Mare Island Naval Shipyard

TheMare Island Naval Shipyard(MINSYorMINS) was the firstUnited States Navybaseestablished on the Pacific Oceanand was in service 142 years from 1854 to 1996. It is located onMare Island,23 miles (37 km) northeast ofSan Francisco,inVallejo, California.MINSY made a name for itself as the premierU.S. West Coastsubmarine port as well as serving as the controlling force inSan Francisco Bay Areashipbuilding efforts duringWorld War II.

Mare Island Naval Shipyard
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark District
California Historical LandmarkNo.751
USSWadleighat Mare Island Naval Yard, 10 April 1945.
Location	Vallejo, California
Coordinates	38°5′24″N122°15′48″W
Built	1854
NRHP referenceNo.	75002103
CHISLNo.	751
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	15 May 1975
Designated NHLD	15 May 1975
Designated CHISL	1960

The naval base was closed on 31 March 1996, with more than 7,500 civilians on its payroll,and has gone through several redevelopment phases. It was registered as aCalifornia Historical Landmarkin 1960,and parts of it were declared aNational Historic Landmark Districtin 1975.

Beginnings

In September 1849,Lieutenant CommanderWilliam Pope McArthurwas placed in command of the US surveyschoonerEwing,which had been brought aroundCape Hornto the West Coast by LieutenantWashington Allon Bartlett.Upon reaching San Francisco,Ewingand the other ship assigned to the survey,USSMassachusetts,were hampered from progress due to desertions of their crews to the gold fields, including a mutiny when crew members rowing into the city fromEwingthrew an officer overboard in an attempt to desert.They managed to survey theMare Island Straitbefore steaming to Hawaii to obtain crewmen from Hawaiian monarchKing Kamehameha III.They returned to San Francisco in the spring of 1850 with the coastal survey of northern California beginning on 4 April 1850 and continued up to the mouth of theColumbia River.On 1 August 1850, while still inOregon,McArthur purchased a1⁄16interest in Mare Island for $468.50then returned to San Francisco later that month to prepare charts and write reports.

Floating dry dock, Mare Island Navy Yard, ca. 1854. This was the first drydock on the Pacific coast; built in New York, shipped in sections around Cape Horn, arrived in San Francisco August 1852.

On 15 January 1852, Secretary of the NavyWilliam A. Grahamordered a Naval Commission to select a site for a naval yard on the Pacific Coast.Commodore D. Sloatalong withCommodore C. Ringgold,Simon F. BluntandWilliam P.S. Sanger(former overseer of construction ofDrydock Number One, Norfolk Naval Shipyard) were appointed to the commission. On 13 July 1852, Sloat recommended Mare Island,across Mare Island Strait from the settlement of Vallejo. The next month, a sectional floatingdry dock,authorized by Secretary Graham for use in California, arrived in San Francisco. It was built in New York and shipped in sections around Cape Horn. In 1853, the Navy purchased Mare Island, the original 956 acres (387 ha) of land for MINSY, for a grand sum of $83,491; subsequently the floating dry dock was moved into place in Mare Island Strait.McArthur's family share (he had died a few months after purchasing his share of Mare Island) was $5,218.Based on observations at the site, Sanger conceived the original plan for the naval yard at Mare Island, later formalized by planners at the Navy Bureau of Yards and Docks in Washington, D.C. Although the 1854 Sanger plan was basically sound and mostly implemented, it did not overcome its natural shortcoming: the naval yard was built on an island on shallowSan Pablo Bay.

On 16 September 1854, the Navy commencedshipbuildingand ship repair operations at Mare Island under the command of then-CommanderDavid Farragut,who later gained fame during the U.S. Civil WarBattle of Mobile Bay,when he gave the order, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" Farragut and his newly appointed Civil Engineer, Daniel Turner, began to implement Sanger's original plan with only a few minor modifications. Of the early buildings constructed under Turner, five are still standing in historic Shipyard North: Building 46, a smithery built in 1856; Building 71, a storage built in 1858; Building 85, a foundry built in 1858; Building 87, a machine shop built in 1858; and Building 89/91, a boiler shop built in 1858. The other MINSY area constructed was the Ammunition Depot at the south end of the Island, used to storeordinancefrom warships under repair. Still standing from the Turner years in Ammunition Depot is Building A1, amagazinebuilt in 1857.

MINSY served as a major Pacific Ocean repair station during the late 19th century, handling American as well as Japanese and Russian vessels in the course of duty.

MonitorCamancheat Mare Island, 1866.

In 1861, the longest lived of theclipper ships,Syren,was brought to Mare Island Navy Yard for $15,000 of repairs.Syrenhad struckMile Rocktwice while trying to sail out of theGolden Gate.

Marinesfirst arrived for duty in 1862 under the command of Maj Addison Garland, who was the first officer to command the Marine barracks on the island.

Built in 1901 under the guidance of Chaplain Adam A. McAlister and U.S. SenatorGeorge C. Perkins,St. Peter’s Chapelwas the second chapel built on a U.S. Navy property,the first in the Pacific, and the first interdenominational chapel in the armed services.According to historian McDonald, "The chapel, more than any other building, bears witness to the closeness of the community that developed at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard."

Mare Island Naval Shipyard also took a commanding role in civil defense and emergency response on the West Coast, dispatching warships to thePacific Northwestto subdueNative Americanunrest. MINSY sent ships such asWyomingsouth to Central America and thePanama Canalto protect US political and commercial interests. Some of the support, logistics and munition requirements for theSpanish–American Warwere filled by Mare Island. MINSY sent men, materiel and ships to San Francisco in response to the fires following the1906 earthquake.Arctic rescue missions were mounted as necessary. Ordnance manufacturing and storage were two further key missions at MINSY for nearly all of its active service, including ordnance used prior to theAmerican Civil War.

Mare Island Naval Shipyard, in 1911.

In 1911, the Marine Corps established two West Coastrecruit training depotsfirst at Mare Island, the second atPuget Sound,Washington. Mare Island eventually became the West Coast's only recruit training facility when the Puget Sound operation consolidated to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1912. Instructors trained recruits there until 10 August 1923, when they relocated to theMarine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.

World War I

Looking across parade grounds at Building M37 (Marine Barracks & Headquarters); camera facing east.

In 1917, when the Marine Expeditionary Force in the Pacific was assigned to Mare Island, the MINSY Marine Corps compound, which was always under Marine Corps command, was relocated to the large hilltop isolated from and west of Shipyard South. The newly built Building M37, a handsome three-story reinforced-concrete building of Beaux Arts design, occupied the entire eastern end of a huge parade ground. It served as the focal point, headquarters, and barracks of the Marine Corps detachment at MINSY. During World War I, the MINSY Marine Corps compound was the major training station on the West Coast.

In July 1917, MINSY was the site of a major explosion that killed six people. On July 9, a gunpowder magazine containing 127,600 pounds of black powder blew up, damaging a number of surrounding buildings, and leaving a mystery as to what had caused it. Suspicion settled on an identified German agent and possible saboteur,Lothar Witzke,but the investigation proved inconclusive and the official verdict was that the cause was unknown. Stephen C. Ruder has suggested in a 2022 article that it may not have been an act of German sabotage but suicide by a civilian, Neil Damstedt, who was the principal victim and only individual inside the magazine at the moment of explosion.

MINSY saw major shipbuilding efforts duringWorld War I.MINSY holds a shipbuilding speed record for a destroyer that still stands, launchingUSSWardin just17+1⁄2days in May–June 1918.Mare Island was selected by the Navy for construction of the only US West Coast-builtdreadnoughtbattleship,USSCalifornia,launched in 1919. Severalpre-dreadnought battleshipshad previously been launched at San Francisco andSeattle.Noting the power ofunderwater warfareshown byGerman U-boats in World War I,the Navy doubled their Pacific-basedsubmarineconstruction program atPuget Sound Naval Shipyardby founding a submarine program at MINSY in the early 1920s.

Mare Island Marines Football Team

During this period, the Marines stationed at MINSY fielded acollege football teamwhich competed against teams in thePacific Coast Conferenceand other military service football teams. After the United States enteredWWIduring April 1917, many college athletes joined or were drafted into the military. Enrolments diminished at universities around the country, with many schools cutting back their sports programs as a result. Consequently, military academies and training bases established football teams composed mostly of college players who had been recruited for service. This was further encouraged by officials who considered football to be excellent war training, with its themes of leadership, teamwork, and discipline.The1917 Mare Island Marines football teamstrung together an impressive first season, going 8–0, shutting out six opponents, winning the1918 Rose Bowlagainst theCamp Lewis 91st Division football team,and outscoring all of their opponents by a combined total of 200 to 10. This was despite only 500 Marines being stationed at the base when the team was formed.The1918 Mare Island Marines football teamfielded an entirely new roster, which achieved a similar level of success as the previous year. They finished the season with a 10–1 record, losing only in the1919 Rose Bowlto theGreat Lakes Navy Bluejackets.

Interwar years

Curtiss JN-4 Jenny taking off fromMare Island Naval Shipyard Airfield,with the Marine Barracks (Building M37) in background

The Marine Corps training continued after World War I until 1921, when the Marine Corps recruitment center opened in San Diego. The MINSY Marine Corps detachment continued to occupy Building M37 until 1996, but never regained its pre-1921 importance.From around 1922 to 1937, anairfieldwas established west of the Marine Barracks (Building M37) as a support base for the Navy's firstaircraft carrier,USSLangley,which had her origin at Mare Island. WhenLangleywas at MINSY for repairs, her planes had to be removed to the MINSY airfield, which was also used for training. At her overhaul at MINSY in 1925, her deck was extended 23 feet, increasing her complement of planes to two full squadrons (36 planes). From October 1936 to February 1937, she was converted to a seaplane tender at MINSY.

In 1919, MINSY was finally, after 65 years, linked to mainland Vallejo by acausewaywith a drawbridge, which provided direct land-based movement of supplies and personnel across Mare Island Strait. Owing to the shallowness of the shipping channels in Mare Island Strait and San Pablo Bay, the larger battleships and carriers of the Pacific fleet were sent not to MINSY but to leased dry docks then-privately owned atHunters Point.However, submarine work was especially suited for Mare Island. MINSY became the major West Coast submarine repair facility in WWI and in 1925 was awarded a contract to build its first submarine,USSNautilus.In the 1930s, land reclamation nearly doubled the usable acreage on Mare Island. For example, the low-lying North End marshland were raised above high tide, making it available for future MINSY expansion.

Before World War II, the Navy established Station I at Mare Island as one of four High Frequency Direction Finding (HFDF) stations on the Pacific mainland to track Japanese naval and merchant shipping east of Hawaii. The other stations were: Point Arguello, California (Station Z), Point Saint George, California (Station T), and Fort Stevens, Oregon (Station S).

World War II

The AJC Band, fromHamilton Field,plays at awar bondrally held at Mare Island on 26 June 1945. Behind the band, caricatures ofBenito MussoliniandAdolf Hitlerhave been crossed out and a fanged Japanese figure is labeled "Tough One To Go"

Base facilities included ahospital,ammunition depot, paint and rubber testing laboratories, and schools for firefighters, opticians, and anti-submarine attack duringWorld War II.MINSY reached peak capacity for shipbuilding, repair, overhaul, and maintenance of many different kinds of seagoing vessels including both surface combatants and submarines. Up to 50,000 workers were employed.Mare Island even receivedRoyal Navycruisersanddestroyersand fourSoviet Navysubs for service.

Before the wartime expansion, MINSY had a usable area of about 635 acres. By 1945, MINSY more than doubled its usable area to about 1500 acres, much of which was reclaimed land at the North End. Most of the large permanent buildings were built between 1938 and 1941, before concrete and steel became restricted because of wartime demands. Shipyard South had the newest and best-built or redesigned industrial buildings for mass pre-fabricated sub-assembly production of submarines as well as the waterfront repair of battle-damaged vessels. The open North End was transformed into a new assembly plant for mass production of escort vessels and landing crafts, producing at its peak performance one destroyer escort every ten days and one landing craft each day.

Following the War, MINSY was considered to be one of the primary stations for construction and maintenance of theNavy's Pacific fleetof submarines, having built seventeen submarines and four submarine tenders by the end of hostilities.

War bonds

Patriotism andesprit de corpsamong the workers ran very high. Mare Island's military and civilian workforce raised almost $76M in war bonds; enough to pay for every one of the submarines built at MINSY prior toVJ Day.More than 300 landing craft were built at Mare Island.

Dry docks and slipways

Dry Dock 1: Calvin Brown, Civil Engineer and Foreman in Charge, standing on the granite blocks (1 December 1878). Work began 1 December 1874 and finshed 18 February 1891. Dry Dock 1 is Mare Island's only stone dock, the others are concrete.

Dry Dock 1 in foreground; camera facing west (1998). Group of linked early brick shops buildings, including Building 46, the oldest of the group, and Buildings 50 and 52, form the waterfront facade immediately adjacent to the granite Dry Dock 1.

When the shipyard was commissioned in 1854, it relied on a floating dry dock for ship repair. Although the Navy intended from the outset to have a permanent dry dock at Mare Island, the funds were not available until 1872, when Congress authorized $2 million for its construction. By then, Calvin Brown took over design and construction from Daniel Turner, the first civil engineer at the base. Dry Dock 1 was designed by Brown, who prepared for it by touring facilities throughout the U.S. and Europe, and was his most enduring achievement. Dry Dock 1 was theraison d'etreof the 19th century shipyard, the most important single structure at Mare Island. It remains one of the most remarkable examples of stone masonry construction in the United States.

The first concrete foundation for Dry Dock 1 was poured in 1874 and the first granite stone was laid the next year. The granite blocks were cut at quarries at Crystal Lake, Pino, Rocklin, Folsom, and Penryn. The entire surface of Dry Dock 1 is finished in dressed granite blocks. The floor is smooth and the walls are finished in stepped blocks. Construction of Dry Dock 1 was completed in 1891, $400,000 or 20% over budget. Owing to the large increases in the size of American ships in the late 19th century, the Navy began construction of a much longer, concrete, second dry dock shortly after the completion of the historic granite Dry Dock 1.

Dry Dock 2 in foreground, camera facing northwest (1998). Buildings 110, 46, 50, and 52 in background; California Avenue.

Dry Dock 2 was built between 1899 and 1910 during a period of intense modernization of Mare Island. The March1898 Mare Island earthquakethat leveled many of the unreinforced masonry structures on the base and the 1898Spanish-American warconvinced the Navy and Congress to modernize Mare Island in order to maintain a substantial fleet in the Pacific. A key element to supporting the Pacific fleet was the construction a "state-of-the-art" Dry Dock 2 that can accommodate any ship of the Navy afloat or under design. It needed to be several hundred feet longer than Dry Dock 1 and had to be built at a 45-degree angle to the shore line, adjacent to Dry Dock 1, to avoid demolition of the older shop buildings on the waterfront. It was lined with modern hydraulic concrete, with granite masonry used only in critical areas, like its locks and upper sill. Dry Dock 2 served as the main dry dock at Mare Island for three decades, from 1910 through ths 1930s. During the build-up leading to and during World War II to meet the sharply increasing demand for the shipyard's dual and competing mission of ship-building and ship-repairing, two more dry docks were built: Dry Dock 3, the second largest dry dock at Mare Island, and Dry Dock 4, used primarily for submarines and destroyers, both in the newer, more modernized Shipyard South area.

Dock No.	Material of which dock is constructed	Length	Width	Depth	Date Completed	Source
1	Concrete and granite	525 feet (160 m)	122 feet (37 m)	35 feet 9 inches (10.90 m)	1891
2	Concrete	741 feet (226 m)	120 feet (37 m)	31 feet 2 inches (9.50 m)	1910
3	Concrete	693 feet 4 inches (211.33 m)	114 feet (35 m)	35 feet 9 inches (10.90 m)	1940
4	Concrete	435 feet 8 inches (132.79 m)	104 feet (32 m)	22 feet 8 inches (6.91 m)	1942

Prior to the wartime expansion beginning in 1938, there were two building ways, No. 1 and 2, at Shipyard North. By the end of World War II, six new building ways had been added in two areas. Ways No. 3 was added to the redesigned Shipyard South and was used primarily for dry dock tugs, barges, and other small crafts. Ways No. 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 were added to the newly transformed North End and were used primarily for mass production of destroyer escorts and landing crafts. The yard also increased greatly its berthing capacity; at its peak MINSY was capable of berthing and working on 100 ships at one time.

January 1, 1946
Shipbuilding ways	Width	Length	Source
1	108 feet 8 inches (33.12 m)	680 feet (210 m)
2	89 feet (27 m)	398 feet (121 m)
		308 feet (94 m)
3	93 feet (28 m)	488 feet (149 m)
4	96 feet (29 m)	450 feet (140 m)
5	96 feet (29 m)	450 feet (140 m)
6	96 feet (29 m)	450 feet (140 m)
7	96 feet (29 m)	450 feet (140 m)
8	96 feet (29 m)	450 feet (140 m)

Shipbuilding

Mare Island Naval Shipyard constructed at least eighty-nine seagoing vessels. Among the more important ships & boats built were:

The collierUSSJupiterwas later converted to become the first United Statesaircraft carrier,USSLangley.

BattleshipUSSCalifornia

Heavy cruiserUSSSan Francisco

Five of the seven top-scoring United States submarines of World War II were built at Mare Island.

• 1858USSSaginaw–sloop-of-war,wood
• 1872USSMohican– sloop-of-war, wood
• 1874USC&GSMcArthur– Steamer
• 1875USSMonadnock–monitor,steel
• 1886USRCCosmos–RevenueCutter,wood
• 1904USSIntrepid– training ship, steelbarque
• 1907USSPrometheus–collier,steel
• 1911USSJupiter– collier, steel. Later converted toaircraft carrierUSSLangley
• 1913USSKanawha–tanker,steel
• 1913USRCGuard– Revenue Cutter Service harbor tug, wood
• 1913USSPalos–gunboat,steel
• 1913USSMonocacy– gunboat, steel
• 1914USSMaumee– tanker, steel
• 1915USSCuyama– tanker, steel
• 1916USSShaw,destroyer– steel
• 1916USSCalifornia– battleship, steel
• 1916USSCaldwell– destroyer, steel
• 1917 Fifteensubmarine chasers– wood
• 1917USSFairfax– destroyer – (Destroyers for Bases Agreement)
• 1917USSTaylor– destroyer
• 1918USSBoggs– destroyer – (World War II)
• 1918USSKilty– destroyer – (Guadalcanal campaign–Philippines campaign (1944–45)–Battle of Okinawa)
• 1919USSKennison– destroyer – (World War II)
• 1918USSWard– destroyer – (attack on Pearl Harbor–Guadalcanal campaign–Philippines campaign)
• 1918USSClaxton– destroyer
• 1919USSHamilton– destroyer – (invasion ofNorth Africa– Philippines campaign)
• 1920USSMontana– battleship scrapped before completion under terms of theWashington Naval Treaty
• 1920USSLitchfield– destroyer – (World War II)
• 1920USSZane– destroyer – (attack on Pearl Harbor– Guadalcanal campaign)
• 1921USSWasmuth– destroyer – (attack on Pearl Harbor)
• 1922USSTrever– destroyer – (attack on Pearl Harbor – Guadalcanal campaign)
• 1922USSPerry– destroyer – (attack on Pearl Harbor –Battle of Peleliu)
• 1922USSDecatur– destroyer – (World War II)
• 1927USSNautilus–submarine(sank 6 ships in 14World War IIPacific patrols)
• 1 of 6Northampton-classheavy cruisers
  • 1928USSChicago– (Battle of Savo Island–Battle of Rennell Island)
• 1 of 7New Orleans-classheavy cruisers
  • 1931USSSan Francisco– (attack on Pearl Harbor –Battle of Cape Esperance–Naval Battle of Guadalcanal–Battle of the Philippine Sea– Philippines campaign (1944–45) –Battle of Okinawa)
• 2 of 18Mahan-classdestroyers
  • 1934USSSmith– (Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands– Philippines campaign)
  • 1934USSPreston– (Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands–Naval Battle of Guadalcanal)
• 1 of 8Bagley-classdestroyers
  • 1935USSHenley– (attack on Pearl Harbor – Guadalcanal campaign)
• 31 of 65Evarts-classdestroyer escorts
  • 1942USSBrennan(DE-13)
  • ...
  • 1943USSManlove(DE-36)
  • 1943USSLake(DE-301)
  • ...
  • 1944USSFinnegan(DE-307)

With the prelude to, and the outbreak of World War II, the Mare Island Naval Shipyard specialized in submarines, and other than a fewsubmarine tendersand destroyer escorts, no more surface ships were built there. MINSY continued building non-nuclear subs through theCold Warincluding two of the threeBarracuda-class submarinesandUSSGrayback,an early guided missile launcher. In 1955, Mare Island was awarded the contract to buildSargo,the firstnuclear submarinelaid down at aPacificbase.

The shipyard became one of the few that built and overhauled nuclear submarines, including severalUGM-27 Polarissubmarines. 1970 saw the launching ofDrum,the last nuclear submarine built in California. In 1972, the Navy officially ceased building new nuclear submarines at Mare Island, though overhaul of existing vessels continued.Nautiluswas decommissioned at Mare Island in 1980, then rigged for towing back toGroton, Connecticut,to serve as a museum of naval history.

• 1 of 10United States Porpoise-classsubmarines
  • 1936USSPompano– sank 6 ships in 7 World War II Pacific patrols
• 1 of 6Salmon-classsubmarines
  • 1936USSSturgeon– sank 9 ships in 11 World War II Pacific patrols
• 1 of 10Sargo-classsubmarines
  • 1937USSSwordfish– sank 12 ships in 13World War IIPacific patrols
• 1939USSFulton–submarine tender– (World War II)
• 2 of 12Tambor-classsubmarines
  • 1939USSTuna– sank 4 ships in 13 World War II Pacific patrols
  • 1939USSGudgeon– sank 11 ships in 12 World War II Pacific patrols
• 1941USSSperry– submarine tender– (World War II)
• 1942USSBushnell– submarine tender– (World War II)
• 8 of 77Gato-classsubmarines
  • 1941USSSilversides–(sank 23 ships in 14 World War II Pacific patrols (3rd highest number for a U.S. submarine)
  • 1941USSTrigger–(sank 18 ships in 12 World War II Pacific patrols (11th highest number for a U.S. submarine)
  • 1942USSWahoo–(sank 20 ships in 7 World War II Pacific patrols (6th highest number for a U.S. submarine)
  • 1942USSWhale–(sank 9 ships in 11 World War II Pacific patrols
  • 1942USSSunfish–(sank 15 ships in 11 World War II Pacific patrols
  • 1942USSTunny–(sank 7 ships in 9 World War II Pacific patrolsVietnam War)
  • 1942USSTinosa– submarine(sank 16 ships in 11 World War II Pacific patrols
  • 1942USSTullibee–(sank 3 ships 4 World War II Pacific patrols
• 1943USSHoward W. Gilmore– submarine tender– (World War II)
• 10 of 120Balao-classsubmarines
  • 1943USSSeahorse–(sank 20 ships in 8World War IIPacific patrols (6th highest number for a U.S. submarine)
  • 1943USSSkate–(sank 10 ships in 7World War IIPacific patrols
  • 1943USSTang–(sank 24 ships in 5 World War II Pacific patrols (highest number for a U.S. submarine)
  • 1943USSTilefish–(sank 2 ships 6 World War II Pacific patrols
  • 1944USSSpadefish–(sank 21 ships in 5World War IIPacific patrols (4th highest number for a U.S. submarine)
  • 1944USSTrepang–(sank 11 ships in 5 World War II Pacific patrols
  • 1944USSSpot–(sank 1 ship in 3 World War II Pacific patrols
  • 1944USSSpringer–(sank 4 ships in 3World War IIPacific patrols
  • 1945USSStickleback–(1World War IIPacific patrol)
  • 1947USSTiru–
• 1945USSNereus– submarine tender
• 2 of 3United States Barracuda-classsubmarines
  • 1951USSBass
  • 1951USSBonita
• 1 of 2Grayback-classsubmarines
  • 1957USSGrayback–

UGM-27 Polarisballistic missile submarineUSSMariano G. Vallejo

• 1957USSSargo– submarine (nuclear powered)
• 1959USSHalibut– submarine (nuclear powered)
• 1959USSTheodore Roosevelt– submarine (nuclear powered)
• 1960USSScamp– submarine (nuclear powered)
• 1961USSPermit– submarine (nuclear powered)
• 1961USSPlunger– submarine (nuclear powered)
• 1962USSAndrew Jackson– submarine (nuclear powered)
• 1963USSWoodrow Wilson– submarine (nuclear powered)
• 1963USSDaniel Boone– submarine (nuclear powered)
• 1963USSStonewall Jackson– submarine (nuclear powered)
• 1964Trieste II– deep submergence bathyscaphe
• 1965USSKamehameha– submarine (nuclear powered)
• 1965USSMariano G. Vallejo- submarine (nuclear powered)
• 1967USSGurnard– submarine (nuclear powered)
• 1968USSGuitarro– submarine (nuclear powered)
• 1969USSHawkbill– submarine (nuclear powered)
• 1969USSPintado– submarine (nuclear powered)
• 1970USSDrum– submarine (nuclear powered)

Riverine training

Aerial photo of southern Mare Island and the shipyard facility

Mare Island Drydock No. 1

In 1966, during theVietnam War,the U.S. Navy transferred theirBrown Water NavyRiverine Training Operations fromCoronado, California,to Mare Island. Motorists traveling alongHighway 37could often see U.S. NavyRiver Patrol Boats,among other river assault type boats, maneuvering through thesloughsof what is now theNapa-Sonoma State Wildlife Area,which borders the north and west portions of Mare Island.

U.S. Navy Reserve Units may still operate the slough portions of the State Wildlife Area for training purposes, as the navigable waters are consideredpublic property.The U.S. Navy Brown Water Riverine Forces were inactivated after the Vietnam War, maintaining only the U.S. Naval Reserve PBRs and auxiliary craft at Mare Island, until the 1996 base closure.

U.S. Naval Construction Battalion Unit 421

Mare Island was also home to the Seabees CBU 421 who completed many construction projects in the bay area including renovation and restoration of St. Peter's chapel. St. Peter's is the oldest Navy Chapel in the United States built in 1901.

Pacific Reserve Fleet, Mare Island

Pacific Reserve Fleet, Mare Islandwas a large USreserve fleetthat opened in 1946 to store the many surplus ships after World War II. As part of theUnited States Navy reserve fleets,the fleet "mothballed" ships and submarines. Some ships in the fleet were reactivated for theKorean Warand Vietnam War.The Reserve Fleet closed in 1996 with the shipyard. The ships were scrapped or moved to other reserve fleets.

Base closure

Mare Island Naval Shipyard expanded to over 5,200 acres (2,104 ha) during its service life and was responsible for construction of over 500 naval vessels and overhauling thousands of other vessels. Though it remained a strong contender for continued operations, MINSY was identified for closure during theBase Realignment and Closure(BRAC) process of 1993. Naval operations ceased and the facility was decommissioned on 31 March 1996.

TheCalifornia Conservation Corps,Touro University California,and numerous commercial and industrial businesses are currently leasing property aboard the former naval shipyard. In May 2000, the Navy completed the transfer of a former housing area called Roosevelt Terrace using an "economic development conveyance"; a method to accelerate the transfer of BRAC facilities back to civilian communities for their economic benefit. The Navy is also transferring property at the shipyard to other government agencies such asFish and Wildlife Servicerefuge, aForest Serviceoffice building, anArmy Reserve Center,aCoast Guardcommunications facility, and aDepartment of Educationschool.

• 
  Entrance to The Mare Island Naval Shipyard Industrial Area, April 2011
• 
  The Mare Island Naval Shipyard facility, April 2011

Appearances in popular culture

The shipyard was featured byHuell HowserinCalifornia's GoldEpisode 704.

Scenes from the 2018science fiction filmBumblebeewere filmed in the industrial section of Mare Island, most notably the dry dock slipways.

In 2015FIATshot an automobile commercial along the industrial waterside, including a chase scene on the old coal shed loading platform.

See also

• Mare Island
• Mare Island Naval Shipyard Airfield
• Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park
• California during World War II
• California Historical Landmarks in Solano County

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Blackman, Raymond V.B.Jane's Fighting Ships 1970–71.London: Jane's Yearbooks.
• Gardiner Fassett, Frederick (1 January 1948).The Shipbuilding Business in the United States of America.Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers.
• Lott, Arnold S., Lt. Comdr., U.S.N.A Long Line of Ships: Mare Island's Century of Naval Activity in California.Annapolis: United States Naval Institute, 1954.
• Silverstone, Paul H.,U.S. Warships of World War II.New York: Doubleday & Company, 1968.
• Steffes, James, ENC Retired.Swift Boat Down: The Real Story of the Sinking of PCF-19.(2006);ISBN1-59926-612-1.
• Tillman, BarrettClash of the Carriers.New York: New American Library, 2005.ISBN978-0-451-21956-5.
• 1941 Society of Naval Architects Bulletin, Harold W. Linnehan, writing as a visitor from Design section, Mare Island, California.

External links

• Brief history written in 1939
• Recently written history with photosVallejo Convention & Visitors Bureau, 2003
• Mare Island Navy YardArchived19 April 2010 at theWayback Machine– 1928.Elbridge Ayer Burbankpencil sketch.
• National Park ServiceWorld War II in the San Francisco Bay Area:Mare Island Naval Shipyard
• Mare Island Historic Park Foundation
• Darryl Manzer."Straightening Nails: A Story of Reuse and Renewal".Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society.Retrieved20 February2005.
• "Mare Island Naval Shipyard"(pdf).Photographs.National Park Service.Retrieved18 May2012.
• Historic American Engineering Record(HAER) No. CA-3, "Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Near State Highway 37, Vallejo, Solano County, CA",9 photos, 2 data pages, 1 photo caption page
• HAER No. CA-3-A, "Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Structural Shop",10 photos, 14 measured drawings, 4 data pages, 1 photo caption page
• HAER No. CA-3-B, "Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Pattern Shop",12 photos, 3 data pages, 1 photo caption page
• HAER No. CA-3-C, "Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Sail Loft",8 photos, 3 data pages, 1 photo caption page
• St.Peter's Chapel "http:// mareislandmuseum.org/venues/st-peters-chapel/"