USS Cassin Young at Pier 2 and World War II Heritage
Why is it significant?
Stand before the sleek gray steel hull and bristling radar antennas of USS Cassin Young (DD-793), berthed at Pier 2.
Key Facts
| Place | USS Cassin Young at Pier 2 and World War II Heritage |
|---|---|
| Address | Pier 2, Charlestown Navy Yard, Boston, MA 02129, United States |
| Geo Coordinates | 42.37180, -71.05300 |
| Part of Walk | Charlestown Navy Yard, USS Constitution and Bunker Hill: Boston's Revolutionary Bastions |
| Generated | Generated |
Stand before the sleek gray steel hull and bristling radar antennas of USS Cassin Young (DD-793), berthed at Pier 2. Built in San Pedro, California, and commissioned in 1943, this 376-foot Fletcher-class destroyer serves as a National Historic Landmark and an extraordinary memorial to the hundreds of destroyers and destroyer escorts built and serviced in the Charlestown Navy Yard during World War II.
The warship was named in honor of Captain Cassin Young, a United States Navy hero who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary heroism during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, commanding the repair ship USS Vestal while it was moored alongside the doomed battleship USS Arizona.
During fierce fighting in the Pacific Theater, Cassin Young saw heavy combat in the Battle of Leyte Gulf and the invasions of the Philippines and Iwo Jima. During the brutal Battle of Okinawa in 1945, the destroyer was struck by two separate Japanese kamikaze suicide planes. Despite catastrophic damage and dozens of crew casualties, her valiant damage control teams saved the ship both times, and she was brought back to the Charlestown Navy Yard for complete repairs. Step aboard her main deck to explore the bridge, the radio room, the mess hall, and the five-inch gun mounts that fired thousands of rounds in defense of Allied aircraft carriers. The warship serves as a poignant physical reminder of the bravery of the greatest generation.
Standing on the steel deck between the 1797 wooden hull of USS Constitution and the 1943 steel hull of USS Cassin Young, you span one hundred and fifty years of American naval technology. Both ships stand as eternal guardians of freedom along the Boston waterfront. The battle-tested steel warship preserves the memory of the heroic naval crews whose sacrifice and vigilance protected Allied freedoms during the darkest days of World War II.
Walk north along the shipyard avenues toward the colossal 1836 Naval Ropewalk building.