroyer escorts and APDs
** 15 of 148 {{sclass|Buckley|destroyer escort|0}}
*** {{USS|Manning|DE-199|3}} ... {{USS|William T. Powell|DE-213|3}}
** 2 of 22 {{sclass|Rudderow|destroyer escort|0}}
*** {{USS|Chaffee|DE-230|3}}, {{USS|Hodges|DE-231|3}}
** 9 of 51 {{sclass|Crosley|high speed transport}}s
*** {{USS|Kinzer|APD-91|3}} ... {{USS|Upham|APD-99|3}}
* 2 of 6 {{sclass|Shenandoah|destroyer tender}}s
** {{USS|Tidewater|AD-31|3}}, {{USS|Bryce Canyon|AD-36|3}}
* 8 of 1052 [[Landing Ship Tank]]
** LST-353 - LST-360
* 121 of 558 [[Landing Ship Medium]]
** LSM-126 - LSM-200, LSM-295 - LSM-309, LSM-389 - LSM-413, LSM-553 - LSM-558

==Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Charleston==
The '''Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Charleston''' opened in 1946 at the shipyard to store the many surplus ships after World War II. As part of the [[United States Navy reserve fleets]], the fleet "mothballed" ships and submarines. Many of the ships in the fleet were reactivated for the [[Korean War]] and some for the [[Vietnam War]]. The [[Reserve fleet|Reserve Fleet]] closed in 1996 with the shipyard. The ships were scrapped or moved to other reserve fleets.<ref>[https://www.northcharleston.org/visitors/attractions/greater-charleston-naval-base-memorial/naval-base-history/ northcharleston.org Charleston Naval Base]</ref>

==Post-BRAC==

=== Military and industrial use ===
With the closure of the Naval Base and Charleston Naval Shipyard in 1996, Detyens, Inc. signed a long-term lease.  With three dry docks, one floating dock, and six piers, Detyens Shipyards, Inc. is the largest commercial facility on the East Coast. Projects include military, commercial, and cruise ships.

In supporting [[Joint Base Charleston]], {{convert|231|acre}} of the former Charleston Naval Base/Naval Shipyard facility have been transformed into a multiuse Federal complex, with 17 Government and Military tenants, as well as homeport for six RO-RO [[Military Sealift Command]] ships, four Coast Guard [[National Security Cutter]]s, two NOAA research ships, the [[Maritime Law Enforcement Academy|United States Coast Guard Maritime Law Enforcement Academy]], and the [[Federal Law Enforcement Training Center]] FLETC-Charleston.

Lastly, a 350-acre section of the former base was planned to be a sustainable, mixed-use urban hub for the city of North Charleston to be called The Navy Yard at Noisette, starting in 2005. However, in 2010, the developer, the Noisette company, went into foreclosure and Palmetto Railways, part of the S.C. Department of Commerce purchased over 200-acres of the property. In 2013, Palmetto Railways purchased the remaining part of The Navy Yard. The plan is to run freight trains through the north end of the former base to serve a new container port, Navy Base Intermodal Container Transfer Facility, that is under construction at the south end of the former base.<ref>[http://www.postandcourier.com/archives/state-railroad-division-pays-million-for-remaining-noisette-properties-on/article_0c0e4b75-b916-5fbc-8ece-36af5869ab0e.html  State railroad division pays $10 million for remaining Noisette properties on former Navy Base] Post and Courier, October 7, 2013.</ref>

In February 2020, [[Coast guard|Coast Guard]] Admiral Karl Schultz announced that the shipyard would be included in a planned "super base." The plan would consolidate Coast Guard assets to the North Charleston region and occur within five years. Construction began in 2024. <ref>{{Cite web|title=U.S. Coast Guard Announces A New Superbase In Charleston, South Carolina|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/craighooper/2020/02/20/us-coast-guard-announces-a-new-superbase-in-charleston-south-carolina/|last=Hooper|first=Craig|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=2020-05-18}}</ref>

=== The Naval Hospital Historic District ===
{{Main|Charleston Naval Hospital Historic District}}
The initial Palmetto Railways plan for the former Naval Shipyard required the demolition of several historic structures which led the [[National Trust for Historic Preservation]] to add the Charleston Naval Hospital Historic District to its 11 Most Endangered Places list in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Nonprofit purchases $2.7M historic building at Navy base in North Charleston|url=https://www.postandcourier.com/news/nonprofit-purchases-2-7m-historic-building-at-navy-base-in-north-charleston/article_e814c812-765d-11e9-a1fa-c761b80b2447.html|last=Dennis|first=Rickey|date=May 2019|website=Post and Courier|language=en|access-date=2020-05-18}}</ref> The National Trust stated that the plan's proposed demolition of 9 out of the district's 32 buildings would possibly lead to the district being de-listed from the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=North Charleston's World War II-Era Naval Hospital District Named to 2016 11 Most Endangered List {{!}} National Trust for Historic Preservation|url=https://savingplaces.org/press-center/media-resources/north-charlestons-world-war-ii-era-naval-hospital-district-named-to-national-trusts-2016-11-most-endangered-list|website=savingplaces.org|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-18}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Joint Base Charleston]]
* [[Naval Support Activity Charleston]]
* [[Warren Lasch Conservation Center]]
* [[Naval Health Clinic Charleston]]
* [[Charleston Navy Yard Officers' Quarters Historic District]]

==References==
*[http://www.nationalregister.sc.gov/charleston/S10817710175/S10817710175.pdf National Historic Register nomination form] for the Charleston Navy Yard Historic District, South Carolina Department of Archives and History, 2006.
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book |last=Hamer |first=Fritz P. |title=Charleston Reborn: A Southern City, Its Navy Yard, and World War II |publisher=The History Press |year=2005 |isbn=1-59629-020-X }}
*{{cite journal |last=Hamer |first=Fritz |title=Giving a Sense of Achievement: Changing Gender and Racial Roles in Wartime Charleston: 1942–1945 |journal=Proceedings of the South Carolina Historical Association |year=1997 |pages=61–70 |url=https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/lib_facpub/31/ }}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/charleston_nsy.htm History]
*[http://www.navyyardsc.com Navy Yard at Noisette (redevelopment)]
*[http://www.detyens.com/ Detyens Shipyards Inc.]
*[http://shop38.homestead.com/index.html Charleston Naval Shipyard]
*{{HAER |survey=SC-22-A |id=sc0914 |title=U.S. Naval Base Charleston, Building No. 32 Smokestack, Hobson Avenue, North Charleston, Charleston County, SC |photos=18 |data=3 |cap=4}}

{{North Charleston, South Carolina}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina}}
{{US Fleets}}
{{US Navy navbox}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Military facilities on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in North Charleston, South Carolina]]
[[Category:United States Navy shipyards]]
[[Category:Military installations closed in 1996]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in North Charleston, South Carolina]]
[[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in South Carolina]]
[[Category:Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina]]
[[Category:Shipyards on the National Register of Historic Places]]
[[Category:Closed installations of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:1901 establishments in South Carolina]]
[[Category:1996 disestablishments in South Carolina]]
[[Category:Shipyards building World War II warships]]