Former Site of Robert E. Derecktor of Rhode Island Shipyard

USA / Rhode Island / Middletown /
 place with historical importance, shipyard, production, United States Coast Guard, EPA superfund, historical layer / disappeared object
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In operation from 1985 to 1992, the Robert E. Derecktor Shipyard was the largest scale shipyard project ever undertaken by the small Mamaroneck, NY based yacht builder. Securing land from the US Navy following the closure of the Destroyer Base at Naval Station Newport, Derecktor built a medium sized yard and utilized much of the existing infrastructure available from the former tenants, including two former US Navy floating drydocks, to construct larger ships than the yard in Mamaroneck was capable of.

After securing two government contracts, the yard built two Staten Island Ferries for the City of New York, and nine of the thirteen 'Famous' Class of Medium Endurance Cutters now in service with the US Coast Guard. Despite this promising start, following the launching of USCGC Mohawk (WMEC-913) in 1990 the yard was unable to secure further customers and subsequently went bankrupt in 1992. As a result of its bankruptcy much of the yard infrastructure was seized for resale or scrap scale following its closure, leaving little tangible trace of its existence. What it did leave behind was a significant area environmental contamination throughout its former operating area, both landside and seaside, which eventually became part of a larger EPA Superfund remediation effort of former US Navy NETC sites in the area. The site is slated to undergo a full environmental remediation beginning in 2016.

yosemite.epa.gov/r1/npl_pad.nsf/f52fa5c31fa8f5c885256ad...

Today there is no evidence of the yard as it's facilities have been stripped of material and the grounds are now part of US Coast Guard Station Newport.

For a complete list of ships built here, please see:
www.shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/2large/in...
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   41°31'31"N   71°18'41"W
This article was last modified 10 years ago