Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

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The shipyards as seen from the opposite bank of the Piscataqua River

The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is a naval shipyard of the United States Navy . The shipyard is located near Kittery , Maine on the banks of the Piscataqua River and not, as might be guessed, on the opposite bank in Portsmouth , New Hampshire . The shipyard should not be confused with the Norfolk Naval Shipyard , which is located in Portsmouth , Virginia .

history

The shipyard was founded in July 1800, making it the oldest continuously active shipyard in the US Navy. The first ship built there was the liner USS Washington , launched in 1814. To protect the shipyard and harbor of Portsmouth, a total of seven coastal fortifications were built from the 18th century to the end of World War II, including Fort Washington , Fort Stark , Fort Constitution and Fort Dearborn in New Hampshire and Fort Sullivan , Fort McClary and Fort Foster in Maine but none of them were directly involved in direct combat operations.

The shipyard became known for the peace negotiations held there in 1905, which ended the Russo-Japanese War with the Treaty of Portsmouth . The Castle , a military prison that housed Navy and Marine Corps personnel as well as German submarine drivers , was also maintained on the shipyard site . The prison was closed in 1974.

During the Second World War, the shipyard launched numerous submarines . In the early 1950s, the Portsmouth NSY developed the USS Albacore (AGSS-569), the first test submarine with the hydrodynamically optimized teardrop-shaped hull, and then the Barbel class , the first application of the hull in regular units. During the Cold War, the shipyard also manufactured nuclear submarines , including the ill-fated USS Thresher (SSN-593) and two other Thresher-class boats .

In 2005 the shipyard was placed on the list of the Base Realignment and Closure Committee , after which the shipyard should be closed in 2008. After protests by employees who started a Save-Our-Shipyard campaign, the shipyard was removed from the list on August 24, 2005.

Web links

Commons : Portsmouth Naval Shipyard  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 43 ° 4 ′ 44.7 ″  N , 70 ° 44 ′ 4.4 ″  W.