World War II Tour of the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Overview

Explore the World War II history of the Brooklyn Navy Yard on this two-hour tour! Thanks to the efforts of its 70,000 workers, the Brooklyn Navy Yard became the worldÂ’s busiest shipyard during WWII, earning the nickname Â“The Can-Do YardÂ” for its ability to patch up wounded ships and put them back in action. Today this massive secure facility along Brooklyn's waterfront is a city-owned hub of industry and innovation, home to over 330 manufacturing and creative companies. With the help of an expert guide, guests on this tour get a behind-the-scenes look at the Yard, with visits to the historic Dry Dock 1, a former chocolate factory, and a gigantic concrete building that was the nerve center of the nation's most active naval shipyard. Visitors will also hear recordings from sailors and workers, including people of color and women, who toiled on repairs of battleships and aircraft carriers during World War II.

Your Brooklyn Navy Yard experience begins at BLDG 92, an exhibition space and visitor center where youÂ’ll meet your guide to embark on a tour of what was once the worldÂ’s busiest shipyard, now a modern industrial park.

Board a comfortable bus that takes you from place to place, stopping along the way so you can get a closer look at historically significant sites like the Naval Hospital campus, the Naval Film Exchange, former ship-assembly shops and Dry Dock 1.

Learn about the yardÂ’s crucial role during WWII, when it was coined the Â‘Can-Do YardÂ’ for the tireless efforts of its 70,000 workers who built battleships and aircraft carriers, repaired more than 5,000 vessels, and sent troops and supplies to fronts across the globe. Known for the construction of the USS Arizona, which was sunk at Pearl Harbor, the yard also built the battleship Missouri, where the peace treaty ending the war was signed in 1945.

Hear your guide describe the bustling New York City waterfront, and listen to clips of oral recordings by sailors and ship-workers who were at the yard during WWII, including women working in industrial jobs and people of color for whom the war effort presented both challenges and new opportunities.

Throughout the tour, youÂ’ll appreciate the tremendous energy and innovation of the era, and get a glimpse of the waterfrontÂ’s revitalization and industrial development projects currently underway.

New York - New York, United States of America