Open House New York at Brooklyn Navy Yard’s Dry Dock 1 | Episode 151

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United States Coast Guard Cutter in a dry dock undergoing repairs in Dry Dock 1 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

PAST PROGRAM | Virtual Programs

Celebrate Open House New York Weekend by joining us for a live virtual visit to the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s historic Dry Dock No. 1. Built in 1851, this New York City landmark is the third-oldest naval dry dock in the country, and it is still used for ship repair today. We will discuss its fascinating history, as well as learn about the Yard’s active working waterfront, which includes the largest ship repair facility in New York Harbor. This program is part of the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s day-long series of live programs, including virtual visits to artists and manufacturers (see the full schedule), and check out pre-recorded virtual tours of other tenant businesses.

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All About Dry Docks at the Brooklyn Navy Yard | Virtual Program

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Tugboat being repaired in Brooklyn Navy Yard Dry Dock No. 1, operated by GMD.

PAST PROGRAM | Virtual Programs

Enjoy this hands-on virtual program with the whole family! Ships are giant structures that can weigh hundreds or even thousands of tons. So how do they get them out of the water? Join us at the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s history Dry Dock No. 1 for an exploration of the science behind dry docks and learn how this amazing machine is still used today to repair ships in New York Harbor. After we visit the dry dock, we will then show you how to make your own model of one to “fix” your own toy boats, using items you can find around your house. This video was created with support from the Brooklyn Public Library.

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Immigrants Who Made the Brooklyn Navy Yard Great: Peter Asserson

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This post is part of our eight-part series profiling immigrants to the United States who made significant contributions to the Brooklyn Navy Yard from the eighteenth century to the present day.

Peter Christian Asserson (1839–1906)

The Brooklyn Navy Yard has always adapted to change. Over its first 165 years, rapid changes in naval ship designs forced the adoption of new shipbuilding technologies, materials, and techniques, and the construction of new facilities. No single person did more to shepherd the Yard through these transitions than Peter Christian Asserson, civil engineer of the Navy Yard from 1885 to 1901.>> Continue reading

Highlights of the Harbor: Shipyards

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For more than 150 years, shipbuilding was a pre-eminent industry in New York City. Shipyards building clipper ships, steamboats, and naval frigates once engulfed the shoreline of Lower Manhattan in the early 19th century, bearing names like Brown, Bergh, Westervelt, and Webb, eventually spilling onto the Brooklyn side to form a massive shipbuilding complex on the East River. As the industry – and the city – grew, major shipyards could be found in all five boroughs and across the Hudson in New Jersey.
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Pouring Concrete: The Brooklyn Navy Yard Prepares for War

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Times of war have always brought the biggest transformations to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and none were bigger than those that took place during World War II. But long before the attack on Pearl Harbor plunged America into the global war, US military planners saw the need to expand the country’s navy in order to fight on two oceanic fronts. A larger navy required larger facilities not just to build ships, but to outfit, service, and repair them. In short, the navy needed more dry docks in more places around the world.

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