Orange TX

Impressive picture of the Navy's mothball fleet docked on the Sabine River in Orange TX and an aerial view of the fan-shaped Riverside housing development next to it. When the town's population exploded during World War II from 7000 to almost 70,000, temporary housing built for shipyard workers later became the Riverside development.

Due to its freshwater supply that minimized corrosion and its location next to existing shipyards for repairs and maintenance, Orange was designated as one of the sites for a U.S. Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility. Twelve piers were built to berth the ships, and in November 1945 the USS Matagorda, the first of dozens of vessels, found a new home on the Sabine. More than 30 ships were reactivated for the Korean War, most returning after combat. The facility was officially closed in 1975.

Built in 1942 to provide housing for shipyard workers, the Riverside Addition was the largest federal housing project ever undertaken at that time. Removal of the last houses took place in the 1980s. Photo courtesy of the Orange County Historical Commission.