Do Your Job! An Illustrated Bicentennial History of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, 1800 - 2000

In 1800 the United States established the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on an island in the Piscataqua River, the boundary between New Hampshire and Maine. Since its founding, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS) as it is now known has expanded by annexing nearby islands to become a workhorse for the United States Navy. Through the years the Yard has built and repaired ships, hosted a major peace conference and developed inventions applicable for both military and civilian purposes.

Keenly abreast of the changing times technologically and scientifically, the PNS has seen its mission evolve from constructing wooden sailing ships to repairing and overhauling nuclear-powered, missile-firing submarines.

As the first full-length account of the Yard’s history since 1978, this narrative covers many aspects of the PNS’s stirring contributions to the nation’s past, replete with references to submarine skippers, commanders-in-chief, secretaries of the Navy and civilian employees. Amply illustrated with many heretofore-unpublished photographs, this book demonstrates that the Yard’s long, distinguished history mirrors that of the nation itself-a success story with a record of achievement.