Ships Built by the Charlestown Navy Yard

This colored engraving by Warren, based on a drawing by John Andrew, shows the steam frigate USS MERRIMACK being launched from Shiphouse H (Building 68) of the Charlestown Navy Yard on June 15, 1855. Burned and sunk when the Navy abandoned the Norfolk Navy Yard in April 1861, MERRIMACK was salvaged by the Confederate Navy and rebuilt as the ironclad CSS VIRGINIA. VIRGINIA’s battle with the U.S. ironclad USS MONITOR in March 1862 changed the face of naval warfare forever.

Navy History and Heritage Command, NH 86347-KN

These tables were prepared by Boston National Historical Park Preservation Specialist Stephen P. Carlson, originally found in his historic resource study of the Charlestown Navy Yard. They include all warships, auxiliaries, and service craft built by the Charlestown Navy Yard, including several vessels built elsewhere but completed by the Navy Yard. It omits small boats and landing craft not listed on the Naval Vessel Register (NVR).

Warships and auxiliaries are listed alphabetically by name, using the current on-line Naval Vessel Register convention of listing unnamed vessels alphabetically by hull number under the designation "No Name." In practice, the hull numbers of those vessels are considered to be their names (e.g., the unnamed LST-310 was known as USS LST-310).

For each vessel, the table shows its official type designation (including the gun rate for sailing vessels), hull number, and dates of keel laying, launching, and commissioning, followed by changes in names and hull numbers and the ultimate disposition. It should be noted that many vessels listed as transferred to foreign countries remained on the NVR and were often returned to American custody for final disposal; such instances are not indicated here. For the most part, vessels listed as "sold" were sold for scrapping, although many LSTs and some other ships were sold for conversion to commercial service. Such details are beyond the scope of this listing. A separate list of foreign names assigned to Boston built ships that were transferred to other navies follows the main tables.

Information is given under the name of the ship at the time of launching, other than for escort vessels originally allocated to Great Britain; these are listed under the American names assigned even though launched under their British designations. Cross-references are supplied in cases where a ship name was changed either prior to launching or subsequent to being placed in service, including "names" consisting only of hull numbers.

Service craft, which were named by a generic designation and number prior to July 1920 (e.g., Ammunition Lighter No. 17) and then by hull number (e.g., YE-17), are arranged by hull number in a separate section, showing only the launch date and fate, since more detailed information is generally unavailable. Indeed, craft shown as "stricken" may in fact have been converted into another type.

Unknown dates are indicated as "19??" (or "194? if a decade is known).

Warships and Auxiliaries Built by the Charlestown Navy Yard

Table of ships constructed by the Charlestown Navy Yard

Name	Type	Hull No.	Keel Laid	Launched	Commissioned	Fate	Comments

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Service Craft Built by the Charlestown Navy Yard

Table of service craft vessels constructed by the Charlestown Navy Yard

Type	Hull No.	Launched	Fate	Notes

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Foreign Naval Names For Transferred Vessels

Table of foreign vessel names

Hull No.	Country	Foreign Name (Hull No.)

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