The Constellation Fire: The Accident That Changed the Brooklyn Navy Yard | Episode 173

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On December 19, 1960, the Brooklyn Navy Yard suffered the worst accident in its history, a devastating fire aboard the USS Constellation that killed 50 workers. This fire was not only a tragedy for those who were killed and injured and their families, but it marked a turning point in the Yard’s history that many believe led to its closure less than six years later. Over the years, we have had the honor to meet many people that lived through this ordeal, and we will share oral histories and photos from the Brooklyn Navy Yard Archives to reconstruct this fateful day and examine its impact on individuals, the city, and the Navy.

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Made In NYC 15th Anniversary Party, May 3

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Join us at the Brooklyn Navy Yard to celebrate 15 years of remarkable work of Made In NYC, an initiative the Pratt Center for Community Development. This special evening will bring together and celebrate our city’s diverse and ever evolving manufacturing community. The program will include opening remarks from US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and other elected officials, a photography exhibit of the places and faces of contemporary urban manufacturing, and a silent auction of fabulous NYC products and experiences. Guests will also have the opportunity to enjoy some of the tastiest NYC-made foods and beverages.

When booking, use the promo code TURNSTILE75 to get $50 off tickets. Your ticket will also include a coupon that you can use to get 30% off all of our public tours, which you can use as often as you would like before May 31, 2018.

Thursday, May 3, 5:30pm | Brooklyn Navy Yard, Building 77 | >> More Information <<

From Fulton to Constellation: The Worst Accidents in the History of the Brooklyn Navy Yard

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Today marks the 57th anniversary of perhaps the darkest day in the history of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. To commemorate the fire on board the USS Constellation, we are going to look back at some of the most notable and deadliest accidents in the history of the Yard.

Shipbuilding is a dangerous business (even today), and fatal accidents were frequent throughout industry in the nineteenth century. The scale, pace, and nature of the work in the Navy Yard made it particularly risky, as workers and sailors fell victim to hazards like falling from great heights, being struck by heavy loads, violent machinery, drowning, fires, and exploding munitions and equipment. Workplace safety began to improve around the time of World War I, and more concerted campaigns began during World War II, when safety was urged as an imperative of national security.>> Continue reading

Summer 2016: Brooklyn Navy Yard Photo Contest

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Thanks to all the photographers who joined our summer installment of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Photography Tour. This season, the winning photographs will be selected by an artist based in the Yard, Tatiana Arocha.

Over the course of the summer, we got to know Tatiana and her work well, as she led a series of workshops for students in Pratt PreCollege, the summer school for high schoolers at nearby Pratt Institute. Through a discussion of her portfolio and a hands-on activity using some of her own artistic techniques, she helped this group of aspiring artists, designers, engineers, and architects better understand the skills and pathways they might need to succeed in their chosen field.>> Continue reading

Inside Industry: Space Suit Maker Final Frontier Design at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

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Inside the Brooklyn Navy Yard, on the fifth floor of the cavernous Building 280, sits a small studio with very large ambitions. Inside you will find bolts of high-tech fabrics, spools of nylon chord, helmets and gloves of all varieties, and a small team of designers.

This is the home of Final Frontier Design, a company that designs and builds space suits for the burgeoning commercial space travel industry. While the industry is in its very earliest stages, Final Frontier is working with a number of companies and with NASA to create a better, safer, and more cost-effective suit to take citizens into space.>> Continue reading