The yard produced one flush-deck destroyer, Tillman, then after pause, 21 more destroyers, ramping up production gradually in the 1930s beginning with Sterett and Roe. The yard produced one Benson-class ship, Hilary P. Jones, then seven Gleaves-class destroyers, the last of which was a second Tillman. There followed three of the six Fletchers initially fitted with a float plane catapult—Pringle, Stanly and Stevens—and finally seven square-bridge ships of the class.
Shortest keel-laying to launch was 77 days, achieved with Paul Hamilton and Twiggs (see image above right), Charleston’s last pair of destroyers laid down.
After the cold war, the Navy turned over the facility to a local redevelopment authority, which in 1996 leased the yard to Detyens Shipyards, Inc. In 2009, the yard restored Laffey, in need of a complete replacement of her bottom following years on display as a museum ship at nearby Patriot’s Point.
Operations continue today.
