Old Navy

[Brian James]

Extension work pictured to Dry Dock No 3 at Norfolk Navy Yard on September 4th 1911.

[Brian James]

In need of restoration but never done, Dry Dock No 5 pictured at Charlestown Navy Yard in 1968.

[Brian James]

Numerous unidentified vessels pictured at Brooklyn Navy Yard c1901, with Lead Ship, Pre-Dreadnought Battleship USS Kearsarge in the right background.

[Brian James]

Lead Ship, Protected Cruiser USS Columbia (left) pictured with Pre-Dreadnought Battleship USS Texas (foreground) and alongside her, Pre-Dreadnought Battleship USS Kearsarge at Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1904.

[Brian James]

Brooklyn Navy Yard pictured c1901.

[Brian James]

Armoured Cruiser USS Maine pictured fitting out at Brooklyn Navy Yard c 1889...Maine's construction time of nine years was unusually protracted as a result of the limits of American industry at the time. (The delivery of her armoured plating took three years, and a fire in the drafting room of the building yard, Maine's' working set of blueprints were stored, caused further delay.) During the nine-year construction span, naval tactics and technology changed radically and left her role in the Navy ill-defined. At the time when she was laid down, Armoured Cruisers such as Maine were intended to serve as small Battleships on overseas service and were built with heavy belt armour. Great Britain, France and Russia had constructed such ships to serve this purpose and sold others of this type, including Riachuelo, to second-rate Navies. Within a decade, this role had changed to one of commerce raiding, for which fast, long-range vessels, with only limited armour protection, were needed. The advent of lightweight armour, such as Harvey steel, made this transformation possible.As a result of these changing priorities, Maine was caught between two separate positions and could not perform either one adequately. She lacked both the armour and firepower to serve as a ship-of-the-line against enemy Battleships and the speed to serve as a Cruiser. Nevertheless, she was expected to fulfill more than one tactical function. In addition, because of the potential of a warship sustaining blast damage to herself from cross-deck and end-on fire, Maine's main-gun arrangement was obsolete by the time she entered service. She was sunk by an explosion in Havana Harbour, Cuba on February 15th 1898 with the loss of 261 crew.

[Brian James]

Destroyer Tender USS Dobbin pictured under refit in Dry Dock No 2 at Philadelphia Navy Yard on July 18th 1932.

[Brian James]

Dry Dock No. 4 pictured at Pearl Harbor c1968...Dry Dock No. 4 is a 1,089 feet long, 59 feet deep, stationary gravity-type Dry Dock. Constructed of wood pile foundation with reinforced concrete walls, it is the largest of Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard's Dry Docks, capable of drydocking CVN Class ships.

[Brian James]

Pre-Dreadnought Battleship USS Texas pictured at Brooklyn Navy Yard c1904..Auxiliary Cruiser USS Buffalo is to her right.

[Brian James]

Armoured Cruiser USS New York pictured at New York in 1893.