The 204th anniversary of the Burning of Washington is almost upon us, and so it seems appropriate to look at one of the episodes of this tragic time that took place on Capitol Hill. No, not the burning of the Capitol by the British, but the burning of the Navy Yard… by the Americans. Burning […]
When I started looking at the McCormick family two weeks ago, I found myself looking forward to the third of the line. Not only had he been a Rear Admiral in the Navy but a Commandant at the Washington Navy Yard as well. This was, I thought, enough to ensure that he would have stories […]
It has come time to say goodbye to an old Capitol Hill resident: The DS Barry. Originally the USS Barry, the ship was brought to the Washington Navy Yard in 1983 and had its prefix changed to Display Ship – DS. Built in Bath, Maine, she was the third ship destroyer named after Commodore John Barry […]
One of the largest ships in the US Navy during the Civil War was finished at the Washington Navy Yard. After having built various parts of the USS Pensacola in navy yards in states that had seceded, it was fortunate that the final work was done at the Yard: that way, the US Navy could keep it. […]