• We came out of WW II with 11 naval shipyards.
  
  
• We survived the “meat axe” downsizing of the newly formed (1947) Defense Department, under Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson (circa 1949), only because the Korean War came along in 1950.
  
  
• We went into the Cold War still with 11 naval shipyards.
  
  
• In 1964,Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara closed New York Naval Shipyard (PNS was also ordered closed (11/19/64) but under a 10-year phase-out which was rescinded in March 1971). Down to 10 naval shipyards.
  
  
• Stayed at 10 well into the Vietnam War. In spring of 1973, Boston Naval Shipyard was ordered closed (the day before this list came out Portsmouth was on it – Congressman Louis Wyman and Rear Admiral Cooper (P-KASC) got up-to-date data to President Nixon who reversed Navy and Boston got the axe!). Down to nine naval shipyards.
  
  
• In May of 1988, Secretary of Defense Carlucci chartered the Defense Secretary’s Commission on Base Realignment and Closure (origin of acronym BRAC).  In Oct 1988, Congress enacted Public Law 100-526 as a one-time authorization of Secretary of Defense’s recommendations, which included closure of Hunters Point NSY.
  
  
• Entered the BRACs of the1990s with eight naval shipyards, populated with an approximately 70,000 skilled workforce. (Six nuclear capable NSYs)
• BRAC 1991 – Philadelphia NSY ordered closed – down to 7 naval shipyards (nuclear capable NSYs were excluded from consideration for closure in BRAC 1991)
  
  
• BRAC 1993 – Charleston NSY and Mare Island NSY ordered closed (first, and so far only nuclear capable NSYs to close) – down to five naval shipyards.
  
  
• BRAC 1995 – Long Beach NSY ordered closed – down to four naval shipyards.
  
  
• By the late 1990s, the closure of five naval shipyards, accompanied by other DOD downsizing, resulted in the downsizing of approximately 70,000 workers at nine shipyards to 22,000.
  
  
• The four surviving Yards (all nuclear capable), PHNS, PSNS, NNS and PNS, subsequently have grown back up to approximately 28,500. (2012 data)
  
  
• BRACs 1991, 1993 and 1995 saw a greater than 55-percent reduction in number of NSYs and about a 68-percent reduction in overall skilled workforce. This reflects an overall reduction in size of the naval shipyard component of the DoD infrastructure of well over 50 percent.

SUMMARY: (11 to four Naval Shipyards)

• 1960s Closed New York Naval Shipyard
• 1970s Closed Boston Naval Shipyard
• 1988 BRAC Closed Hunters Point NSY
• 1991 BRAC Closed Philadelphia NSY
• 1993 BRAC Closed Charleston NSY and Mare Island NSY
• 1995 BRAC Closed Long Beach Naval Shipyard
• 2005 BRAC Portsmouth NSY (Secretary of Defense recommendation to close overturned by the BRAC Commission

SSA History