What's in a name? Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTH

The cranes rise along the riverfront like flags to the city's shipbuilding heritage.

Without doubt, the shipyard that covers more than 500 acres of this seaport city is its greatest claim to fame.

Oldest continuously operating naval shipyard in the nation. Oldest dry dock too.

Birthplace of the Virginia, the first ironclad to see action.

First U.S. Navy battleship. First aircraft carrier.

There's just one colossal problem for Portsmouth.

It's called the Norfolk Naval Shipyard.

In the book, "Portsmouth: A Pictorial History," Alf J. and Ramona H. Mapp wrote that what began as the Gosport Shipyard was renamed the Norfolk Navy Yard "in 1862 when the federal government, occupying the conquered city of Portsmouth, did not find it necessary to poll the sentiments of its citizens."

The Mapps made it clear early on that in their book the shipyard would "not be referred to by that cumbersome and misleading title."

Many have found it hard to swallow.

There's a museum at the foot of High Street that tells the entwined history of the city and its shipyard. It's called the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum.

Marshall W. Butt, for years its curator and director, addressed the name problem in his book, "Portsmouth Under Four Flags."

He wrote: "When the name Gosport was discarded in 1862 it seems evident that Norfolk was chosen rather than Portsmouth because the Navy had a Navy Yard designated Portsmouth after the city of that name in New Hampshire."

However, as the local historian pointed out, even that was a misnomer. In that case, it wasn't even the right state. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is in Kittery, Maine.

So why can't the Navy correct its geography?

Butt said, "although 'Navy Yard' has been changed to 'Naval Shipyard' the obviously false designation Norfolk continues to mislead tourists and other visitors and 'all the king's horses and all the king's men' refuse to change it."

On the shipyard's Web site, the Navy takes a whack at explaining itself.

There's hemming and hawing about Colonial times and the importance of Norfolk and Norfolk County, before it gets down to this:

"It is a Navy tradition to name a station or yard after the largest cities in the geographical area."

The same Web site says much about the glories of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard over time.

The contributions to victories in nine wars. Its record employment of 43,000 yard workers during World War II.

It touches on other nuggets of interest.

Like that momentous occasion in 1910, when a plane took off from the first flight deck built on a ship here.

The pilot was supposed to land at the shipyard, according to the account, but "touched down instead in Norfolk."

Could be he thought he would find the shipyard there.

Janie Bryant, (757) 446-2453, janie.bryant@pilotonline.com