History
In the late 1940s an ammunition quality evaluation unit was added by the Bureau to expand its quality control system. As the complexity and sophistication of weapons increased in the 1950s and 1960s, Crane’s activities, capabilities and expertise expanded in scope under the newly formed Bureau of Weapons to include small arms, sonobuoy surveillance, microwave tubes, POLARIS missiles and other scientific and engineering support to the Bureau.
In the 1960s, Crane came under the command of the newly established Naval Ordnance Systems Command and began providing technical support for weapons systems including logistics, in-service engineering, repair, overhaul, and design. In the 1970s Crane’s support began to include batteries, rotating components, electronic components, failure analysis, and standard hardware and new technologies related to night vision systems.
In 1974, Crane came under the Naval Sea Systems Command that was established from the merger of the Naval Ordnance Systems Command and Naval Ship Systems Command. Shortly after in 1975, Crane’s name was changed to the Naval Weapons Support Center that more accurately reflected the true function of the installation.
In 1977, a major change occurred with the designation of the United States Army as the single-service manager of conventional ammunition. This resulted in the establishment of the tenant command, Crane Army Ammunition Activity (CAAA) that took over the loading, assembly and storage of ammunition at the installation. CAAA and Crane’s strong partnership continues today.
In 1992, Crane’s name was changed to the Crane Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center when the warfare centers were established under the related systems commands. Today grown from its ordnance roots, Crane is recognized world wide as a modern and sophisticated leader in diverse and highly technical product lines.
In 2005, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended to retain most existing operations at Crane, with weapons and armaments research, development and acquisition, and test and evaluation, except gun/ammunition, combat system security, and energetic materials to Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. This resulted in a net loss of 672 civilian jobs from the base
Read more about this topic: Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division
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