Jack of Harts

Norfolk remained the largest and most capable naval base in the world when the Second Great Depression began. That left it in a unique position when the Convention of States reorganized the Federal government. Most of the United States Navy’s larger ships maintained their loyalty to the new Federal government, but the Norfolk yards and harbor had split for Virginia. The Navy needed a home port, and Norfolk was still the best place for that. And Norfolk needed ships to maintain or it would have to shut down much of its capacity. They came to an agreeable compromise in the end. The Commonwealth of Virginia agreed to lease much of Norfolk to the United States Navy for a small yearly fee, and that relationship remained in practice throughout the centuries that followed. Its importance waned after the construction of Yosemite Yards, but the story was not over. When Yosemite fell, the Navy returned to Norfolk in force, and it became one of the arsenals of freedom that sent ships out again and again to face the Shang and their allies.