Portsmouth, independent city in southeastern Virginia, a major seaport on the Elizabeth River and the natural waterway called Hampton Roads. With the cities of Hampton, Newport News, and Norfolk, to which it is linked by ferry service, bridges, and tunnels, Portsmouth forms the Port of Hampton Roads, one of the principal commercial ports in the United States. It is the site of the great Norfolk Naval Shipyard, one of the leading facilities in the United States for shipbuilding and repair. Manufactures include electronic equipment, chemicals, clothing, and processed food. A U.S. Navy hospital and a U.S. Coast Guard district headquarters are located in the city. Portsmouth is the site of a large community college. Tourist attractions include the Naval Shipyard Museum, which traces the history of the U.S. Navy; the Portsmouth Lightship Museum; and the Children's Museum of Virginia. Portsmouth has many architecturally noteworthy 18th- and 19th-century buildings, the oldest of which is the Trinity Episcopal Church, built in 1762.
A private boatyard was built at the site in 1767, and during the American Revolution (1775-1783) the area was occupied by both British and American troops. The yard was reestablished by the federal government in 1801 as the Gosport Navy Yard. The opening of the Dismal Swamp Canal in the early 19th century enhanced Portsmouth's fortunes, while a major fire in 1821 and a yellow fever epidemic in 1855 brought times of crisis. During the American Civil War the Confederates briefly held (1861-1862) the shipyard, now known as the Norfolk Navy Yard, and there they converted the steamship Merrimack into an ironclad warship they rechristened Virginia. It engaged the Union ironclad vessel Monitor in a famous battle in Hampton Roads in March 1862. When they evacuated the city in May 1862, the Confederates burned the navy yard. The city, which incorporated in 1858, is named for Portsmouth, England.
