World War II - Turnstile Tours

(Re)connecting Brooklyn’s History: Brooklyn’s Homefront during World War II with Brooklyn Public Library

The history and legacy of the Second World War can be seen all around us in Brooklyn. Once home to hundreds of factories, shipyards, and warehouses, and responsible for sending …

Brooklyn Army Terminal
Brooklyn Navy Yard
Virtual Programs
Waterfront
World War II

SS Great Republic and the Great Turkey-Lift of 1944

On Thanksgiving, we’re looking back at an unsung hero of the holiday during World War II, a merchant ship called SS Great Republic.

Brooklyn Army Terminal
Brooklyn Navy Yard
Shipspotting
Waterfront
World War II

ARA General Belgrano: A Lost Ship, A Stolen Photograph

At 3:57 p.m. on May 2, 1982, the British submarine HMS Conqueror fired a spread of three torpedoes at the Argentine cruiser ARA General Belgrano, located approximately 230 nautical miles …

Brooklyn Navy Yard
Photography
Shipspotting
World War II

Color photo of a cruiser sinking with ocean in foreground and orange lifeboats on the water.

Comfort at Sea: History of Hospital Ships in New York City

The hospital ship USNS Comfort is en route to New York City. One of just two hospital ships in the Navy fleet, it has been dispatched from Norfolk, while its …

Brooklyn Navy Yard
Waterfront
World War I
World War II

Clayton Colefield and the Building of USS Missouri

They say a Navy ship has three birthdays: its keel-laying, its launching, and its commissioning. The World War II-era battleship USS Missouri has one more, its recommission in 1986 as part …

Brooklyn Navy Yard
Shipspotting
Waterfront
World War II

Black and white photo of five naval officers standing on a large metal plate, one of them turning a long handle attached to a riveting machine.

Americal Division: Brooklyn Army Terminal Sends First US Troops to Pacific

Last week we looked at Operation Magnet, the scramble in the weeks after Pearl Harbor to move American forces into the European battle zone. Just one week after that, it …

Brooklyn Army Terminal
Shipspotting
Waterfront
World War II

Black and white photo of two soldiers walking up a gangplank onto a ship at dusk.

Brooklyn to Belfast: Red Bull Division Were First US Overseas Troops of World War II

On January 15, 1942, ships of convoy AT-10 left the Brooklyn Army Terminal to make the journey across the Atlantic. Aboard the transports USS Chateau Thierry and HMTS Strathaird were …

Brooklyn Army Terminal
Shipspotting
Waterfront
World War II

Black and white photo of a soldier waving from the gangplank of a ship with soldiers in the background.

Special Tours Mark 75 Years Since the End of World War II at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

World War II came to a close in 1945, and looking back 75 years, it is hard to believe that Americans on the cusp of war in 1940 were as …

Brooklyn Navy Yard
Events
World War II

Special Brooklyn Navy Yard Tour with Jennifer Egan, Mar 1

Take a special World War II history tour of the Brooklyn Navy Yard co-led by Jennifer Egan, author of the award-winning novel Manhattan Beach, and our own resident historian, Andrew …

Brooklyn Navy Yard
Events
World War II

8-10 female workers lining up at the Brooklyn Navy Yard to punch in wearing heavy smocks for welding.

Italian Service Units in the New York Port of Embarkation

During World War II, nearly half a million Axis prisoners of war were held in the United States. The vast majority of these POWs were German, and a small number …

Brooklyn Army Terminal
Waterfront
World War II

Solider wearing a uniform with "Italy" written on his left arm sings with three guitarists on a bandstand with a crowd in the background.

USS Arizona, Brooklyn’s Most Famous Battleship

Today marks the anniversary of the launching of USS Arizona at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. We have written about the Arizona many times before, including about the impact the sinking …

Brooklyn Navy Yard
Shipspotting
Waterfront
World War I
World War II

The Pickabacks, Unsung Heroes of D-Day

Operation Neptune, the seaborne component of the Normandy invasion, required nearly 6,500 vessels to deliver the vast Allied armies and their supplies and equipment onto the continental beaches. This didn’t …

Brooklyn Army Terminal
Shipspotting
World War II

Brooklyn Navy Yard: When Brooklyn Was Queer Tour, June 22

Queer history is linked to Brooklyn’s diversity, creativity, and vibrancy as a borough, yet this history is often forgotten or overlooked. Join us for this special tour about the queer …

Brooklyn Navy Yard
Events
Waterfront
World War II

Black and white photo of two men turned away from the camera with linked arms with pink text overlay that reads, "When Brooklyn was Queer"

The Easter Bunny Goes to War

While many children will be gorging themselves on chocolate Easter bunnies and eggs this morning, these treats were absent from most baskets during World War II. On December 5, 1942, …

Brooklyn Navy Yard
World War II

Transit at Brooklyn Navy Yard, Past and Present

Yesterday the Brooklyn Navy Yard announced that they will be rolling out the first autonomous vehicles in New York City, which will provide a self-driving shuttle service inside the Yard’s …

Brooklyn Navy Yard
Waterfront
World War II

Former World's Fair shuttle at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, 1942

Brownstoner: Fighting World War II at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Brownstoner, January 22, 2019 by Susan De Vries While the Brooklyn Navy Yard is being transformed with new buildings and uses, during World War II thousands of workers toiled to …

Brooklyn Navy Yard
Press
World War II

Workers walk alongside a large stone dry dock in the Brooklyn Navy Yard with two white tugboats below and a red and white crane on the right.

Aircraft Carrier Visits Now a Rare Sight in NYC

Last week, New York City was visited by the flagship of the Royal Navy, HMS Queen Elizabeth. This 65,000-ton carrier has spent several weeks in the US while undergoing flight …

Brooklyn Navy Yard
Shipspotting
Waterfront
World War II

Lecture: “Wendy the Welder: Work in World War II,” Oct. 15

The Brooklyn Navy Yard reached its peak in World War II, employing 70,000 civilian workers. Desperately short of labor, the Navy employed more than 10,000 women at the Yard, in …

Brooklyn Navy Yard
Events
World War II

An African-American female wearing a welder's helmet flipped up. She is smiling and looks surprised.

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Category: World War II

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