Shipyard Newport News Shipbuilding

The Shipyard Newport News Shipbuilding or NS is an important site of naval construction, located at Newport News, with the mouth of the James River, in the State of Virginia (the United States). Founded in 1886, this industrial site is the principal private shipyard of the United States. Integrated into the group Northrop Grumman since 2001, he works primarily for the US Navy.

Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company then Newport News Shipbuilding, Inc. is the Entreprise American owner of the shipyard of Newport News, today division of Northrop Grumman.

Chronology

1886 : Creation of Chesapeake Dry Dock and Company Construction in Newport News.
1891 : Launching of the first boat, the Tug boat Dorothy .
1907 : Beginning of the construction of the Armoured S of the type Dreadnought .
1934 : Launching of the first true American Aircraft carrier, the To arrange .
1959 : Launching of the first Sous-marin with nuclear propulsion builds on the building site, the Shark .
1960 : Launching of the first underwater launcher of ballistic missiles builds on the building site, the Robert E. Lee .
1961 : Launching of the first aircraft carrier with nuclear propulsion, the Enterprise.

1968 : The Tenneco conglomerate acquires Newport News Shipbuilding.

1996 : Newport News Shipbuilding becomes again an independent company.

2001 : Newport News Shipbuilding amalgamates with Northrop Grumman.

Origins

A tycoon of the Parcel, railroads P. Huntington, created the railway Chesapeake & Ohio to transport coal of the valley of the Ohio until Newport News, in Virginia, from where it was exported by boat. He wanted to then establish a shipyard to repair the coal ships which attended this important harbor center and founded Chesapeake Dry Dock and Construction Company in 1886. This building site was famous because of its dry Cale, the first in the world arranged in a shipyard.

In 1891, the building site launched its first boat, the tug boat Dorothy . During following years, were built three ships for the US Navy, the Canonnière S Nashville , Wilmington and Helena . In 1900, after the death of Huntington, its founder, the company emitted for 5 million dollars of obligations and 6 million dollars in actions reserved for the Huntington family. The building site started to build and repair a large variety of ships.

The expansion

In 1907, the president Theodore Roosevelt sent the Large white Fleet (Great White Fleet) in a voyage around the world in order to show the new power of the United States. Seven of the 16 large Cuirassé S which composed it had been built in Newport News. At the same time, launching with the the United Kingdom of a revolutionary battleship, the Dreadnought , was the starting point of a race between the marines of the great powers, in which the United States took part. Between 1907 and 1923, the building site of Newport News built 6 of the 22 battleships of the Dreadnought type delivered to US Navy: the Delaware , Texas , Pennsylvania , the Mississippi , Maryland and West Virginia . Five of them took share with the Second world war.

In 1914, was launched the Medina for Mallory Steamship Company. After being used like cargo liner in the Atlantic, this ship was transformed into steamer and it is always in service.

During the First World War, NS increases its installations to face the orders of warships. Between 1918 and 1920, the building site delivered 25 Destroyer S. the manpower of the building site passed from 7 000 workers in 1914 with 14 000 in 1918. Years 1920 were on the contrary one difficult period and the manpower of the building site crumbled, but the direction of NS faced this situation by diversifying the production: Yacht S, turbines, fires of circulation and Wagon S of railroad left its workshops.

In the years 1930, NS launched out in the construction of Porte-avions, a type of ship of which feasibility had been proven, as of 1910, by Eugene Ely, which to take off a plane of the cruiser Birmingham with broad of Newport News. The first genuine American aircraft carrier was the Ranger , launched with Newport News in 1934. Then NS undertook the construction of the Yorktown and the Enterprise , two of the most famous ships of the Second world war. In 1940, was also launched the largest ship for the transport of passengers of the time, the America .

In 1940, the company Newport News Shipbuilding was sold for 18 million dollars to a trade union of subscribers before being introduced with the Stock Exchange New York.

The Second world war

In 1940, US Navy ordered seven additional aircraft carriers and four cruisers, which provided to NS work for several years. NS accepted a help of 22 million dollars of US Navy to increase its capacities.

NS had to react quickly to answer other orders of tradind ships, in particular of the Liberty Ships, by establishing a second shipyard with Wilmington (North Carolina), on banks of the Cape Fear River, under the name of North Carolina Shipbuilding Company.

The activity of Newport News Shipbuilding culminated in 1943 whereas the building site employed more 31 000 workers. Many ships were built for US Navy, including 8 aircraft carrier of the Essex class: the Essex , launched in 1942, the Yorktown , the Intrepid , the Hornet and the Franklin , launched in 1943, the Ticonderoga , the Randolph and the Bennington , launched in 1944.

For its remarkable contribution to the military effort, US Navy rewarded Newport News Shipbuilding by decreeing the prestigious flag to him “E” for its excellence in naval construction. No other American shipyard had built such a range of ships also quickly and as well.

The cold war

After the Second world war, NS concentrated initially on repair and alterations. Many ships of US Navy were converted into tradind ships.

Various types of tradind ships were built by NS: refrigerated ships, tug boats, cargo liners and several Steamer S, whose United States celebrates it, which was launched in 1952 and establishes new speed records of the crossing of the Atlantic in the two directions.

More than one forty Pétrolier S were built in Newport News starting from 1949, the majority for the company Esso. The Tonnage of the tankers increased gradually, passing from 26 000 Tjb in 1949 with 38 900 tjb in 1954, 60 000 tjb in 1958 and 66 700 tjb in 1964. Among those, the Torrey Canyon , a tanker of 60 000 tjb brought into service in 1959 and which made shipwreck the March 18th 1967, causing a very serious Oil slick on the coasts of Brittany and Great Britain.

In 1968, Newport News Shipbuilding belonged to the conglomerate Tenneco and invests 250 million dollars to increase its installations, creating North Yard. In the years 1970, the shipyard of Newport News launched:

in 1978, two of the largest tankers at the time built, the Atlantic and the Pacific , long 362 meters and a tonnage of 398 000 Tjb, for the oil company Shell.
in 1978 and 1979, three Methane tanker S of more than 390 000 Tjb and 289 meters length, largest ever built in an American shipyard, for El Paso LNG Company.

But this activity remained without a future because of the world economic situation, after the Oil crisis of 1973, and of the reinforcement of competition in the sector of naval construction. The manpower of the building site reached 24 000 workers in 1975 and 22 000 in 1980.

During the Cold war, the shipyard of Newport News benefitted from the advent of the aircraft carriers and the submarines with nuclear propulsion. In 1954, a prototype of Nuclear reactor intended for the propulsion of the aircraft carriers was thus developed with the Westinghouse firm and US Navy, which made it possible NS to build:

the Shark , first submarine with nuclear propulsion of the building site, launched in 1959.
the Robert E. Lee , first submarine launcher of ballistic missiles of the building site, finished in 1960.
the Enterprise , first aircraft carrier with nuclear propulsion built in the world, which was delivered in 1961 to US Navy.

The orders of US Navy remained the main part of the activities of the building site. A new class of aircraft carrier was developed, the first being the Nimitz , launched in 1975. Other types of ships were also built, like the submarines of attack of the Classe Los Angeles, whose 29 specimens left the building site of Newport News between 1976 and 1996.

NS after the cold war

The December 11th 1996, Newport News Shipbuilding left the Tenneco group and became again an independent company. NS employed 18 400 people with Newport News in 1997, 15 400 in 2000.

But in 2000, the company amalgamated with Northrop Grumman, which repurchased the following year the shipyards of Avondale (Louisiana) and of Pascagoula (the Mississippi).

The site of the shipyard NS of Newport News extends on more than 220 hectares on bank is James River. The building site comprises in particular:

seven basins of Repair;
a Cale dries floating;
two stations of moorings for completion;
five piers for completion;
a modular installation of equipment.

The hold dries n° 12 (Dry Dock 12) is largest of the western world with its 662 meters length. It is served by a crane gantry of a capacity of 900 tons metric covering the dry hold and the plate of work.

Northrop Grumman in Newport News is currently the largest private shipyard of the United States, with a manpower of 19 000 people (2007). Its main activities are the design, repair, maintenance and fuel the supply of the aircraft carriers and the nuclear submarines of US Navy. Newport News Shipbuilding built 9 of the 12 aircraft carriers in activity of US Navy, of which all the aircraft carrier with nuclear propulsion. The building site is since the years 1970 the single manufacturer of aircraft carrier of the United States and carries out the essence of the maintenance and repair work of this type of ship. It is also one of the two only manufacturers of submarines with nuclear propulsion of the country.

Complex militaro-industrialist of the United States of America

Sources

History of Newport News Shipbuilding on the site of Northrop Grumman

External bonds

Newport News Shipbuilding on WikiMapia

Northrop Grumman Newport News

Newport News Shipbuilding on GlobalSecurity

Ships built by Newport News Shipbuilding before the Second world war.

Ships built by Newport News Shipbuilding during the Second world war.

Ships built by Newport News Shipbuilding after the Second world war.

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