President Franklin D. Roosevelt loved the Navy, stemming from his days as Secretary of the Navy. His goal was to build up the Navy in preparation for World War II.
The Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company was declared the low bidder on August 5, 1933 and won the $40 million contract.
Neil Woodall, 100, then a 21-year-old boilermaker said, "We'd gone through some pretty lean times before that. Everyone was elated when we got the contract for those two carriers." They had to rearrange and expand the yard's shops and departments. Plus, many new hires were made.
By the spring of 1936, they were preparing to launch the Yorktown and Eleanor Roosevelt was the sponsor. A huge crowd attended the launch.
On April 4, 1936, the Yorktown was christened with a bottle of champagne and the 824-foot, 20,000 tons aircraft carrier slid into the James River for outfitting.
One Way to Break the Depression. --GreGen
The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.
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