Memphis Navy Yard

In 1844 the U.S. Government located a military shipyard on the Memphis waterfront between Auction and Market streets. The facility completed outfitting its only product, the USS Allegheny, in 1847. This iron-hulled warship's propulsion system proved inefficient, tainting the Memphis yard with a major failure. The navy closed the shipyard in 1855 and returned the property to the City of Memphis. During World War II, a private firm built small naval craft here.