Naval History of Norfolk Driving Tour

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1. Drydock Number One, Norfolk Naval Shipyard

Norfolk Naval Shipyard's Drydock Number One was built in 1827 and is the is the oldest operational drydock facility in the United States, becoming operational in 1833 just weeks ahead of several competing drydock facilities. The dock specializes in the restoration and modernization of naval vessels and is the site where the Confederate Navy modified the USS Merimack, rechristening the ironclad ship "CSS Virginia." Drydock Number One is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is both a designated State Historical Landmark and a National Historic Landmark. It continues to function as part of the naval shipyard today.

2. Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum

The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum documents and presents the rich history of America's largest and oldest shipyard industrial shipbuilding facility. Ironically, despite having undergone several name changes over the centuries, the facility has never actually been titled the "Portsmouth" Naval Shipyard, though it is in fact located in Portsmouth, Virginia. The museum is located near the current Norfolk Naval Shipyard, which still services the U.S. Navy and is one of the few facilities in the world large enough to drydock a nuclear aircraft carrier. In 2017, the Norfolk Naval Shipyard celebrated its 250th year.

3. Nauticus Museum

Located on Norfolk's downtown waterfront, Nauticus is 120,000 square-foot science and technology museum dedicated to naval history and science. The museum includes many exhibits on maritime technology, and emphasizes interactive experiences--including "real-time" information on ships going past the museum, and escape rooms on board the real USS Wisconsin, one of the largest and last battleships ever built by the U.S. Navy.

4. Battleship USS Wisconsin (BB-64)

The USS Wisconsin was launched on Dec. 7, 1943--the second anniversary of the Pearl Harbor bombing. An Iowa-class "fast battleship," she served during World War 2, the Korean War, and Operation Desert Storm. Since being decommissioned in 1991, as one of the last serving battleships in the world, the vessel has served as a floating museum. The current exhibition in Norfolk was opened in April 2001 within the science and technology museum Nauticus.

5. St. Paul's Episcopal Church and the Burning of Norfolk

St, Paul's Church was built in 1739 and is the only structure in Norfolk remaining that predates the destruction of the city during the American Revolution. During the British bombardment on New Year's Day in 1776, a cannonball fired by the British Fleet struck the church and is still lodged in the southeastern wall. After British attacks were repulsed, Patriot forces destroyed the rest of the city rather than allow it to fall in enemy hands.

6. Battle of Sewell's Point

The Battle of Sewell's Point was a small duel between Union warships and Confederate artillery, fought during the American Civil War in May, 1861. It was the second battle of the American Civil War and the first on Virginia soil in that conflict, fought shortly after the bombardment of Fort Sumter. The battle was inconclusive, but Union warships withdrew and Confederates claimed victory.

7. USS Iowa BB-61 Marker

Commissoned in 1943, USS Iowa was one of the most powerful battleships in the world at her launching, and went on to see combat during World War 2 and the Korean War. The ship was modified in October 1943, adding the only bathtub ever to be installed on an American battleship, specifically for Franklin D. Roosevelt's trans-Atlantic voyage to meet with Allied leaders in Tehran. She was mothballed in 1958, but recommissioned in 1984, serving in many operations during the Cold War. On April 19, 1989 Turret Two exploded, killing 47 crewmen. This point and marker was dedicated to them on April 19, 1990.

8. Birthplace of Naval Aviation

This historic marker commemorates the first time an airplane took off from a naval vessel. Just across the harbor from this location, on November 14th, 1910, civilian pilot Eugene Ely successfully launched a Curtiss biplane from a specially-constructed ramp aboard the USS Birmingham.

9. Fort Wool (Castle Calhoun)

During the War of 1812, British naval and land forces frequently operated with impunity in Chesapeake Bay, even threatening Baltimore and eventually burning Washington D.C. This revealed a desperate need for more coastal defenses to protect major harbors and cities from foreign military threats. After the war ended, the need for a coastal defense system was answered with the construction of forts all along the eastern coast of the United States. Fort Wool is one of these forts and still stands “protecting” the bay.

10. Old Point Comfort Lighthouse

The Old Point Comfort Lighthouse was built to replace the temporary navigational aids previously employed at Old Point Comfort and was completed in 1802. During the War of 1812, it was briefly seized by British forces, prompting the later construction of Fort Monroe nearby. During the Civil War, it remained in Federal possession. Today, it is owned jointly by the United States Coast Guard and Army. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

11. Battle of Hampton Roads (Monitor-Merrimack Overlook)

The Battle of Hampton Roads was a historic, if indecisive, leap forward in naval technology. That day in the American Civil War, the shores of Virginia witnessed the world's first clash between two metal warships, known as ironclads--the USS Monitor and the CSS Merrimack (also called the CSS Virginia)--as they battled it out in the waters of Hampton Roads near Norfolk. The Merrimack's goal was to shatter the cordon of Union ships blockading the key Confederate cities of Norfolk and Richmond. Had it not been for the timely arrival of the brand-new USS Monitor, Confederate plans would likely have succeeded. From Monitor-Merrimac Overlook Park, visitors can survey the historic battlefield. The park is near the Mariners' Museum, home of the USS Monitor Center.

12. U.S.S. Scorpion SSN 589 Monument

This memorial in Newport News is dedicated to the 99 sailors who went down with the U.S.S. Scorpion (SSN-589), a nuclear submarine that went down 400 miles southwest of the Azores. The ship was declared lost on June 5, 1968 after failing to return home from a 3 month deployment. The memorial is in Huntington Park, adjacent to the Virginia War Museum, and is part of the "Still On Patrol" nationwide series of monuments dedicated to U.S. submarines and crews lost during World War II.

This Tour is a Driving or Biking Tour.

Naval History of Norfolk Driving Tour

Created by Angelica Garcia on December 31st 2016, 11:00:29 pm.

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Description

Norfolk, Virginia is the historic, urban, financial, and cultural center of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. Bordered to the west by the Elizabeth River and to the north by the Chesapeake Bay, Norfolk's history has always taken place along the water. Take a drive from Newport News to Virginia Beach. Along the way, you'll see notable sites, museums, and monuments representing naval history from colonial times to WWII. Be sure to click over to the driving directions as this tour covers a large area includes highways and bridges that are not open to pedestrians.

Entries on This Tour

Naval History of Norfolk Driving Tour

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