Female workers on lunch break AT BNY 1945 NYHS

Brooklyn Navy Yard: World War II Tour

The Brooklyn Navy Yard played a pivotal role in World War II, building battleships and aircraft carriers, repairing over 5,000 ships, and sending troops and supplies to fronts across the globe.

Tour Highlights

  • 2-hour guided walking tour with frequent stops to explore sites more closely
  • See where the battleships Arizona and Missouri were launched
  • Listen to oral histories of the men and women who designed, built, and repaired more than 5,000 ships
  • Learn about connections between the Brooklyn Navy Yard and major events around the world during the war
  • Offered one Sunday per month at 11am
  • Walking tour
  • Tour starts at Brooklyn Navy Yard Building 77
  • Private Group Tours available
  • Tours support Brooklyn Navy Yard Exhibits & Programs

The Brooklyn Navy Yard played a pivotal role in World War II, building battleships and aircraft carriers, repairing over 5,000 ships, and sending troops and supplies to fronts across the globe. Not only did the Yard construct the USS Arizona a generation before the war, which was sunk at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, but it is also where the battleship Missouri was constructed, where the instrument of surrender ending the war was signed in 1945. Thanks to the efforts of its 70,000 workers, the Brooklyn Navy Yard became the world’s busiest shipyard, earning the nickname “The Can-Do Yard” for its ability to patch up wounded ships and put them back in action.

This tour examines the role of the New York City waterfront in the war effort, explores connections between the Yard and famous battles of World War II, and visits sites of significance that remain from this era, including the former ship assembly shops, the Yard’s headquarters at Building 77, and the landmark Dry Dock No. 1. Throughout the tour, we listen to clips of oral histories recorded with sailors and shipworkers who were at the Yard during the war, including from women working in industrial jobs, and from people of color, for whom the war presented both challenges and new opportunities. This tour aims to evoke a sense of what the Yard was like during the war – a place of tremendous energy, innovation, and achievement, but tempered by terrible loss.

Tour Information

Admission

Public Tours

  • General Admission: $25 per person
  • Seniors (65+): $22.50
  • Students and Veterans: $22.50
  • Children (5-12): $12.50
  • Children under 5 are welcome to attend free
  • Advance ticket purchase is required

Private tours are available seven days a week, depending on availability. Pricing for private tours is based on a minimum occupancy of 12 guests, and a gratuity of 8.5% is added to all private tour bookings.

Know Before You Go

  • Dress appropriately for the weather and wear comfortable shoes.
  • We will walk approximately 2 miles on this tour.
  • Tours proceed rain or shine and will not be cancelled or rescheduled due to inclement weather unless such weather constitutes a dangerous situation, in which case Turnstile Tours will contact all tour attendees.
  • Cancellations: We cannot reschedule or refund tickets that are canceled within 24 hours of the tour start time. If you cancel more than 24 hours before the tour, we can offer you a credit to reschedule for a future tour.

Directions

Tours begin and end at the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s Building 77, located at 141 Flushing Ave, at the corner of Flushing Ave and Vanderbilt Ave in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn. Click here for Google Maps directions or view our neighborhood map.

SUBWAY: The nearest subway stations are at York St (F), High St-Brooklyn Bridge (A,C), and Clinton-Washington Av (G), and each is about a 15-minute walk from Building 77. These are NOT wheelchair-accessible stations; the nearest is DeKalb Ave (B,Q,R), which is slightly farther than the other stations. View our map for walking directions from each of these stations, and visit mta.info for maps and service alerts.

FERRY: NYC Ferry provides service directly to the Brooklyn Navy Yard on the Astoria Route, with a non-stop connection from Wall St-Pier 11 and East 34th St. When you disembark, follow signs to Building 77. NYC Ferry does not accept MetroCards or OMNY. All ferries are wheelchair accessible. Visit ferry.nyc for schedules and info and download the NYC Ferry app.

BUS: The B57 and B69 travel along Flushing Ave and stop at Building 77. You may also take the B62, which stops on Park Ave, one block south of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. All NYC MTA buses are wheelchair accessible, and all accept OMNY with a contactless bank card or smartphone. If traveling by bus, be sure to allow plenty of extra time for your trip, as weekend schedules can be unreliable (visit mta.info for maps and service alerts). Do not take the B67, as this will take your through the Yard, but you will not be able to get off inside the Yard.

DRIVING & PARKING: The Brooklyn Navy Yard is easily accessible from the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (I-278), either via the exits for Tillary St (exit 29B), Flushing Ave (exit 30 eastbound), or Wythe Ave/Kent Ave (exit 31 westbound). On the weekends, it is usually not difficult to find street parking in the immediate vicinity of the Yard. There is also a free public parking lot one block south of the yard on Park Ave, underneath the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Parking within the gates of the Brooklyn Navy Yard is only available for drivers with an accessible parking sticker – please contact us for directions to the accessible parking.

BICYCLE: There is a bicycle lane along Flushing Ave, and Building 77 offers plenty of racks to park your bike. If you would like to use a Citi Bike, there is a station at Building 77, and stations in close proximity to the York St, High St-Brooklyn Bridge, and Clinton-Washington subway stations.

IMPORTANT TIPS:

  • If using a GPS or mobile app to reach Building 77, enter “141 Flushing Ave, Brooklyn.”  Do not enter “63 Flushing Ave” or “Brooklyn Navy Yard” – this is the address for the entire 300-acre Navy Yard, and it will not bring you to the correct location.
  • The Brooklyn Navy Yard is a secure industrial park. Do not attempt to enter the Yard through any entrances other than Building 77, as you will be turned away.
  • The Brooklyn Navy Yard shuttle runs on weekdays only, and it is not available to the public

Accessibility

We strive to lead the tour over a physically accessible route, but due to construction, weather, or other unforeseen circumstances, we may encounter uneven paths, obstructions, or steep inclines along the tour route. If you do use a wheelchair or have any other accessibility need, please contact us directly and/or include this information when booking, so that we can offer a fully accessible experience.

Please visit our Accessibility Page for the most up-to-date information on all access accommodations.

Private Tours

Please contact us for more details on booking a private tour or visit our Group Tours page. Private tours can be offered seven days a week, subject to availability.

About Brooklyn Navy Yard

From 1801 to 1966, the Brooklyn Navy Yard was a federally-owned naval shipbuilding and repair facility. After it was decommissioned by the US Navy, it was sold to the City of New York, and it has operated as an industrial park ever since. Today, the Yard is owned by the City of New York and operated by the non-profit Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation. It is home to more than 450 businesses that employ 11,000+ people in industry, manufacturing, technology, and creative fields. There is no longer any shipbuilding at the Yard, but there is a thriving commercial ship repair operation, and most of the cranes you see towering over the yard are in fact operational and frequently in use.

Visit our Frequently Asked Question page for more information.

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