[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 71 (Friday, June 9, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E945]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            200TH BIRTHDAY OF THE PORTSMOUTH NAVAL SHIPYARD

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN E. SUNUNU

                            of new hampshire

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 8, 2000

  Mr. SUNUNU. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to rise today to pay tribute to 
the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the first publicly owned shipyard in our 
Nation, on the occasion of its 200th birthday. The Portsmouth Naval 
Shipyard was established on June 12, 1800, on the Piscataqua River 
between New Hampshire and Maine as our first permanent shipyard devoted 
exclusively to the construction and repair of vessels for the United 
States Navy.
  In 1814, the Washington, the first naval vessel to bear the name of 
our first president was built at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. By 
1818, the Shipyard's work force had grown to 50 workers. Portsmouth 
constructed another 12 vessels for the United States Navy prior to the 
beginning of the Civil War earning recognition as the ``Cradle of 
American Shipbuilding.''
  Although new ship construction slowed at Portsmouth after the end of 
the Civil War, the Shipyard continued to play an important role in our 
Nation's history. The U.S.S. Constitution was berthed at the Shipyard 
for some time, and during and after the Spanish-American War, over 1600 
Spanish prisoners were quartered on its grounds. In 1905, the Treaty of 
Portsmouth, ending the Russo-Japanese War and earning President 
Theodore Roosevelt the Nobel Peace Prize, was signed at the Portsmouth 
Naval Shipyard.
  With the onset of World War I, the workforce was expanded to almost 
5,000 and the Shipyard began its long and illustrious history of 
submarine construction, launching the first U.S. submarine built in a 
naval shipyard in 1917.
  During World War II, the ranks of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard 
jumped to 24,000. Over 70 submarines were constructed at the Shipyard 
during the Second World War, with three launched on a single day, a 
record that no other public or private shipyard has ever equaled. In 
1944, Portsmouth held the record for constructing the greatest number 
of submarines in one year, turning out 31.
  After World War II, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard became the Navy's 
center for submarine design and development. The Shipyard built the 
research submarine, the U.S.S. Albacore, with its revolutionary `tear-
drop' shaped hull, which set the standard for all subsequent submarine 
designs world-wide. Today the U.S.S. Albacore rests at a site close to 
the Shipyard in Portsmouth, NH, as an historical and educational 
exhibit open to the public.
  Another in a long line of ``firsts'' for the Shipyard occurred in 
1968 when Portsmouth constructed the first full size very deep diving 
non-combatant submarine built in a naval shipyard. The Portsmouth 
Shipyard also launched the last submarine built in a public shipyard, 
the nuclear powered U.S.S. Sand Lance, in 1969.
  As a tribute to its historical significance and its place in our 
heritage, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard has been listed on the National 
Register of Historic Places.
  Today the civilian work force at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard stands 
at 3601, and it takes pride in its continuing role as the Navy's 
leading shipyard for submarine overhaul and repair. The Shipyard 
encompasses nearly 300 acres and over 300 buildings, has three dry 
docks, and capacity to berth six submarines.
  As we embark on a new century and millennium, the Portsmouth Naval 
Shipyard has positioned itself to meet the demands of today's 
competitive business environment and offer its customer, the United 
States taxpayer, the best product for the best price. Responding to the 
challenges of the marketplace, the Shipyard is forging joint ventures 
with the private sector--leasing out unutilized or underutilized 
facilities and equipment--and partnering with Electric Boat. Today 
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard workers and Electric Boat employees work side 
by side in the best interests of the Nation.
  For two hundred years the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard has served in the 
defense of our country, the Cradle of American Shipbuilding set in New 
England's Cradle of Democracy. Ever adapting to the changes that have 
taken our Nation from sails to atoms, the Shipyard continues to play a 
critical role in strengthening and maintaining our national security.
  Mr. Speaker, this historic institution, a hallmark of our country's 
mighty naval strength, deserves the recognition of all Americans as it 
marks the occasion of its two hundredth birthday. I ask you to join me 
in thanking generations of Shipyard workers for their dedication and 
service to protecting our Nation's security interests at home and on 
the seas.

                          ____________________