Oral History Interview with Angelo DeSalvo: Brooklyn Navy Yard oral history collection: NYU Special Collections Finding Aids

Scope and Contents

During his interview, Angelo DeSalvo (1931- ) talks about enjoying the work he did, especially sea trials, and the camaraderie (and playful pranks) felt among coworkers. At the time of the USS Constellation fire, he recalls, he was home sick and saw it on TV. When he returned to the Navy Yard, he found his toolbox had "melted into one lump." DeSalvo also discusses the feeling in the Yard when its closing was announced and what happened to him and his coworkers afterward. At the end of the interview he remembers hearing of John F. Kennedy's assassination with his coworkers onboard a ship. Interview conducted by Sady Sullivan.

Biographical / Historical

Angelo DeSalvo (1931- ) grew up in the Bronx. DeSalvo began working at the Navy Yard in 1955 after serving in the Air Force during the Korean War. Following classes at a Math Institute, he became a radio mechanic and later an electronic mechanic for the Navy ships. He became a supervisor in 1962 and was also a member of the union IBEW Local.

Conditions Governing Access

This interview can be accessed onsite at Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online at the Oral History Portal.

Subjects

Organizations

New York Naval Shipyard; Constellation (Aircraft carrier)

Topics

Places

Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.); Bronx (New York, N.Y.)

Oral History Interview with Angelo DeSalvo, April 28, 2010, inclusive