KYW Flashback: Changing Times At The Philadelphia Navy Yard
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- It was 15 years ago when the historic Philadelphia Naval Shipyard ended its role as builder and keeper of the world's most powerful fleet.
Ownership of the 1,200 sprawling acres where the Schuylkill River spills into the Delaware passed to the city of Philadelphia. The yard had reached a zenith of activity during World War II when the region from Chester to Philadelphia and Camden was a hub of shipbuilding activity.
KYW Newsradio reported extensively on its resurgence in the 1980's as the Navy launched a program to extend the life of its aging fleet of aircraft carriers.
A KYW reporter was flown out to the Lexington to report on its passage up the Delaware River as thousands lined the banks to see the storied ship. Then came the Saratoga, the Constellation and the Kitty Hawk. We alerted listeners to the best vantage points to view the ships coming and going. But the yard became a victim of the times. The navy had gone nuclear and nuclear ships were not permitted in Philadelphia.
Now the yard has once again been transformed. It's still building ships - but for commerce, not defense and it has become a center of Philadelphia business and industry.
