Norfolk Naval Shipyard

Portsmouth, Virginia 

Cultural Resources Fact Sheet 

Location 

Located in Portsmouth, Virginia, Norfolk Naval Shipyard 

(NNSY) stands on the west bank of the Elizabeth River’s 

Southern Branch. NNSY’s 1,275-acre operational base 

includes the 465-acre main site and four nearby noncontiguous annexes, also sited alongside the Elizabeth River, in Portsmouth and Chesapeake. The main site’s waterfront Industrial Area Precinct includes ship berthing, 

maintenance, and repair facilities, with five operable dry 

docks and four major piers. Approximately 5,000-6,000 

military personnel and 11,000 civilians work at NNSY. 

Between 1,500 and 3,000 contractors work at the shipyard daily, providing support and services. 

Mission 

NNSY’s mission is to improve the US Navy’s fleet abilities through repairing, overhauling, and modernizing 

ships, aircraft carriers, and submarines. Throughout the 

shipyard’s two centuries its mission has changed several 

times—shipbuilding, education, munitions production

—but it has remained steadfast in its commitment to 

continuously serving the fleet with quality work, on 

schedule, and within budget. With the proposed 

changes under shipyard modernization, NNSY will 

focus on modernizing the shipyard’s dry docks; 

updating facility layouts to increase efficient production 

and service to the fleet; and investing in innovative 

equipment and technology. 

Norfolk Naval Shipyard — Cultural Resources Fact Sheets pg. 1 

History 

Norfolk Naval Shipyard has continuously operated for 

over 250 years under four flags—Britain, the State of Virginia, the Confederate Navy, and the United States Navy. 

In 1798, the newly created Department of the Navy chose 

the circa-1767 Gosport Shipyard as a prime location for 

shipbuilding, purchasing it from Virginia in June 1801. 

Opening the nation’s first operating dry dock in 1833 further solidified the importance of this base for the Chesapeake. 

Gosport’s geographic position and status made it a desirable entity during the Civil War. After seizing Gosport 

from the Union in April 1861, the Confederate Navy salvaged the scuttled U.S.S. Merrimack. With the addition of 

steam engines and metal superstructure over its hull, the 

Merrimack, rechristened the C.S.S. Virginia, engaged the 

U.S.S. Monitor in the Battle of Hampton Roads in March 

1862, the world’s first ironclad conflict. Union forces retook the devastated Gosport in May 1862, renaming it the 

U.S. Navy Yard, Norfolk, Virginia. 

During World War I, workers constructed Dry Docks 4, 6, 

and 7, and several monumental steel-frame buildings 

within the Industrial Precinct. World War II further increased the shipyard’s workforce, buildings, and production. New structures included Dry Dock 8 and another 

significant extant structure, Hammerhead Crane. By the 

Figure 1. Present-Day View of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard 
Norfolk Naval Shipyard — Cultural Resources Fact Sheets pg. 2 

 Norfolk Naval Shipyard Cultural Resources Fact Sheet

end of World War II, more than 250 new ships had been 

commissioned and thousands of ships repaired at 

the yard. In 1945, the shipyard was officially designated 

Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY), the name it retains. 

As the shipyard entered the 1960s-1970s Cold War 

era, Dry Docks 1 and 2 were converted to 

accommodate regular and nuclear submarines. In the 

early 1970s, NNSY erected “Rickover’s Fence,” 

separating sensitive and non-sensitive areas of the 

installation, which has continued into the 21st century. 

Historic Properties 

The Norfolk Naval Shipyard Historic District has 

been determined eligible for the National Register of 

Historic Places (NRHP), and is listed in the Virginia 

Landmarks Register. Dry Dock 1, designed and 

constructed between 1827 and 1833, is the shipyard’s 

sole National Historic Landmark. NNSY’s 469.59-acre 

historic district encompasses the main site and holds 

206 resources, 86 of which are contributing buildings, 

structures, and one site. It is eligible under Criterion C 

and Criterion A. Areas of significance include Military, 

Industry, Transportation, Architecture, and Engineering. 

Buildings and structures within the district illustrate the 

development of American naval shipyards, as 

evidenced by Gosport Precinct, the 19th-century 

shipyard distinguished by brick buildings and a grid 

format, versus the monumental steel frame 

buildings, and looming portal cranes of the 20th-century 

Industrial Precinct. The NNSY Historic District’s period of 

significance extends from 1827, when the shipyard’s earliest extant structures were planned, to 1945, when 

the shipyard achieved its present overall ayout. There 

are eight identified archaeological sites on NNSY 

main site; five have been determined to be potentially 

eligible for listing on the NRHP. These sites generally 

range from the 18th to 20th centuries, with one site 

containing intact pre-military deposits. 

Figure 2. Harper’s Weekly Illustration of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, 1861

Figure 3. Dry Dock 1, 1933