The Fore River Shipyard, south of Boston, is a major shipyard that has been relatively inactive for the past couple of decades, but is one of the last remaining heavy industry sites in the State. During World War II it was one of several yards around Boston building battleships for the Navy, and it continued to build military ships for many years after the war, operated by General Dynamics. In 1987, after a period of disuse, the yard was purchased by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority and used as the staging area for the construction of the Deer Island sewer plant, where all material and workers were transported to the site by barge. The MWRA also used the shipyard for drying sewage sludge. The Massachusetts Heavy Industries Company bought 130 acres of the site, and built medium size tankers for overseas customers for a few years, into the late 1990's. The company has ceased operations, and the site is now managed by the Department of Transportation's semi-military Maritime Administration.