The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the 30-acre (120,000 m2) property was transferred to the National Park Service to be part of Boston National Historical Park. Enough of the yard remains in operation to support the USS Constitution. The USS Cassin Young, a World War II-era destroyer serving as a museum ship, is also berthed here, and there is also a dock which serves as a stop on the MBTA Boat. Among people in the area and the National Park Service, it is still known as the Charlestown Navy Yard.
The South Boston Naval Annex was located along the waterfront in South Boston.
The earliest naval shipbuilding activities in Charlestown, Massachusetts, began during the American Revolutionary War. The land for the Charlestown Navy Yard was purchased in 1800 and the yard itself established shortly thereafter. The yard built the first U.S. ship of the line, USS Independence, but was primarily a repair and storage facility until the 1890s, when it started to build steel ships for the "New Navy". By then, it was called the Boston Navy Yard.
On June 24, 1833, the staff and dignitaries including Vice President Martin Van Buren, Secretary of War Lewis Cass, Secretary of the Navy Levi Woodbury, and many Massachusetts officials, witnessed "one of the great events of American naval history": the United States frigate Constitution was inaugurating the first naval drydock in New England designed by prominent civil engineer Loammi Baldwin, Jr.
The ropewalk supplied cordage used in the Navy from the time it opened in 1837 until the Yard closed in 1975. After the Civil War, the Yard was downgraded to an Equipment and Recruit Facility.
In the 1890s, the Navy began expanding and that brought new life to the Yard. In the first years of the 20th century, a second drydock was added. During WWII, it worked to fix British ships damaged by the Germans. On September 27, 1941—Liberty Fleet Day—Boston launched two destroyers, the USS Cowie and the USS Knight. In November 1941, Boston was one of four United States naval shipyards selected to build Captain class frigates as Lend-Lease for the Royal Navy. Since the United States was at war when these ships were completed, some were used by the United States Navy as destroyer escorts. In the post war period, the shipyard modified World War II ships for Cold War service through Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM). The Korean War and Vietnam War did not bring much work to the Yard since it was so far from the fighting.
1814: USS Independence (90-gun ship of the line) War of 1812; Mexican–American War
1825: USS Boston (18-gun sloop of war) Mexican–American War
1827: USS Warren (20-gun sloop of war) Mexican–American War
1827: USS Falmouth (24-gun sloop of war) Mexican–American War
1837: USS Cyane (22-gun sloop of war) Mexican–American War; American Civil War
1839: USS Marion (16-gun sloop of war) American Civil War
1842: USS Cumberland (50-gun frigate) Mexican–American War; Battle of Hampton Roads
1844: USS Plymouth (22-gun sloop of war) Perry Expedition
1848: USS Vermont (74-gun ship of the line) American Civil War
1858: USS Hartford (22-gun sloop of war) Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip; Battle of Mobile Bay
1859: USS Narragansett (5-gun sloop of war) American Civil War
1861: USS Wachusett (10-gun sloop of war) Peninsula Campaign; Bahia incident
1861: USS Housatonic (11-gun sloop of war) Sinking of USS Housatonic
1861: USS Maratanza (side-wheel steam gunboat) Peninsula Campaign; First Battle of Fort Fisher; Second Battle of Fort Fisher
1862: USS Canandaigua (6-gun sloop of war) American Civil War
1862: USS Tioga (side-wheel steam gunboat) American Civil War
1862: USS Genesee (side-wheel steam gunboat) American Civil War
1863: USS Monadnock (monitor) First Battle of Fort Fisher; Second Battle of Fort Fisher
1863: USS Pequot (gunboat) First Battle of Fort Fisher; Second Battle of Fort Fisher
1863: USS Saco (gunboat) American Civil War
1863: USS Winooski (side-wheel steam gunboat)
1864: USS Ammonoosuc (frigate)
1865: USS Guerriere (sloop of war)
1866: USS Worcester (sloop of war)
1867: USS Nantasket (sloop of war)
1868: USS Alaska (sloop of war) Battle of Ganghwa
1876: USS Vandalia (sloop of war) 1889 Apia cyclone
1916: USS Bridge (Combat stores ship) World War I; World War II
1919: USS Brazos (Fleet oiler) World War II
1920: USS Neches (Fleet oiler) World War II
1921: USS Pecos (Fleet oiler) World War II
1934: USS MacDonough (DD-351) (Farragut-class destroyer) Attack on Pearl Harbor; Battle of Savo Island; Battle of the Philippine Sea; Battle of Leyte Gulf
1935: USS Monaghan (DD-354) (Farragut-class destroyer) Attack on Pearl Harbor; Battle of the Coral Sea; Battle of Midway; Battle of the Komandorski Islands; Battle of the Philippine Sea
1935: USS Case (DD-370) (Mahan-class destroyer) Attack on Pearl Harbor; Battle of the Philippine Sea
1935: USS Conyngham (DD-371) (Mahan-class destroyer) Attack on Pearl Harbor; Battle of Midway; Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands; Operation Crossroads
1936: USS Mugford (DD-389) (Benham-class destroyer) Attack on Pearl Harbor
1936: USS Ralph Talbot (DD-390) (Benham-class destroyer) Attack on Pearl Harbor; Battle of Savo Island; Battle of Kolombangara; Battle off Cape Engaño; Operation Crossroads
1938: USS Mayrant (DD-402) (Benham-class destroyer) Naval Battle of Casablanca; Operation Crossroads
1938: USS Trippe (DD-403) (Benham-class destroyer) Allied invasion of Sicily; Invasion of Salerno; Operation Crossroads
1939: USS O'Brien (DD-415) (Sims-class destroyer) Guadalcanal Campaign
1939: USS Walke (DD-416) (Sims-class destroyer) Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
1939: USS Madison (DD-425) (Benson-class destroyer) Battle of the Atlantic; Operation Dragoon
1939: USS Lansdale (DD-426) (Benson-class destroyer) Battle of the Atlantic
1940: USS Gwin (DD-433) (Gleaves-class destroyer) Doolittle Raid; Battle of Midway; Naval Battle of Guadalcanal; Battle of Kolombangara
1940: USS Meredith (DD-434) (Gleaves-class destroyer) Doolittle Raid
1940: USS Wilkes (DD-441) (Gleaves-class destroyer) Naval Battle of Casablanca
1940: USS Nicholson (DD-442) (Gleaves-class destroyer) invasion of Salerno; Battle for Leyte Gulf
1941: USS Forrest (DD-461) (Gleaves-class destroyer) Operation Torch; Normandy invasion; Operation Dragoon; Battle of Okinawa
1941: USS Fitch (DD-462) (Gleaves-class destroyer) Operation Torch; Normandy invasion; Operation Dragoon
1941: USS Cowie (DD-632) (Gleaves-class destroyer) Operation Torch; Allied invasion of Sicily
1941: USS Knight (DD-633) (Gleaves-class destroyer) Operation Torch; Allied invasion of Sicily; Allied invasion of Italy
1941: USS Doran (DD-634) (Gleaves-class destroyer) Operation Torch; Allied invasion of Sicily
1941: USS Earle (DD-635) (Gleaves-class destroyer) Allied invasion of Sicily
1942: USS Guest (DD-472) (Fletcher-class destroyer) Battle of the Philippine Sea; Battle of Iwo Jima; Battle of Okinawa
1942: USS Bennett (DD-473) (Fletcher-class destroyer) Battle of Iwo Jima; Battle of Okinawa
1942: USS Fullam (DD-474) (Fletcher-class destroyer) Battle of the Philippine Sea; Battle of Iwo Jima; Battle of Okinawa
1942: USS Hudson (DD-475) (Fletcher-class destroyer) Battle of the Philippine Sea; Battle of Iwo Jima; Battle of Okinawa
1942: USS Hutchins (DD-476) (Fletcher-class destroyer) Battle of Surigao Strait; Battle of Iwo Jima; Battle of Okinawa
1942: USS Charrette (DD-581) (Fletcher-class destroyer) Battle of the Philippine Sea; Battle for Leyte Gulf
1942: USS Conner (DD-582) (Fletcher-class destroyer) Battle of the Philippine Sea; Battle for Leyte Gulf
1942: USS Hall (DD-583) (Fletcher-class destroyer) Philippines campaign; Battle of Iwo Jima; Battle of Okinawa
1943: USS Halligan (DD-584) (Fletcher-class destroyer) Philippines campaign; Battle of Iwo Jima; Battle of Okinawa
1943: USS Haraden (DD-585) (Fletcher-class destroyer) Philippines campaign
1943: USS Newcomb (DD-586) (Fletcher-class destroyer) Battle of Surigao Strait; Battle of Iwo Jima; Battle of Okinawa
1943: USS Bennion (DD-662) (Fletcher-class destroyer) Battle of Leyte; Battle of Iwo Jima; Battle of Okinawa
1943: USS Heywood L. Edwards (DD-663) (Fletcher-class destroyer) Battle of Surigao Strait; Battle of Iwo Jima; Battle of Okinawa
1943: USS Richard P. Leary (DD-664) (Fletcher-class destroyer) Battle of Surigao Strait; Battle of Iwo Jima; Battle of Okinawa
1942: HMS Bayntun (Captain-class frigate) shared credit for sinking U-757, U-1279, U-989 & U-1278
1942: HMS Bazely (Captain-class frigate) shared credit for sinking U-648, U-600 & U-636
1942: HMS Berry (Captain-class frigate) Battle of the Atlantic
1942: HMS Blackwood (Captain-class frigate) shared credit for sinking U-648 & U-600
1942: USS Evarts (DE-5) (Evarts-class destroyer escort) Battle of the Atlantic
1942: USS Wyffels (DE-6) (Evarts-class destroyer escort) Battle of the Atlantic
1943: USS Griswold (DE-7) (Evarts-class destroyer escort) shared credit for sinking I-39; Battle of Okinawa
1943: USS Steele (DE-8) (Evarts-class destroyer escort) Pacific Theater of Operations
1943: USS Carlson (DE-9) (Evarts-class destroyer escort) Battle of Okinawa
1943: USS Bebas (DE-10) (Evarts-class destroyer escort) Battle of Okinawa
1943: USS Crouter (DE-11) (Evarts-class destroyer escort) Battle of Okinawa
1943: HMS Burges (Captain-class frigate) shared credit for sinking U-1063
1943: USS Seid (DE-256) (Evarts-class destroyer escort) Battle of Okinawa
1943: USS Smartt (DE-257) (Evarts-class destroyer escort) Battle of the Atlantic
1943: USS Walter S. Brown (DE-258) (Evarts-class destroyer escort) Battle of the Atlantic
1943: USS William C. Miller (DE-259) (Evarts-class destroyer escort) shared credit for sinking Japanese submarine I-55 (1944)
1943: USS Cabana (DE-260) (Evarts-class destroyer escort) Pacific Theater of Operations
1943: USS Dionne (DE-261) (Evarts-class destroyer escort) Pacific Theater of Operations
1943: USS Canfield (DE-262) (Evarts-class destroyer escort) Pacific Theater of Operations
1943: USS Deede (DE-263) (Evarts-class destroyer escort) Pacific Theater of Operations
1943: USS Elden (DE-264) (Evarts-class destroyer escort) Pacific Theater of Operations
1943: USS Cloues (DE-265) (Evarts-class destroyer escort) Battle of Okinawa
1943: HMS Capel (Captain-class frigate) Battle of the Atlantic
1943: HMS Cooke (Captain-class frigate) shared credit for sinking U-988 & U-214
1943: HMS Dacres (Captain-class frigate) Normandy Invasion
1943: HMS Domett (Captain-class frigate) shared credit for sinking U-988
1943: HMS Foley (Captain-class frigate) shared credit for sinking U-538
1943: HMS Garlies (Captain-class frigate) shared credit for sinking U-358
1943: HMS Gould (Captain-class frigate) shared credit for sinking U-91 & U-358
1943: HMS Grindall (Captain-class frigate) Battle of the Atlantic
1943: HMS Gardiner (Captain-class frigate) Battle of the Atlantic
1943: HMS Goodall (Captain-class frigate) Battle of the Atlantic
1943: HMS Goodson (Captain-class frigate) Battle of the Atlantic
1943: HMS Gore (Captain-class frigate) shared credit for sinking U-91 & U-358
1943: HMS Keats (Captain-class frigate) shared credit for sinking U-1172 & U-285
1943: HMS Kempthorne (Captain-class frigate) Battle of the Atlantic
1943: HMS Kingsmill (Captain-class frigate) Normandy Invasion
1943: HMS Lawford (Captain-class frigate) Normandy Invasion
1943: HMS Louis (Captain-class frigate) shared credit for sinking U-445
1943: HMS Lawson (Captain-class frigate) Battle of the Atlantic
1943: HMS Pasley (Captain-class frigate) Battle of the Atlantic
1943: HMS Loring (Captain-class frigate) Battle of the Atlantic
1943: HMS Hoste (Captain-class frigate) Battle of the Atlantic
1943: HMS Moorsom (Captain-class frigate) Battle of the Atlantic
1943: HMS Manners (Captain-class frigate) shared credit for sinking U-1051
1943: HMS Mounsey (Captain-class frigate) Battle of the Atlantic
1943: HMS Inglis (Captain-class frigate) Battle of the Atlantic
1943: HMS Inman (Captain-class frigate) Battle of the Atlantic
1943: USS O'Toole (DE-527) (Evarts-class destroyer escort) Battle of the Atlantic
1943: USS John J. Powers (DE-528) (Evarts-class destroyer escort) Battle of the Atlantic
1943: USS Mason (DE-529) (Evarts-class destroyer escort) Battle of the Atlantic
1943: USS John M. Bermingham (DE-530) (Evarts-class destroyer escort) Battle of the Atlantic
1943: USS Edward H. Allen (DE-531) (John C. Butler–class destroyer escort) rescued crew of the SS Andrea Doria
1943: USS Tweedy (DE-532) (John C. Butler–class destroyer escort)
1943: USS Howard F. Clark (DE-533) (John C. Butler-class destroyer escort) Battle for Leyte Gulf; Battle of Okinawa
1943: USS Silverstein (DE-534) (John C. Butler–class destroyer escort) Pacific Theater of Operations; Korean War
1943: USS Lewis (DE-535) (John C. Butler–class destroyer escort) Pacific Theater of Operations
1943: USS Bivin (DE-536) (John C. Butler–class destroyer escort) Pacific Theater of Operations
1943: USS Rizzi (DE-537) (John C. Butler–class destroyer escort)
1943: USS Osberg (DE-538) (John C. Butler–class destroyer escort)
1945: USS Donner (LSD-20) (Casa Grande-class dock landing ship) Mercury-Redstone 2 recovery
1945: USS Fort Mandan (LSD-21) (Casa Grande-class dock landing ship)
1945: USS Tortuga (LSD-26) (Casa Grande-class dock landing ship) Korean War; Vietnam War
1945: USS Whetstone (LSD-27) (Casa Grande-class dock landing ship) Korean War; Vietnam War
1955: USS Wagner (DER-539) (John C. Butler–class destroyer escort)
1955: USS Vandivier (DER-540) (John C. Butler–class destroyer escort)
The Yard closed after the Vietnam War. When ideas were floated for redevelopment of the yard, one popular idea was to have the yard turned into a construction yard for oil tankers. Ultimately, these plans fell through, and the site became part of the Boston National Historical Park. Its mission is, "to interpret the art and history of naval shipbuilding".
The Charlestown Navy Yard hosts many attractions. The fully commissioned USS Constitution and the museum ship USS Cassin Young (DD-793) are tied up at Pier 1 and open to the public. The Navy Yard also hosts the USS Constitution Museum. Dry Dock No. 1 is still used for ship maintenance for the Constitution and the Cassin Young. In May 2015, the Constitution entered the dry dock for three years of repairs.
The Yard is toward the north end of the Freedom Trail and is seen by thousands every year. The MBTA Boat stops at nearby Pier 4, providing easy visitor access to the Yard.
