Norfolk Naval Shipyard dates to November 1767, when merchant Andrew Sprowle built a small shipyard on the Elizabeth River to repair British merchant and naval vessels. Sprowle called his yard Gosport, after Gosport, England. The shipyard was burned by the British during the American Revolution and by both Union and Confederate forces during the Civil War. Notable “firsts” at the yard include the nation’s first drydock, and the construction of a number of pioneering American naval vessels. Learn more on November 8, when Marcus W. Robbins, Historian and Archivist for Norfolk Naval Shipyard, brings us stories and images chronicling 250 years of proud naval service by Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY).

FREE and open to the public