The Philadelphia Navy Yard: From the Birth of the U.S. Navy to the Nuclear Age (Barra Foundation Book) [Hardcover]

Jeffery M. Dorwart (Author), Jean K. Wolf (Assistant)

Book Description

Series: Barra Foundation Book | Publication Date: November 20, 2000

The history of the Philadelphia Navy Yard is the history of the American Navy. Originally started in 1762 as a collection of some of the most skilled shipwrights in the colonies, it witnessed the birth of the United States Navy and the Marine Corps and outfitted the first American fleet in 1775. The yard was the site for the organization of a Navy Department, the Navy shore establishment, and the construction of the 44-gun frigate United States, the first American warship to be launched under the naval provisions of the Constitution. As the Navy converted its ships from sail to steam in the mid-nineteenth century, the Philadelphia Navy Yard was a leader in naval innovation, particularly the development of the screw propeller. During the Civil War, it stood as the first line of coastal defense for the Union as all navy yards to the south fell to the Confederacy.

Outgrowing its location in the Southwark district of Philadelphia, the Navy Yard moved to League Island in 1876 and became the center for such technological developments as radio and steam turbine propulsion. By World War II, the Philadelphia Navy Yard had become one of the most modern and productive shipbuilding industrial plants in the world. It was responsible for constructing scores of warships, including the largest U.S. battleships, New Jersey and Wisconsin. Following the war, the yard continued to serve as a vital part of the Navy shore establishment, refurbishing and modernizing vessels as well as maintaining a large reserve fleet. But despite two centuries of dedication to shipbuilding and technological innovation, the venerable Philadelphia Navy Yard was closed in 1996 as part of an effort to reduce federal expenditures.

In this definitive history of one of America's most illustrious military institutions, Jeffery M. Dorwart explains how the Philadelphia Navy Yard struggled throughout its history to survive, while remaining a viable and integral part of the nation's defense. Illustrated with 125 archival photographs and 10 detailed maps, The Philadelphia Navy Yard provides a candid and complete history of the relationship of this important facility to local and national politics and social and economic change, while highlighting the contributions of America's first government-operated naval shipyard.

A Barra Foundation Book

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An excellent history of an important regional institution."—Technology and Culture

"A testament to the thousands of men and women whose skill and dedication helped create a navy second to none."—Naval History

"Highly detailed and authoritative."—International Journal of Maritime History

About the Author

Jeffery M. Dorwart is Professor of History at Rutgers University, Camden and is the author of Fort Mifflin of Philadelphia, also available from the University of Pennsylvania Press. Jean K. Wolf is a research historian and proprietor of Wolf Historic Preservation in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press (November 20, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812235754
• ISBN-13: 978-0812235753
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,927,654 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars PNSY, January 30, 2001

By 

PNSY # 324-58509 (Oreland, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Philadelphia Navy Yard: From the Birth of the U.S. Navy to the Nuclear Age (Barra Foundation Book) (Hardcover)

This book claims to be the definitive history of the Navy Yard. As someone that worked at the yard for 10% of that history, I was disappointed. It starts out by questioning why it took so long to close. It does nothing to correct misconceptions about culpability for the astro arc problems. Period site maps for League Island are historically inaccurate. Buildings 1000 and 1029 appear in the maps for 1910 -1912 and 1939 - 1945, but not in the map for 1960 - 1996 when they were built.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Needs careful revision, January 18, 2011

By 

John G. Sharp - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Philadelphia Navy Yard: From the Birth of the U.S. Navy to the Nuclear Age (Barra Foundation Book) (Hardcover)

Dorwart and Wolf chronicle the history of the Philadelphia Navy Yard at a brisk pace. Their volume contains some nice illustrations but serious factual omissions and gaps abound. Although they describe Captain James Barron's (September 15, 1768 - April 21, 1851) difficulties dealing with corruption and racial tension, the authors make no mention that Philadelphia Navy Yard was the center of a strike for the ten hour day in 1835/36. Captain Barron played a pivotal role in this important strike. The strike prompted by agitation at nearby private yards quickly found support among the mechanics and laborers at the Navy Yard. The strikers were out for a few weeks and were ultimately successful. Uncharacteristically Captain Barron recommended the Department of Navy accede to the workers' demands and the workers returned. The successful strike led to major changes in labor policy and the gradual transformation of the federal workday from 12 hours to 10. The ten hour day was finally codified into federal regulation by President Martin Van Buren in 1840. See O.L. Harvey "The 10 Hour Day in the Philadelphia Navy Yard" Monthly Labor Review 1962.

For much of the two centuries the Navy Yard was in operation, thousands of civilians worked and labored building naval vessels and armaments. Labor activity at Philadelphia Navy Yard was responsible for much of our modern workplace, yet in this volume readers will find no index entry for labor or civilian workers. These men and women deserve better.