Boston Navy Yard During World War II

In 1932, the Department of the Navy designated the Boston (Charlestown) Navy Yard to be the building site for destroyers.

Two years later, the USS McDonough (DD-351) slid down the ways, marking the first major ship launching at the yard in over a decade.

The launch of McDonough ushered in the most productive period of ship construction in the history of the Navy Yard.

By September 1, 1939, when Nazi Germany invaded Poland, the Boston Navy Yard had completed and commissioned six new destroyers. Furthermore, several other destroyers and auxiliary vessels were in various stages of construction across the facility. Though Germany’s invasion of Poland sparked war in Europe, the United States remained neutral.