|
Founded in 1890, the
Naval Propellant Plant at Indian Head
was the Navy’s first established
presence in southern Maryland. By 1913,
the original mission of Indian Head
evolved one step farther. Work gradually
moved away from the simple proving of
guns and armor to include
standardization of shells and powder. In
1915 an ammonium picrate plant was
opened to expand the chemical research
program, both routine and experimental.
When the United States entered World War
I in 1917, the Naval Powder Factory was
a major producer of smokeless powder for
the Navy.
After 1921 Indian Head
was no longer designated as the "Naval
Proving Ground" but was referred to as
the "Naval Powder Factory." The facility
had shifted from a naval gun proving
ground to a chemical factory, research
laboratory and Explosive D factory. The
World War II years brought rapid growth
to the facility, which was considered
one of the leading war-supply stations.
Another expansion centered in the area
of production. Indian Head put into
operation an extrusion plant for
pressing ballistite powder into rocket
"grains," while continuing to produce
smokeless powder and Explosive D.
In 1947, the Bureau of
Ordnance agreed to the establishment of
a set of pilot plants at Indian Head
that would have the capacity to produce
experimental new propellants for naval
research use: a nitroglycerin pilot
plant; a plant to produce varied
nitrogen-content nitrocellulose; a plant
for mixing and rolling experimental lots
of solvent and solventless propellant;
and a fourth plant for experimental
production of cast propulsion units.
During the 1950s, the
Korean conflict provided the impetus for
the factory's stepped up explosive and
propellant production. Building on work
done at the facility's Patterson Pilot
Plant during the 1940s, the factory
began to produce missile fuel for the
long-range Polaris missile and smaller
rockets, and later, propellants for
emergency ejection mechanisms.
Reflecting its new mission and
direction, the Naval Powder Factory shed
its former name and officially became
the Naval Propellant Plant in 1958.
Reflecting the
diversification from propellants into
related fields of chemistry, engineering
and production contract management, the
Naval Propellant Plant again changed its
name, becoming the Naval Ordnance
Station (NOS) in 1966. The mid to
late-1960s were characterized by the
production of such products as the
plastic explosive C-3 in 1965, an
updated Zuni rocket in 1966, Polaris
casting powder from 1961 through 1967,
Poseidon casting powder (C-3) in 1967,
and composite propellant and PBX
explosive processing.
Recognizing the
achievement of the station, Naval Sea
Systems Command reconstituted several of
the previously acquired agency roles as
official "centers of excellence" for the
Navy. This meant that the Navy would not
duplicate the effort elsewhere and would
treat the facility as the primary
collection of experts in a particular
area. NOS acquired the "center of
excellence" designation by mid-1989 for
six technologies: guns, rockets and
missiles; energetic chemicals; ordnance
devices (CAD/PAD); missile weapon
simulators; explosive process
development engineering; and explosive
safety, occupational safety and health,
and environmental protection.
|
