June 3, 2020

Great Lake: The Fascinating History of NNSY's World War II Aircraft Carrier USS Lake Champlain

Photos Courtesy of Marcus Robbins, Shipyard HistorianBefore it became a facility dedicated to maintenance and modernization almost 70 years ago, Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) used to build ships. In the case of World War II, sometimes 27,000-ton ones.June 3 will mark the 75th anniversary of commissioning the NNSY aircraft carrier USS Lake Champlain

June 17, 2016

Norfolk Naval Shipyard Drydocked First Ship in the Western Hemisphere June 17, 1833

For a ship that sat dormant for nearly seven years after it was completed, it's remarkable that USS Delaware would ultimately become one of the most noteworthy ships of the United States Navy. This 74-gun ship-of-the-line became the first ship in the Western Hemisphere to be dry docked, on June 17, 1833, at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) in

April 20, 2016

How Fear, Deception and Indecision Nearly Destroyed Norfolk Naval Shipyard

The United States Navy's oldest, largest and most multifaceted industrial facility is just a buck and change shy of its 250th anniversary in November 2017. But as flames consumed the structures and ships of Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) the evening of April 20, 1861, its future was very much in doubt.Photo #: NH 59179 Destruction of the United