Bureau of Construction and Repair

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The Bureau of Construction and Repair was the part of the United States Navy which from 1862 to 1940 was responsible for supervising the design, construction, conversion, procurement, maintenance, and repair of ships and other craft for the Navy. The bureau also managed shipyards, repair facilities, laboratories, and shore stations.

On June 20, 1940, Congress passed a law which consolidated the Bureau's functions with those of the Bureau of Engineering, creating the Bureau of Ships (BuShips).

[edit] History

The Bureau of Construction, Equipment, and Repairs was established in 1842 as one of the five original material bureaus replacing the former Board of Navy Commissioners. In 1862, Congress decided to replace the Bureau into three new organizations: the Bureau of Construction and Repair, the Bureau of Steam Engineering (later called the Bureau of Engineering), and the Bureau of Equipment.

The Bureau of Construction and Repair was established by Congress by an act of July 5, 1862 (12 Stat. 510). The new organization, headed by a Chief of the Bureau, was responsible for all aspects of ship construction, except for propulsion systems, which were the responsibility of the Bureau of Engineering; and equipage, which fell under the Bureau of Equipment.

The Bureau of Equipment was discontinued in 1910, and formally abolished in 1914. Its functions were divided between the Bureau of Construction and Repair and the Bureau of Steam Engineering. These two bureaus were placed under the supervision of the Coordinator of Shipbuilding in 1939, and were superseded by the Bureau of Ships in 1940.

[edit] Chiefs of the Bureau

list incomplete

Individuals who served as Chief of the Bureau include:

  • Rear Admiral William Shubrick, early 1850s?
  • Rear Admiral Washington L. Capps, served 1903-1910
  • Rear Admiral David W. Taylor, served during World War I
  • Rear Admiral Emory S. "Jerry" Land, served 1932-1937
  • Rear Admiral Alexander H. Van Keuren, -July, 1940 (Last Chief of BuC&R. Thereafter, also July, 1940, became Vice-Chief of new Bureau of Ships [BuShips] which supplanted BuC&R)

[edit] External links

This article includes public-domain text from the United States' National Archives.