Holston Army Ammunition Plant

The Holston Army Ammunition Plant, also known as the Holston Ordnance Works, was constructed by Tennessee Eastman in Kingsport, Tennessee to manufacture explosives during World War II.

Current operations

The current plant is on two sites: Plant A is in Kingsport, and Plant B is about 4 miles away in a less developed part of Hawkins County. The two plants are connected by rail. Plant A has 120 acres. Plant B has 5,900 acres. The site as a whole includes 465 buildings.cite web
title = Holston Army Ammunition Plant
publisher = GlobalSecurity.org
url = http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/aap-holston.htm ]

History

The plant was constructed 1942-1944 for use by the government contractor, Tennessee Eastman Corporation, a subsidiary of Eastman Kodak. During World War II, it manufactured Composition B, a very powerful explosive mixture of RDX and TNT. The facility was placed in standby status after World War II, producing only fertilizer, until it was reactivated in 1949 under the Holston Defense Corporation, a new subsidiary of Eastman Kodak.

During the Korean War, the plant continued to manufacture Composition B as well as rework its stockpiled Composition B. New production lines were built during 1951-1954 in order to produce for the war. However, after the Korean War it was reduced to a one-line operation. It did not resume large-scale production until the mid-1960s when it was again modernized to produce large amounts of Composition B for the Vietnam War.

After 1973, production was again reduced to a much smaller amount, but the plant also began producing “special-order” explosives and propellants for the Armed Services, including the Navy’s Trident missile program. It also handles and stores material for the national defense stockpile.

As of 1988, the plant produced all of the RDX/HMX consumed in the USA, and 90 percent of that used by all of the nations friendly to the USA.

References