About Us

About Us

Colonna's greatest asset is our employees.

about colonna's shipyardColonna’s Shipyard, Inc. is located in the historic Berkley section of Norfolk, Virginia and is the oldest continuous family owned and operated private shipyard in the United States. Founded in 1875 by Charles J. Colonna, a 26 year old ship carpenter with limited resources, the early business was limited to pier-side repairs. Within 2 years, Charles had added his first marine railway powered by two horses that had a lift capacity of about 40 tons, and he was off and running.

Although over 140 years old, Colonna’s Shipyard continues to maintain its commitment to modernization, making the capital investments necessary for improvements in efficiency and productivity. Today, Colonna’s is a diverse industrial company with extensive capabilities in commercial and government ship repair, machining and large steel fabrication.

Colonna’s strength is our employees. We employ the best and the brightest in the shipyard industry and we are proud of all that they do. From welders and ship fitters to government contract specialists, we have the right people in place to make sure the job is completed to the highest standards.