4. It Was a Major Boarding Point for Soldiers in Both World Wars

soliders-new york harbor-V Day-1946-NYC-Untapped Cities-001Crowded ship bringing back American soldiers to New York Harbor after V-Day in 1945. Image by U.S. Navy via New-York Historical Society

During World War I, Chelsea Piers was a popular port from which soldiers and other military personnel would embark. When the Great Depression hit, transatlantic travel drastically decreased and use of Chelsea Piers’ ports became very infrequent—at least for passenger travel.

During World War II, the port picked up traffic once again as a major point of embarkment for American soldiers going to Europe. But after the war, passenger service never fully recovered and Chelsea Piers was never able to gain back its importance as a passenger port for ocean liners.