Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, officially Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF), is a
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
shipyard
A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...
covering 179 acres (0.7 km
2) on
Puget Sound
Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...
at
Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington. The population was 37,729 at the 2010 census and an estimated 41,405 in 2019, making it the largest city on the Kitsap Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerto ...
in uninterrupted use since its establishment in 1891; it has also been known as Navy Yard Puget Sound, Bremerton Navy Yard, and the Bremerton Naval Complex.
It is bordered on the south by
Sinclair Inlet
Sinclair Inlet is a shallow embayment in the western part of Puget Sound in Kitsap County, Washington, USA. It has a maximum depth of 20 meters. It is the southwestern extension of Port Orchard, and it touches the shores of three of Kitsap County' ...
, on the west by the Bremerton Annex of
Naval Base Kitsap
Naval Base Kitsap is a U.S. Navy base located on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington state, created in 2004 by merging the former Naval Station Bremerton with Naval Submarine Base Bangor. It is the home base for the Navy’s fleet throughout Wes ...
, and on the north and east by the city of Bremerton, Washington. It is the
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...
's largest naval
shore facility
A shore facility is one of the facilities located on shore used for receiving ships and transferring cargo and people to them. Ports and marinas constitute a collection of shore facilities. Shore facilities are designed for the efficient inter ...
and one of
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
state's largest industrial installations. PSNS & IMF provides the Navy with
maintenance
Maintenance may refer to:
Biological science
* Maintenance of an organism
* Maintenance respiration
Non-technical maintenance
* Alimony, also called ''maintenance'' in British English
* Champerty and maintenance, two related legal doctrine ...
, modernization, and technical and logistics support, and employs 14,000 people.
History
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard was established in 1891 as a Naval Station and was designated Navy Yard Puget Sound in 1901. During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the Navy Yard constructed ships, including 25 subchasers, seven
submarine
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
s, two minesweepers, seven seagoing tugs, and two ammunition ships, as well as 1,700 small boats. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the shipyard's primary effort was the repair of battle damage to ships of the U.S. fleet and those of its allies.
Following World War II, Navy Yard Puget Sound was designated Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. It engaged in an extensive program of modernizing carriers, including converting conventional flight decks to angle decks. During the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
, the shipyard was engaged in the activation of ships. In the late 1950s, it entered an era of new construction with the building of a new class of guided missile
frigate
A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.
The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
s. In 1965,
USS ''Sculpin'' (SSN 590) became the first nuclear-powered submarine to be maintained at PSNS. The shipyard was designated a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
in 1992.
[ and ] The historic district includes 22 contributing buildings and 42 contributing structures, as well as 49 non-contributing buildings, structures, and objects.
Installations
Perhaps the most visible feature of the shipyard is its green
hammerhead crane
A crane is a type of machine, generally equipped with a hoist rope, wire ropes or chains, and sheaves, that can be used both to lift and lower materials and to move them horizontally. It is mainly used for lifting heavy objects and transpor ...
, built in 1933. The PSNS hammerhead crane is tall and wide with a lifting capacity of 250 tons.
Historic districts
The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard contains five historic districts:
#
Officers' Row Historic District
The Officers' Row Historic District is a National Historic District in Bremerton, Washington. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. It represents the industrial function of Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Shore Facility. ...
;
#
Puget Sound Radio Station Historic District Puget may refer to:
*Puget (surname)
*Puget, Vaucluse, a commune in France
*Puget, Washington, a community in the United States
See also
*Puget Creek
*Puget Island
*Puget Sound
*Puget-Ville
Puget-Ville (; oc, Puget Vila) is a commune in the Va ...
;
#
Hospital Reservation Historic District
The Hospital Reservation Historic District is located between Radio Station and Officers Row Historic Districts and east of the Marine Reservation Historic District of the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Washington, United States. Established in ...
;
#
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Historic District
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard is a large military-industrial complex located in Bremerton, Washington along the north shore of Sinclair Inlet, which opens to Puget Sound. This large shipyard is in length along the shore and over a half-mile in wi ...
; and
#
Marine Reservation Historic District
The Marine Reservation Historic District is in the northwestern area of the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, just west of the Hospital Reservation Historic District. Beginning in 1911 it reached its maximum development, prior to World War II. The dis ...
.
These five units are a comprehensive representation of the historic features of the naval shipyard.
Dry Docks and Slipways
Operations
Shipbuilding
* Heavy cruisers
** 1 of 6 (built July 1928 - September 1930)
***
** 1 of 7 (September 1930 - December 1933)
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* Destroyers
** 1 of 8 (built December 1932 - October 1934)
***
** 2 of 18 (August 1934 - December 1935)
***
***
** 2 of 8 (July 1935 - May 1937)
***
***
** 1 of 8 (March 1937 - April 1939)
***
** 1 of 30 (January 1939 - May 1940)
***
** 1 of 66 (July 1939 - May 1940)
***
** 8 of 175 (June 1941 - September 1944)
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
* 8 of 65 s (September 1942 - August 1943)
** ...
Ship-Submarine Recycling Program
In 1990 the Navy authorized the
Ship-Submarine Recycling Program
The Ship-Submarine Recycling Program (SRP) is the process that the United States Navy uses to dispose of decommissioned nuclear vessels. SRP takes place only at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) in Bremerton, Washington, but the preparations ...
(SRP) to recycle nuclear-powered ships at PSNS. Approximately 25% of the shipyard's workload involves inactivation, reactor compartment disposal, and recycling of ships. It has pioneered an environmentally safe method of deactivating and recycling nuclear-powered ships. This process places the U.S. Navy in the role of being the world's only organization to design, build, operate, and recycle nuclear-powered ships. On 15 May 2003 PSNS and IMF were consolidated into what is now known as PSNS & IMF.
PSNS is the only U.S. facility certified to recycle nuclear ships. During all this period Puget Sound Naval Shipyard has scrapped more than 125 submarines and some cruisers.
Reserve fleet
The shipyard contains a portion of the
United States Navy reserve fleet, a large collection of inactive U.S. Navy vessels, including the aircraft carrier . ''Kitty Hawk'' was
mothballed, meaning that she was stored in case she was needed by the Navy in the future.
On 6 October 2021, ''Kitty Hawk'' was sold for one cent to International Shipbreaking Limited.
Environmental issues
Gorst Creek Ravine near
Port Orchard, Washington
Port Orchard is a city in and the county seat of Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is located due west of West Seattle and is connected to Seattle and Vashon Island via the Washington State Ferries run to Southworth. It is named a ...
was a hazardous waste dump for the Navy's shipyard waste between 1969 and 1970, when the site was not permitted by local authorities to take waste.
After several collapses since 1997 the landfill could blow out
Highway 3
The following highways are numbered 3, H-3, PRI-3, AH3, E03 and R3. For roads numbered A3, see A3 roads. For roads numbered M3, see M3. For roads numbered N3, see N3. For roads numbered 3A, see 3A.
International
* Asian Highway 3
* Europea ...
. The landfill is an "ongoing source of pesticides,
polychlorinated biphenyls
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are highly carcinogenic chemical compounds, formerly used in industrial and consumer products, whose production was banned in the United States by the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, Toxic Substances Contro ...
and metals flowing downstream with the potential to affect groundwater wells, sport fisheries and the
Suquamish Tribe
The Suquamish () are a Lushootseed-speaking Native American people, located in present-day Washington in the United States. They are a southern Coast Salish people. Today, most Suquamish people are enrolled in the federally recognized Suquami ...
's fish hatchery.
[ In October 2014, the US EPA ordered the Navy to fix the problems.]
Gallery
File:General views Puget Sound Navy Yard c1910.jpg, Navy Yard views in 1910
File:Puget Sound Naval Shipyard 1913.jpg, Puget Sound Navy Yard in 1913
File:USS Langley (CV-1), USS Lexington (CV-2) and USS Saratoga (CV-3) at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, in 1929 (NNAM.1996.488.001.004).jpg, Aircraft carriers USS ''Langley'' (CV-1), USS ''Saratoga'' (CV-3), USS ''Lexington'' (CV-2) at Puget Sound, 1929
File:Puget Sound Naval Shipyard aerial photo 1940.jpg, Puget Sound Navy Yard in 1940
File:FDR radio address Puget Sound Navy Yard August 12, 1944.jpg, Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
delivers a radio address (August 12, 1944)
File:AERIAL VIEW LOOKING NORTHEAST ACROSS THE PUGET SOUND NAVAL SHIPYARD IN DOWNTOWN BREMERTON, AND UP RICH PASSAGE.... - NARA - 556946.jpg, Mothballed ships in 1974
File:Essex carriers mothballed1 Bremerton 1989.jpg, Retired ''Essex''-class carriers in 1989
File:PugetSoundNavalShipyardMothballs.jpg, The mothball fleet
The United States Navy maintains a number of its ships as part of a reserve fleet, often called the "Mothball Fleet". While the details of the maintenance activity have changed several times, the basics are constant: keep the ships afloat and s ...
in Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
File:PugetSoundNavalShipyardWideView.jpg, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, as seen from across the water in Port Orchard. The mothballed ships are on the left, and the hammerhead crane is on the right.
See also
*
Notes
External links
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility
*Historic American Engineering Record
Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...
(HAER) documentation, filed under Bremerton, Kitsap County, WA:
**
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Puget Sound Naval Shipyard And Intermediate Maintenance Facility
Naval installations in Washington (state)
Bremerton, Washington
Transportation buildings and structures in Kitsap County, Washington
Historic American Engineering Record in Washington (state)
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state)
National Historic Landmarks in Washington (state)
United States Navy shipyards
Superfund sites in Washington (state)
Military Superfund sites
Puget Sound
Military facilities on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state)
National Register of Historic Places in Kitsap County, Washington
Shipyards on the National Register of Historic Places
1891 establishments in Washington (state)
Shipyards building World War II warships