Dry Dock 1

Dry Dock 1, a stone and metal structure completed in 1833, was one of America’s first two granite dry docks and made the repair of large naval ships faster, easier, and safer. Returning warships to sea duty in less time was a crucial gain for a young nation with a limited budget and a small navy. Costing more than $1.5 million, the dry docks in Charlestown and Norfolk, Virginia, were the largest civil works projects the federal government had yet undertaken. They showed that the nation was prepared to use its navy to protect its overseas trade. The first vessel to enter Dry Dock 1 for repairs was USS Constitution in 1833. Today, Dry Dock 1, a working pioneer, is preserved as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

Cambridge, Massachusetts · United States