The Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD) was the largest United States World War II naval munitions plant operating from 1942 to 1946. Construction began in July, 1942 on 49,000 acres (200 km2) near Hastings, Nebraska and was completed in early 1943 with over 2000 structures including buildings, bunkers, and various other types of structures built just for this operation.
The cost of construction was over $71 million and this facility produced over 40% of the U.S. Navy's munitions in World War II. The Navy chose to build in this location in part due the proximity to the area's three railroads; the abundance of underground water, cheap natural gas and electricity; the stable work force; and the distance from either coast, since the Japanese or German bombers did not have the range to fly that far inland.
Three other NAD plants were located in Burns City, Indiana; McAlester, Oklahoma and Hawthorne, Nevada. This facility produced bombs, rockets, torpedoes, mines, bagged powder and all calibers of smaller ammunition.
Read more about Naval Ammunition Depot: Wartime Accidents, After World War II, Air Force Presence, Closure and Transfer of Site
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