Portal:Philadelphia/Selected picture/December 2006

credit: US Government

The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was the first naval shipyard of the United States. The yard was established in 1801, and the League Island site was built in 1917. The naval yard's greatest period came in World War II, when the yard employed 40,000 people on the construction of 53 ships and the repair of 574. It officially closed 30 September 1995, although various projects were still underway in 2003 under new ownership. The image was taken on May 19, 1955.