Charlotte Navy Yard-- Part 1: To Replace the Norfolk Navy Yard

From the Encyclopedia of North Carolina.

A quick look at a map would confirm that this would be an unlikely place for the Confederacy to have a navy yard, but it was one of the biggest ones. But, it was part of Confederate policy to move navy yards far from coastal areas to be safe from Union attack because of their control of the sea.

The Charlotte Navy Yard was established in May 1862. This one was to replace the one lost at Norfolk, Virginia. Earlier in the year, when it became apparent that the Confederacy would eventually lose Norfolk, Secretary of the Navy Stephen Mallory instructed Norfolk's commander to quietly start transferring machine tools and equipment that were not being used on current projects.

Charlotte was selected because of its rail connections with coastal cities.

How Many Miles Was Charlotte From the Coast? --Old B-Runner