Dry Dock No. 4, The "Hoodooo" Dock

I am almost done posting all the Navy Yard drawings, almost a year after completing the visiting artist program. Here, a number of drawings done around Dry Dock 4. This dry dock has an overall length of 723', and could receive a vessel 717' 3" in length with a draft of 32' 5 1/2". The most distinctive feature of Dry Dock 4 is the remnants of two giant Orton cranes which I did several studies of. Like the Orton cranes, this dry dock is now defunct. It's just a long, stagnant rectangle of water, separating a qaudrant of the Navy Yard from the rest. As far as I know, there doesn't seem to be a plan for it. Around its perimeter are unused remnants and relics of the past.

The tour guide from Turnstile Tours (which I recommend) claimed that this was the smallest building in the Navy Yard. It's the dry dock pumpwell dating back to 1914.

Standing forlorn in the weeds near this building, an old capstan. These motorized devices rotate on a vertical axis, for hauling ropes and cables.

Laying on the ground near the second, mostly-demolished Orton Crane, a seemingly-discarded block hook.

The view from the edge of Dry Dock 4, of a pier at the junction of dry docks 2 and 4. In the far distance, you can see the top of one of the World War II-era radio antennas, and to the left is the edge of the giant new office building on Dock 72. This building was meant to be a giant WeWork space. I wonder what's going to become of it now that that company's demise seems imminent.

Here's some photos of the dry dock in its heyday. First, the USS Utah, the first ship to utilize the dry dock, circa 1912.

Photos via Brooklyn Navy Yard Archives

The battleship New Mexico, 1918.

Library of Congress

Dry Dock #4 was authorized by Congress in June 1900, with a budget of $1,000,000, to accommodate the new dreadnought-style battleships that were in development. Construction began in 1905, and lasted 7 years. Located near Dry Dock #1, contractors encountered the same problems that plagued that project; a tidal marsh with very soft and sandy soil, crisscrossed with underground waterways and quicksand. The first contractor, George Spearin, quit after just 18 months, having severely underestimated the scope of the project and seriously underbidding the cost. Under the second contractor, the project was beset by regular setbacks and accidents, resulting in delays, hundreds of workplace injuries, and between 8 and 20 deaths, earning it the nickname, "The Hoodoo Dock."

The NY Naval Shipyard Buildings Historical Review chronicled its long journey:

April 12, 1907
Spearin [the original contractor] had stopped work in August 1906 over a dispute about who should pay for a repair job to a broken sewer which threatened to drown men working in the dock. It was the confident belief of government officials that Spearin would never resume work at the dock; that he decided to quit, realizing that he can only lose money by continuing. 

Aug. 4, 1908
There was talk of abandoning the project of building DD#4. . . Not only quicksand, but subterranean streams have been contributing to the general apprehension. 

Jan. 30, 1909
Navy Department stated it may be necessary to annul the contract due to the unsatisfactory completion of the work. . . .  Quicksand in the dock foundations was the cause of all the trouble. 

Jan 31, 1909
The first concrete for the foundation of the big basin was laid amid great jubilation. There is now hope that it can be finished. 

Aug. 26, 1909
Williams Engineering Co, was reported "sick of contract", having stopped work on the weak excuse that one of the cable towers that operates one of the orangepeel buckets is said to be weak. . . . The contractor never had more than 200 or 300 men on the job at one time, whereas at least a thousand should have been employed. 

Nov. 4, 1909
It was decided that, with Williams Construction Co. out of the picture, that this dock will be finished, either by the government by use of day labor under the direction of the civil engineer, or by a contractor. . .  Two contractors already have forfeited their jobs. The government was plunged into litigation in an effort to recover damages . 

. . . An agitation was commenced to have the dock completed by day labor, with local Navy Yard officers in charge. This would mean the employment of hundreds of Brooklyn men who have qualified through the labor board of the Navy Yard, instead of cheap European labor, such as had been employed by the contractors. 

Dec. 2, 1909
Drydock 4 became known as the "Hoodoo" dock. A landslide occurred which practically wrecked the dock. 

Dec. 16, 1911
On 15 December 1911 the drydock was flooded, intentionally, for the first time. This marked an important milestone in its construction. 

May 9, 1912
Drydock No. 4 which had just been completed was given its first real test when the battleship UTAH was towed into dock and the water pumped out. Thus the drydock was finished at a cost of approximately $2,800,000, 400 men injured, and the number of workers killed variously reported from 8 to 20 men.

I think it's hilarious that this government document official Navy document is so bitchy and side-eyed!