The Charleston Naval Shipyard is a decommissioned United States Navy shipbuilding and repair facility. The yard which is located in North Charleston, South Carolina, has for years been lying in a dilapidated state after its decommission after World War I.

Civil War in the rearview

Charleston, which had never fully recovered economically from the Civil War, was awarded a contract for a naval yard in 1890. Charleston Mayor J. Adger Smyth and Senator Benjamin Tillman had long lobbied the Navy for a shipyard to help the local economy. The United States' 56th Congress passed legislation authorizing the Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable John D. Long, to investigate this proposal.

The Yard was promptly surveyed and plotted out, a crew was gathered, and construction of a structure and a dry dock began. The Navy Yard initially concentrated on ship maintenance and supply rather than new buildings; nonetheless, new construction did take place. The dock employed over eight hundred local residents but the number increased by the end of the war.

Tight budget

The Charleston Naval Base was South Carolina's largest civilian employer until the 1990s. In the face of frequent closure efforts, the influence of Lowcountry politicians, as well as the danger of nuclear attack, were important in keeping Charleston's base open. However, with the Cold War over and military budget cuts looming, Charleston's Navy Base was put on the chopping board once more in the early 1990s. In 1993, the Charleston Naval Base was set to shut on April 1, 1996. As a result of the base's shutdown, Charleston's economy suffered. Millions of dollars have flowed into the Charleston area economy over the years, and hundreds of thousands of jobs have been provided to military and civilian personnel, with the vast majority being civilians. Many of the military personnel who worked at or passed through the base chose to retire in Charleston. Since the closure of Charleston Naval Base, portions of the base and dry docks have been leased to various government and private businesses, and community parks have been established.

Charleston Naval Historic Site

Years of neglect have robbed the structure of its beauty and solidity, making it a possible threat. Although the Charleston Naval Base is no longer a part of our country's history, it remains a vivid memory for those who served there. The huge base has been turned into a historic area, with tourists able to explore the site as well as various portions of the structural system. The bulk of the buildings are unstable and hence closed. Plans to develop the land into a hotel and resort were greeted with opposition from both residents and prior owners, who claimed that the region was heavily contaminated as a result of earlier activity.