Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 24, 1993 TAG: 9301260436
SECTION: NEW RIVER VALLEY ECONOMY PAGE: 39 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: BECKY HEPLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
SOME KEY DATES IN THE ARSENAL'S HISTORY:
The Radford Army Ammunition Plant, born in the shadow of World War II, is 52 years old this year - and at a low-point in employment.The idea for a smokeless powder plant in Pulaski County came two years before the United States entered the war. On Sept. 1, 1939, when Hitler struck Poland, U.S. Army representatives met with Norfolk & Western Railway and Radford city officials to approve the location along the New River for the plant, which in 1942 employed 10,000 workers.
Here is a brief history of the arsenal:
July 2, 1940 - Congress approves a resolution "to expedite the strengthening of the national defense."
Aug. 16, 1940 - The government signs a contract with Hercules Powder Co. of Wilmington, Del., to build and operate the Radford Ordinance Works. Eventually, the government spends $40 million to $50 million to build the plant.
Sept. 7, 1940 - Construction begins. More than 400 manufacturing buildings; 26 storage areas; and 156 other buildings, including laboratories, office buildings, bunkhouses, firehouses, cafeterias, guard stations and a hospital, are built. Forty-three miles of roads, 17 miles of fence, 12 miles of railroad track and 800 miles of telephone wire crisscrossed the 2,400 acres of the plant. At the peak of construction, 23,000 people were employed.
March 14, 1941 - Dedication ceremonies.
April 5, 1941 - First powder produced. By the end of 1941, 9,000 employees produced 38.2 million pounds of powder.
1942 - 10,000 New River Valley residents employed.
1943 - Employment drops to 7,500.
1944 - Employment at 7,600.
1945 - War ends in Europe and Pacific. Employment surges to 9,200.
1946-49 - Plant on stand-by, but basically closed with only a maintenance staff of about 300. No ammunition is made, but some fertilizer-grade ammonium nitrate is produced to rebuild war-torn Europe.
1950 - The Korean War signals a need for more powder. The facilities had deteriorated during six years of disuse. Round-the-clock work, with 600 employees, gets the plant operational again.
Spring 1951 - The plant goes into major production again. Employment reaches 4,500.
1952 - Employment rises to 7,700.
1953 - Employment peaks at 8,400. Renovations of existing facilities and expansion increases the plant's capacity 33 percent.
1954 - Postwar cutbacks reduce work force to 5,300.
1955 - Army begins its rocket program and the arsenal manufactures propellants for rocket systems. Small surge sends employment to 5,600.
1956 - Goodyear Aircraft Corp. contract ends. Employment falls to 5,400.
1957 - Final postwar adjustment drops employment to 2,900, where it stays for the next nine years, with the exception of a small surge during the Berlin Crisis.
1966 - Vietnam War stokes orders. Employment rises to 4,000.
1967 - Employment rises to 7,000.
1968 - The war continues and employment peaks at 8,400.
1969 - Anti-war sentiment gains and ammunition demand starts to sag. Employment drops to 7,600.
1970 - Dramatic drop in demand, employment falls to 4,800.
1971 - Arsenal starts a renovation program, resulting in 1,240 buildings totaling 3,700,000 square feet under roof, 30 miles of security fencing, 162 miles of hard-surface road, 33 miles of railroad track and 436 miles of pipes. Employment at 4,032.
1972 - Small surge in demand send employment up to 4,102.
1973 - Winding down of Vietnam War starts a four-year decline. Employment at 3,958.
1976 - Employment at 2,370, lowest point since the end of World War II.
1977 - Demand begins to rebound and employment rises to 2,509.
1980 - Ronald Reagan elected president, starts building up defense. Employment, now at 2,821, begins eight years of steady growth.
1983 - U. S. forces attack Grenada. Employment climbs to 3,405.
1984 - Reagan re-elected. Demand continues to rise and employment is at 3,761.
1987 - Demand surges and employment grows to 4,462.
1988 - George Bush elected president. Employment reaches 4,768.
1989 - The Berlin Wall falls and the Cold War ends. Economic slowdown begins to hit. Employment down to 4,492.
1990 - Demand down, even though military starts gearing up for Desert Storm. Employment at 4,148.
1991 - Economic downturn continues to dog plant. Employment at 3,565.
1992 - Bill Clinton elected president. Small rebound in economy, but demand in military ammunition continues to drop, along with employment, which stands at 2,771.
January 1993 - Another 730 are laid off.
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