Drydock Number One, Norfolk Naval Shipyard

Drydock Number One is the oldest operational drydock facility in the United States. Located in Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia, it was put into service in 1834, and has been in service since then. Its history includes the refitting of USS Merrimack, which was modified to be the Confederate Navy ironclad CSS Virginia. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1971.[2][4]

Drydock Number One, Norfolk Naval Shipyard
LocationNorfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia
Coordinates36°49′14″N 76°17′35″W
Area2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built1827
NRHP reference No.70000862
VLR No.124-0029
Significant dates
Added to NRHPFebruary 26, 1970[1]
Designated NHLNovember 11, 1971[2]
Designated VLRDecember 2, 1969[3]

Description and history

Drydock Number One is located on the west side of the central branch of the Elizabeth River. It measures 319.5 feet (97.4 m) in length, and is built of Massachusetts granite, stepped to allow access to and bracing of ships under repair. Stairs at the land end provide access to the various levels.[4] The drydock can accommodate a maximum vessel length of 291.6 feet (88.9 m) with a 39.33-foot (11.99 m) beam. Depth is 30 feet (9.1 m). the dock can be dewatered in 40 minutes and flooded in 90 minutes.[5]

The drydock was built between 1827 and 1834, and cost $974,365.65, a very high price at that time.[4] It may have been designed by Loammi Baldwin, Jr., then the Navy's superintendent of drydocks, and its construction was overseen by William P. S. Sanger, a civil engineer.[6] The drydock was first used in June 1833, when USS Delaware was drydocked for recommissioning, the first time a large vessel was drydocked in the United States.[4] During the American Civil War the shipyard was taken over by the Confederate Navy, and it was here that USS Merrimack was modified to become the ironclad CSS Virginia.[4] It is now primarily used for service craft.[5]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. "Drydock Number One, Norfolk Naval Shipyard". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2007-12-31. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
  3. "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  4. Staff, Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission, James W. Moody, Jr., Director (November 18, 1969). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Drydock Number One, Norfolk Naval Shipyard" (pdf). National Park Service. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) and Accompanying four photos of this and Drydock Number Four, from 1984 and undated (32 KB)
  5. "Unified Facilities Criteria: Drydocking Facilities Characteristics" (PDF). U.S. Navy. 19 June 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  6. "All Hands, October 1975" (PDF). United States Navy. Retrieved 2016-01-25.
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