Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Detroit Army Arsenal | |
|---|---|
| Part of U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command | |
| Warren, Michigan | |
| Type | TACOM *Research, Development and Engineering Center *Life Cycle Management Command. |
| Controlled by | US Army Installation Management Command |
| Garrison | US Army Garrison - Detroit Army Arsenal |
The Detroit Army Arsenal is home to the US Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command and the Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center.
The Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant was the first manufacturing plant ever built for the mass production of tanks in the United States. Established in 1940 under Chrysler, this plant was owned by the U.S. government until 1996. It was designed by architect Albert Kahn. The building was designed originally as a "dual production facility, so that it could make armnaments and be turned into peaceful production at war's end.[1] Notwithstanding its name, the 113 acre site was located in Warren, Michigan.[2]
Chrysler's construction effort at the plant in 1941 was one of the fastest on record.[3]
During World War II, the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant built a quarter of the 89,568 tanks produced in the U.S. overall. The Korean War boosted production for the first time since World War II had ended; the government would suspend tank production after each war. In May of 1952, Chrysler resumed control from the army, which had been unable to ramp up production.[1]
The site of the original tank plant has been parcelled up and is now dedicated to civilian uses.
The adjacent Detroit Arsenal is still an important administrative center concerning planning and technology for armored vehicles and an armaments production center, as the headquarters for the Army's TACOM Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command. The historic tank plant was closed in 1997, and had been home for the United States Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), the Army's laboratory for advanced automotive technology.[4]
In 1982, Chrysler sold the plant to General Dynamics. It also produced the M1 Abrams tank (along with another plant in Lima, Ohio) until 1996.
This important Arsenal of Democracy is memorialized by a Michigan Historical Marker.[5]
The structure of the plant was designed to survive bombardment by the weapons of the day. It included three foot thick concrete walls in some areas and a reinforced roof with slats to direct bombs away from vulnerable windows and exhaust fans.
The base's fire station has a Thunderbolt siren on top. It is a model 1000.
General Dynamics ended its operations at the plant in December, 1996.[6]
[edit] Further reading
- Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant, Local Legacies. Library of Congress
- Bos, Ann M. and Talbot, Randy, Enough and On Time, The Story of the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant, Michigan History Magazine. June, 2001.
- Meredith, Robyn, Vast Plant for Tanks Has Closed. December 21, 1996. New York Times.
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Time Magazine, Upheaval at the Arsenal, May 1952.
- ^ Pure Michigan, Arsenal of Democracy.
- ^ Adler, Dennis. "Chrysler Goes to War" Chrysler, (MotorBooks/MBI Publishing Company, 2000), 192 pages. ISBN 0760306958, ISBN 9780760306956
- ^ Center for Land Use Interpretation
- ^ Michigan Historical Marker
- ^ Press Release, Closing of Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant.
[edit] External links
- Congressional Record , remarks on the dedication of the Michigan Historical Marker concerning the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant by U.S. Senator Carl Levin.
- Description at globalsecurity.org
- Detroit Tank Arsenal in Warren Township, 1941.
- U.S. Army Tank Automotive Command history.
- Wikimapia, Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
