Three vessels in U.S. maritime history have carried the name New Hampshire. The first was the 74-gun ship of the line USS New Hampshire, a three-masted square-rigged vessel originally set to carry the name USS Alabama.
Congress authorized Alabama’s construction in April 1816, and its keel was laid at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in June 1819, the same year the state of Alabama was admitted to the Union. Constructed using live oak with copper fastenings forged at Paul Revere’s foundry, Alabama was ready for launch in 1825 but remained on its keel blocks as a cost-saving measure decided by Congress.
Nearly 40 years later, April 23, 1864, Alabama was renamed New Hampshire and launched for service in the Civil War. Fitted out as a store and depot ship for the South Atlantic blockading squadron, New Hampshire was based in Port Royal, South Carolina. After the war, it became the flagship for a newly formed group called the Apprentice Training Squadron, stationed in Newport, Rhode Island. The apprentice program was designed to create a pathway into the Navy for qualified young men.
In 1892, New Hampshire was decommissioned and later loaned out as a training ship for the New York Naval Militia. In November 1904, New Hampshire was renamed USS Granite State to free the name for a newly authorized battleship, USS New Hampshire (BB 25). It was a Connecticut-class battleship, considered the ultimate battleship class of the day, heavily armed and armored.
Six Connecticut-class battleships served as the workhorses of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. PNSY became a battleship repair facility in 1906 and by 1908 New Hampshire visited PNSY, where the ship was inspected and resupplied before being sent back to the fleet. New Hampshire was decommissioned in 1921 and sold for scrap.
Midway through 2008, the Navy christened USS New Hampshire (SSN 778), the first block II Virginia-class submarine, the newest class of attack nuclear-powered submarines. In 2018, the submarine was scheduled for a two-year maintenance and modernization overhaul. PNSY was awarded the overhaul, and the workforce modernized and improved its surveillance capabilities and special warfare enhancements to meet the Navy’s multi-mission requirements.
Since its inception in 1800, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard has been a crucial contributor throughout the history of vessels from wooden warships to nuclear-powered attack submarines, proud of our past and ready for the future.
| Date Taken: | 09.17.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.17.2024 13:54 |
| Story ID: | 487235 |
| Location: | KITTERY, MAINE, US |
| Web Views: | 9 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Before The Mast: From Ship of the Line to Beneath the Surface, by Neil Boorjian, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
