Indeed the shipyard has had a remarkable history. It has been a part of some of the biggest developments in naval history: the first clash between ironclad ships, the birth of the U.S. Navy's first aircraft carrier, the first battleship christened by the Navy, the first drydock in the western hemisphere, and the sailing of the Great White Fleet.

The shipyard has been visited by 12 presidents.

It has been set afire three times: once by the British, once by the Confederates, and once by the Union.

Its manpower has fluctuated according to the times. "It has been upsized, downsized, and rightsized - everything but capsized," said Joe Law, the shipyard's former public affairs officer.

Joe Law worked for the shipyard for 14 years (1978-1993). Now, "sort of retired", he is writing a book on the shipyard's history.

The task is obviously a labor of love. He can rattle off dates, statistics and facts without consulting notes. He smiles when discussing the yard's exploits in the manner of a person describing the actions of an admired old friend.

He has been studying Navy history since 1950, concentrating on the shipyard's since 1978.

His book, "Norfolk Naval Shipyard: A Remarkable History", contains 150,000 + words. It has been reviewed by three former shipyard commanders and by historians in the Office of Naval History.

It covers more than ships, machinery and drydocks. There are also people - those who led patrols against pirates, those who participated in slave interdiction voyages off the African coast, the former shipyard commander who brought Lindbergh home after the aviator's historic flight, the officers of the CSS VIRGINIA who had a prayer breakfast at Trinity Church before sailing forth for battle against the MONITOR.

The book traces the shipyard's history from selection of its site by the British in 1752 for shipyard-type work (though not for a full shipyard), through its period as the private Gosport Shipyard established by the Scottish entrepreneur Andrew Sprowle, and on to the present.

Along the way it touches on many moments in the nation's history that the shipyard helped shape, plus its role in numerous wars, its peacetime survival and the dramatic emergence of women in the industrial workplace.