Terms of Use

Oral histories are intimate conversations between and among people who have generously agreed to share these recordings with BHS’s archives and researchers. Please listen in the spirit with which these were shared. BHS abides by the General Principles & Best Practices for Oral History as agreed upon by the Oral History Association and expects that use of this material will be done with respect for these professional ethics.

Every oral history relies on the memories, views, and opinions of the narrator. Because of the personal nature of oral history, listeners may find some viewpoints or language of the recorded participants to be objectionable. In keeping with its mission of preservation and unfettered access whenever possible, BHS presents these views as recorded.

The audio recording should be considered the primary source for each interview. Where provided, transcripts created prior to 2008 or commissioned by a third party other than BHS, serve as a guide to the interview and are not considered verbatim. More recent transcripts commissioned by BHS are nearly verbatim copies of the recorded interview, and as such may contain the natural false starts, verbal stumbles, misspeaks, and repetitions that are common in conversation. The decision for their inclusion was made because BHS gives primacy to the audible voice and also because some researchers do find useful information in these verbal patterns. Unless these verbal patterns are germane to your scholarly work, when quoting from this material researchers are encouraged to correct the grammar and make other modifications maintaining the flavor of the narrator’s speech while editing the material for the standards of print.

All citations must be attributed to Brooklyn Historical Society:

[Last name, First name], Oral history interview conducted by [Interviewer’s First name Last name], [Month DD, YYYY], [Title of Collection], [Call #]; Brooklyn Historical Society.

These interviews are made available for research purposes only. For more information about other kinds of usage and permissions, see BHS’s rights and reproductions policy.

Agree to terms of use

Charles Rocoff

Oral history interview conducted by Jennifer Egan

July 24, 2006

Call number: 2010.003.038

Search This Index
Search Clear

0:00 - Daily wages and coming to work at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

1:25 - Pipefitter work at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

2:11 - Jobs before and after World War II

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

3:30 - Location of job at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

6:27 - British and American ship repairs

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

7:26 - Ship repair jobs and asbestos exposure

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

9:27 - Sixty years of marriage to wife

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

10:36 - Daily routine and coworkers at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

12:31 - Working conditions on the ships

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

14:48 - Working with carpenters, welders, and riveters

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

16:39 - Living in Williamsburg close to the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

17:09 - Recollections of the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

20:08 - Safety Awareness at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

21:27 - Working on ships in cold weather, aircraft carriers navigating under bridges

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

23:17 - Work routine, wages, and weekly schedule at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

25:02 - Awareness at the Brooklyn Navy Yard of World War II events

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

26:11 - Leaving the Brooklyn Navy Yard, getting drafted into the Air Force

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

28:25 - Repairing airplanes and life in the Air Force

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

30:01 - Length of employment at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

31:35 - Current thoughts about the changes at Brooklyn Navy Yard and Brooklyn

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

33:00 - Growing up and living in Williamsburg

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

34:24 - Life in the Air Force World War II

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

35:53 - Coworkers at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

36:38 - Traveling to and around the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

37:38 - Supervisors at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

38:14 - Occupational training

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

38:59 - Opinion of pipefitter job at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

39:40 - Real Estate work and teaching at Brooklyn College

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

42:58 - Changes in Brooklyn since 1929

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

47:59 - The Sands Street entrance at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and Flushing Avenue

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

49:20 - Changes in Brooklyn since the 1930s

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

51:00 - Interview conclusion

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

Interview Description

Oral History Interview with Charles Rocoff

Charles Rocoff (1923- ) began working at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1942 shortly after finishing high school in Brooklyn. He worked for about one year as a pipefitter before going into the service in 1943.

In his interview, Charles Rocoff (1923- ) explains his job as a pipefitter (plumber) for the ships at the Navy Yard, for which he primarily worked on repairs. He noticed that the British ships that he worked on were much dirtier than the American ships he repaired. Rocoff also talks about working with asbestos, training, security at the Yard and his coworkers. Interview conducted by Jennifer Egan.

The Brooklyn Navy Yard oral history collection is comprised of over fifty interviews of men and women who worked in or around the Brooklyn Navy Yard, primarily during World War II. The narrators discuss growing up in New York, their work at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, their relationships with others at the Yard, gender relations and transportation to and from work. Many narrators bring up issues of ethnicity, race, and religion at the Yard or in their neighborhoods. Several people describe the launching of the USS Missouri battleship and recall in detail their daily tasks at the Yard (as welders, office workers and ship fitters). While the interviews focus primarily on experiences in and around the Yard, many narrators go on to discuss their lives after the Navy Yard, relating stories about their careers, dating and marriage, children, social activities, living conditions and the changes that took place in Manhattan and Brooklyn during their lifetimes.

Citation

Rocoff, Charles, 1923-, Oral history interview conducted by Jennifer Egan, July 24, 2006, Brooklyn Navy Yard oral history collection, 2010.003.038; Brooklyn Historical Society.

People

  • New York Naval Shipyard
  • Rocoff, Charles, 1923-

Topics

  • Asbestos
  • Draft
  • Naval ships
  • Plumbers
  • Plumbing systems
  • Security systems
  • Shipbuilding
  • Shipyards
  • Work environment
  • World War, 1939-1945

Places

  • Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
  • Williamsburg (New York, N.Y.)

Finding Aid

Brooklyn Navy Yard oral history collection