Last updated: August 17, 2026
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The Boston Navy Yard in the First World War: The Ships and the Boats
Over the years, the Boston Navy Yard (also known as the Charlestown Navy Yard) earned the reputation of being a renowned repair yard for the US Navy. At this yard, workers repaired many more ships than they had built. This trend continued during World War I (WWI). Workers at the yard labored over hundreds of existing vessels, yet they only built four. Regardless, their contributions strengthened the US Navy as the ships faced war in Europe.
Boston National Historical Park, BOSTC 13838-3734.
Setting Sail
The declaration of war in 1917 led to an increase in work in navy yards across the country. From 1917-1918, workers at the Boston Navy Yard (BNY) rapidly constructed ships for the US Navy. The Navy sent many vessels to BNY to be overhauled for two reasons. First, BNY had a reputation for efficiency. Second, Boston was the closest US port to Europe.
In total, civilian and military employees at the yard built, repaired, or converted about 450 vessels in WWI. This number includes ships built at private shipyards and later brought to BNY for finishing or commissioning. All of these vessels equaled about one quarter of the total vessels the Navy deployed during the war. According to historian Frederick Black, workers at BNY had never before completed work at this rate in the history of the yard.
The shipyard workers at BNY worked on all sorts of vessels in WWI. Ships ranged from massive battleships to small patrol boats. A few of these vessels were already being overhauled at BNY when the US entered the war. Upon completion, each set sail from Boston to play their specific role in the war.
Destroyers
Soon after the US declared war on Germany, six destroyers left Boston Navy Yard for Queenstown, Ireland. These destroyers arrived on May 4, 1917. Over the course of this month, another 12 destroyers left BNY for Queenstown. The staff of BNY had prepared these destroyers for overseas duty.
Some commentators nicknamed the arrival of US destroyers in British waters as the "Return of the Mayflower." The original Mayflower (1620) brought Pilgrims from England to America in search of freedom. In 1917, some viewed US Navy sailors as symbolically representing the descendants of the Pilgrims. Now, they were returning Europe to help the British defend their freedoms. These destroyers helped defend ships bringing aid to Britain and France. Their opponent was the German navy.
"Return of the Mayflower," by Bernard F. Gribble (British, 1873-1962). Oil on Canvas, painted 1919. Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site.
The US Navy sent 36 destroyers to Europe in early 1917. This was almost all the destroyers the Navy had at the time. However, the Naval Act of 1916 had funded the construction of 50 new destroyers. Some of these destroyers were built at the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts, and its adjacent site, the Victory Destroyer Plant in Squantum. Bethlehem Steel owned both private yards and worked under the direction of BNY staff. When close to completion, these destroyers cruised the short distance up the coast to BNY. Here, workers finished the construction. The yards at Fore River and Squantum together built 71 destroyers for the US Navy in WWI. Most of these destroyers were finished and commissioned after the armistice of November 11, 1918.
Workers at Bath Iron Works in Maine, another private shipyard, worked with BNY officials to build four destroyers for the war. All of these destroyers served in Europe.
To support the maintenance and repair needs of destroyers out at sea, the Navy also sent destroyer tenders to Europe. After BNY workers prepared it for service, Destroyer Tender USS Melville (AD-2) cruised to Queenstown, Ireland.
Steamships
At the start of WWI, eight foreign steam-powered ships took refuge in Boston Harbor to escape from the British Navy. Some were huge transatlantic ocean liners, while others were cargo ships. These ships belonged to private companies in Germany and Austria, countries that were at war with Britain. At the beginning of the war in 1914, the United States officially declared neutrality. US Navy sailors from BNY monitored these ships in Boston Harbor to ensure these vessels obeyed US neutrality laws.
In the spring of 1917, after the US entered the war, the US Navy took command of these ships and brought them to the BNY. BNY workers converted three of them into transport ships for ferrying US troops to and from France. It took workers three months to make the conversion, using Dry Dock 2 to transform the ships.
BNY staff converted and renamed the three largest of these passenger ships. The SS Kronprinzessin Cecilie was commissioned as USS Mount Vernon. The SS Cincinnati became USS Covington, and the SS Amerika was renamed USS America. The USS Mount Vernon, the USS Covington and the USS America together made 24 trips to France and brought about 165,000 US soldiers to the war.
Boston National Historical Park, BOSTC 10263-1.
BNY also took control of the remaining five foreign ships trapped in Boston Harbor. Navy yard workers converted three of these ships into cargo ships. Of the final two ships, one became a torpedo boat repair ship, USS Bridgeport. Another became the sub tender, USS Savannah.
Battleships and More
When the US entered WWI, seven battleships had already been undergoing work at the Boston Navy Yard. Three of these battleships had been receiving regular repairs. The Navy sent the other four battleships to BNY to prepare them for the war.
Most of these battleships protected the country's east coast and provided training for sailors during WWI. Two of these battleships from BNY sailed to European waters: USS Delaware and USS Nebraska. Starting in December 1917, they served at Scapa Flow, off the coast of Britain. They mostly protected convoys against large German ships. The US Navy sent another batch of battleships to Europe in August 1918. The USS Nevada, built at Fore River Shipyard and maintained at BNY, cruised among them.
During the war, the Boston Navy Yard became a center for cruiser repair. Workers in the yard repaired nine US cruisers. Cruisers were larger than destroyers but smaller than battleships. The names of these cruisers are not well-documented, but many served overseas in WWI.
The US Navy also acquired private vessels of all sorts and converted them into battle-ready ships. At BNY, workers converted about 150 of these private vessels during the war. These vessels ranged from small motorboats to yachts. Adapting them for war usually required adding guns. Once workers completed the conversions, US Navy sailors staffed and sailed these ships.
"The Arrival of the American Fleet Off Scapa Flow, December 1917" by Bernard F. Gribble. Oil on canvas, 1920. Naval History and Heritage Command, 28-003-A.
During the war, the Boston Navy Yard became a center for cruiser repair. Workers in the yard repaired nine US cruisers. Cruisers were larger than destroyers but smaller than battleships. The names of these cruisers are not well-documented, but many served overseas in WWI.
The US Navy also acquired private vessels of all sorts and converted them into battle-ready ships. At BNY, workers converted about 150 of these private vessels during the war. These vessels ranged from small motorboats to yachts. Adapting them for war usually required adding guns. Once workers completed the conversions, US Navy sailors staffed and sailed these ships.
Submarine Warfare
US Navy designers created a unique vessel to fight against the German submarine threat in WWI. The Navy called this boat the "sub-chaser." It was a gasoline-fired wooden vessel, 110 feet long, and had both a 3" gun and depth charges. The Navy planned to build 400 of them. The George Lawley and Sons Company in Neponset, Massachusetts, built 18 of these sub-chasers in cooperation with BNY. Most of these vessels served in the war.
Workers at BNY refurbished over 20 submarines for the war. Shipbuilders at the Fore River Shipyard in nearby Quincy, Massachusetts, built about 15 subs and they were commissioned at BNY. Most of these subs patrolled the east coast of the US during the war. A small number served in European waters.
Mines
"Presented to the City of Boston through the North Sea Mine Force Association October 26, 1921" Memorial on Boston Common in Downtown Boston.
Another of the large offensive actions taken up by the Allies was the mining of the North Sea. This effort sought to block German submarines from reaching the Atlantic Ocean. These mines spanned a large area, from the Orkney Islands in Scotland to Norway. The Allies referred to the mines that blocked passage from the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean as the North Sea Mine Barrage. Anchored to the ocean floor, these ocean mines floated below the surface of the water at various depths. Trip wires above and below the explosive mine were meant to set off the mine and damage passing ships and submarines.
Workers at the BNY converted two large steamships into minelaying ships. They converted the SS Massachusetts, a passenger liner into the minelayer USS Shawmut. The SS Bunker Hill became the USS Aroostook. These two ships, along with USS Saranac and USS Blackhawk, sailed for the North Sea from BNY to assist in laying mines.
The American forces laid about 56,000 mines, while the British laid another 14,000. During the war and after the armistice, mines had to be removed. Twelve minesweepers prepared at Boston Navy Yard assisted in this effort.
Supply Ships
In January 1918, the Navy started the Naval Overseas Transport Service (NOTS). NOTS consisted of 400 US Navy cargo ships dedicated to supplying war materials to the American Expeditionary Force in France. Workers at BNY contributed at least four ships to NOTS. One of these ships was USS Bridge, the largest steel ship ever built in BNY at the time. Workers commissioned the Bridge just as the US entered the war. It was also the first refrigerated supply ship ever built by the US Navy.
Boston National Historical Park, BOSTC 10536-136
Workers at BNY built three other critical supply ships in WWI under the Naval Act of 1916. They were fuel ships: USS Brazos, USS Pecos and USS Neches. The US Navy began to value oil-powered ships as it transitioned away from coal-powered ships.
The BNY Effect
With ships from the Boston Navy Yard, the US Navy quickly sent a large and diverse flotilla of ships to Europe during WWI. The military and civilian employees of BNY supplied, built, converted and repaired a large variety and volume of vessels. Navy officials at BNY also cooperated with several private shipyards. These yards built destroyers, submarines, and other vessels for the US Navy in WWI. Most of these ships were commissioned at BNY.
The fleet of ships supplied by the workers at BNY and their affiliated private yards helped challenge the German navy and bring an end to WWI.
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