June 1, 2011 - The Proud Tradition

On the renovated Bremerton waterfront stands Larry Anderson's sculpture "The Proud Tradition".  It was installed in 1991 to commemorate the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard’s centennial.  The man, whose hardhat bears the name "Clark" is handing a boy what appears to be a model of a Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carrier.  The sculpture is located  just east of the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the ferry dock.

A primary landmark of the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard is Building 460, a National Historical Landmark.  Building 460 is a 5-story building with 426,000 square foot of workspace.  It was repainted in 2009 with 2600 gallons of paint to match the original 1941 paint job, complete with the motto "Building on a Proud Tradition".  

Located on the Sinclair inlet, the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard began in 1891 as Naval Yard Puget Sound.  Over the years it has been a significant contributor to maintaining the readiness of the US Navy.  In WWII the primary efforts of the facility was to repair damage sustained in battle by allied vessels.  Since WWII the facility has been used in the modernization, maintenance, mothballing and recycling of ships.  The shipyard's Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, involves the recycling of nuclear-powered ships by inactivating and disposing of the reactor compartments.  The shipyard is one of Bremerton's largest employers.