Sent west in 1854, Farragut worked with civil engineer Daniel Turner to create repair, storage, foundry, machine-shop, boiler-shop, and ammunition facilities. The assignment demanded negotiation with a young California state government and reliable management of a mixed labor force. Mare Island's service from 1854 to 1996 shows how long the institution built under his command outlasted the immediate assignment. The yard demonstrated Farragut's ability to deliver complex infrastructure and gave him political connections that later supported Union loyalty in California.
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Building Mare Island and a Pacific naval base
Farragut turned plans for Mare Island into the shipyard, workshops, magazines, and labor organization needed to sustain the US Navy on the Pacific coast.