Drydock Number One, Norfolk Naval Shipyard

United States historic place

Drydock Number One, Norfolk Naval Shipyard

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

U.S. National Historic Landmark

Virginia Landmarks Register

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Location| Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia
Coordinates| 36°49′14″N 76°17′35″W﻿ / ﻿36.82056°N 76.29306°W﻿ / 36.82056; -76.29306
Area| 2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built| 1827
NRHP reference No.| 70000862
VLR No.| 124-0029
Significant dates
Added to NRHP| February 26, 1970[2]
Designated NHL| November 11, 1971[3]
Designated VLR| December 2, 1969[1]

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.[3][4]

## Description and history[edit]

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 opening phase of the American Civil War in April 1861, Union forces were dispatched from Washington on the USS Pawnee to assist in destroying military assets as the shipyard was being abandoned; however, efforts to blow-up the dry dock were unsuccessful.[7] The shipyard was then taken over by the Confederate Navy, which was a severe blow to the Union,[8] and it was here that USS Merrimack was modified to become the ironclad CSS Virginia.[4]

Today, Drydock Number One is still in operation, used primarily to service U.S. Navy vessels.[5]

## See also[edit]

* List of U.S. National Historic Landmark ships, shipwrecks, and shipyards
* List of National Historic Landmarks in Virginia
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Portsmouth, Virginia

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
3. ^ a b "Drydock Number One, Norfolk Naval Shipyard". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on December 31, 2007. Retrieved April 8, 2008.
4. ^ a b c d e 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`{{citation}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) and Accompanying four photos of this and Drydock Number Four, from 1984 and undated (32 KB)
5. ^ a b "Unified Facilities Criteria: Drydocking Facilities Characteristics" (PDF). U.S. Navy. June 19, 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 1, 2012. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
6. ^ "All Hands, October 1975" (PDF). United States Navy. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
7. ^ "BURNING OF GOSPORT NAVY-YARD; Eleven Vessels Scuttled and Burned, The Steam Tug Yankee Tows the Cumberland to Sea, Norfolk Not on Fire". The New York Times. New York City. April 24, 1861. Retrieved August 2, 2022. "The Government vessels had been scuttled in the afternoon before the Pawnee arrived, to prevent their being seized by the Secessionists… The following are the names of the vessels which were destroyed: Pennsylvania, 74 gun-ship; steam-frigate Merrimac, 44 guns; sloop-of-war Germantown, 22 guns; sloop Plymouth, 22 guns; frigate Raritan, 45 guns; frigate Columbia, 44 guns; Delaware, 74 gun-ship; Columbus, 74 gun-ship; United States, in ordinary; brig Dolphin, 8 guns; and the powder-boat… [plus] line-of-battle ship New-York, on the stocks… Large quantities of provisions, cordage and machinery were also destroyed — besides buildings of great value — but it is not positively known that the [dry] dock was blown up."
8. ^ Nank, Thomas E. (August 23, 2021). "Ready for War? The Union Navy in 1861". www.battlefields.org. American Battlefield Trust. Retrieved August 18, 2022. "The Union's naval infrastructure was dealt a crippling blow on April 20, 1861, when the ill-conceived and botched evacuation of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard at Gosport, Virginia led to the Confederate capture of over 1000 naval guns, irreplaceable dry dock, and repair facilities. Eight [operational] warships, including the steam frigate USS Merrimack, were also surrendered."

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