Jaybird's Jottings

The Torpedo Factory: Overview of the History of the Station

On Monday we published, "The Torpedo Factory:  An Illustrated Timeline."

We add here a summary of the history of the station.

 

At full build out in 1945, the Alexandria Naval Torpedo Station consisted of four main buildings (1, 2, 3 and 10), and a total of 19 structures.   

Perhaps contrary to popular belief, the assembly of the torpedoes (during WW 2) was done in Building 1 (torn down in 1986 and became condos).  Building 2, today’s Torpedo Factory Arts Center, was storage and admin.

The assembly process was a tedious one and took skilled workers.   All the plant workers worked hard and long hours.   A number of Washington residents and some Alexandrians worked at the plant and even more later when it became a Records Center.

As Char Bah points out in her primer, African Americans, including many women, did their part.  This would make a great further study, the great paradox of working for the US Government and all those feelings of patriotism and national pride, while at the same time living within the constraints of Jim Crow.

As written about in books such as “Iron Men and Tin Fish” by Anthony Newpower, there were persistent problems with the MK14 torpedoes.   The Alexandria plant was certainly not at fault.   

There were three defects - a tendency to run deeper that depth set, frequent premature detonation, and failure of the contact exploder.   Adding to the problem was the fact the Navy did not fully test the torpedoes.   After 21 months and much cussing from sub commanders, the problem was finally fixed in November, 1943.

Perhaps the most under-appreciated part is the period (1950-1968) of being a Federal Records Center.   There were a number of types of records, including Captured German War Records. 

The team of workers and historians who made up the Alexandria Microfilming Project put the files on microfilm, which were then sent to the National Archives in Washington.  The originals were returned to Germany.    Even before the completion, historians conducted research at the building.

A forgotten name in that story is Robert Wolfe.   He was an expert on some of these records and helped researchers and prosecutors of war crimes.

Another forgotten name is Gerhard Weinberg (born 1928).   After learning he was also part of the story, I sent him an email.  He gave the following reply.

“I had been asked by the American Historical Association to organize the microfilming of the captured German documents then being held in the Old Torpedo Factory by the American Army before they were returned to Germany.  In the summer of 1958 I was working there and had turned to a group of records that for some reason had been held separately.  It was while processing these with descriptions before they were microfilmed that I held a document that had been labeled as a draft of Hitler's book Mein Kampf but was obviously not that but another book that he had dictated but never published.  In my own research I had learned of the existence of such a thing and immediately recognized that this was it.  It had a note on its confiscation at the Nazi Party's publishing house in Munich by the American army in whose occupation zone Munich was included.  The official British representative in the torpedo factory, to whom I mentioned this important document, found out that the American Army had furnished the British government with a microfilm of it in 1945.  He obtained a copy of the film which he lent to me and from which I had a print made that became the original published version issued by the Institute for Contemporary History in Munich in 1962.  It took me several decades to get a publication in English. I hope this helps.”

 

Weinberg went on to author numerous books and articles, and became a preeminent American historian.   

To say the least, the work done by Weinberg and the Alexandria microfilming committee was remarkable.   Astrid M. Eckert, author of “The Struggle for the Files, The Western Allies and the Return of German Archives after the Second World War,” provides a number of observations.

One - The Alexandria microfilming project gave the fullest records of a twentieth century totalitarian regime available to students and scholars.

Two - Weinberg and his colleagues helped guarantee scholarly and international access to valuable historical sources much earlier than would otherwise have been possible. This established an important transnational foundation for postwar scholarship.

Three - The microfilming project delivered source material at a decisive moment in the development of the American historical profession.

Four -  The microfilm project set a precedent and gave a dynamism to the study of German history in the US.

Dagmar Horna Perman, a Director of the project, wrote about the microfilming in 1959 (“Microfilming of German Records in the National Archives,” The American Archivist, Oct., 1959).   She describes the tedious task made more difficult by damaged and separated documents.   Summarizing the contents often meant referring to other files and documents.   Some documents had to be transcribed before filming.    In the end, over 2,000 rolls of films were produced and made available at the National Archives, as well as the finding aids.

The Torpedo Factory: An Illustrated Timeline

Undeniably, the entire personnel of the Naval Torpedo Station in Alexandria, Va., can justifiably boast of the enviable records attained in production, safety, attendance, bond purchases, blood donations, labor-management, beneficial suggestions and a host of other wartime requisites, which were accomplished by combined efforts of the diligent workers and the splendid supervisory leadership.  -   "The Torp," Alexandria Naval Torpedo Station newsletter, April, 1945.

The Alexandria microfilming project gave the fullest records of a twentieth century totalitarian regime available to students and scholars.   -  Astrid M. Eckert, author of “The Struggle for the Files, The Western Allies and the Return of German Archives after the Second World War.”

The white behemoths, so starkly visible within Old Town Alexandria’s smaller-scale, red-brick, 19th-century urban fabric, were expositions in modern Industrial design, which embraced the latest materials – namely concrete, steel, and large expanses of glass.  Building #2, which now houses the TFAC, is the last vestige of Alexandria’s waterfront’s industrial might. - Heather N. McMahon, Preliminary Information Form, Torpedo Factory Art Center

 

In 2024, the 50th anniversary of the Torpedo Factory Arts Center in Alexandria will arrive.   In anticipation of that milestone, we decided to put together an illustrated timeline for the history of the building and the others that made up the Alexandria Naval Torpedo Station.  

We were inspired by and are grateful to Heather N. McMahon, the Architectural Historian who researched and wrote the Preliminary Information Report for the Torpedo Factory, a 35-page tour de force.  We supplement her findings with some of our own searching.   The timeline includes headlines, and photographs for a total of 30 images.  We also went through the Vertical File at Special Collections.   Our thanks to Jeffery Flannery, Reference Librarian there.   We also appreciate the help of Susan Hellman.   A most special treat was sitting down with Marian Van Landingham, who answered questions and clarified points. 

 

Before we begin, it is important to understand the layout of the station, which reached its full build out in the 1940s. 

Image:  Map by Author, Photo with permission from Alexandria Library, Special Collections

Building One, West side of Union

Torpedo Assembly, Workers Commissary, Completed 1920. Demolished early 1980s. Condos and parking garage built on site.  Named Torpedo Factory Condominiums.

Building Two (Today’s Torpedo Factory Arts Center at 105 N. Union Street)

Completed 1920.  Torpedo storage, power plant, and upstairs offices.   A covered walkway ran between Buildings One and Two at second story level. Records Storage Center 1950s.  Became Torpedo Factory Arts Center in 1974.   

Building Three

Completed 1942.  Overhaul and supply.   Remodeled 1982 for office space.

Building Ten

Completed 1943.  Admin use.  Remodeled 1986 for Retail and Office.  Now home to Vola's Restaurant and offices.

Ancillary Structures

There were also ancillary structures near the river, including some at the old Ford Motor Company plant at the foot of Franklin and S. Union streets.   All demolished.

 

Naval Torpedo Station Timeline

 

April 6, 1917

US declares state of war against Germany, officially entering World War I.   

Image: Washington Times

October 6, 1917

Congress approves funding for increase in ordnance production.

August 1918

President Wilson authorizes new naval torpedo station assembly plant at Alexandria.

US Navy begins purchasing almost 3 acres between King and Cameron, Fayette Alley and Cameron and S. Lee and Potomac River. 

October 1918

Workers clear two block site - warehouses, stables, planing mill, and lumber yards.

Also erect seawall and wooden pier.

Image:  Sanborn Insurance Map 1912

November 11, 1918

Armistice Day, War Ends

Image: Washington Evening Star

November 12, 1918

Work begins on construction on Buildings 1 (Four Stories) and Building 2 (Two Stories).

Image:  Washington Post

 

 

February, 1920

Buildings 1 and 2 completed.  Includes walkway bridge over Union Street.

Image: 1921 Sanborn Map

November, 1920

First torpedo, MK8, 21 inch by 21 foot, rolls off assembly line.  Average of 500 persons employed between 1919 and 1923.

 

July, 1921

Playing at the N. Alfred Street field, the Alexandria Torpedo Station Baseball team defeats Speedway A.C. 10 to 9.

Image: Alexandria Gazette, July 27, 1921

 

June, 1923

Plant deactivated.  Skelton staff under jurisdiction of Naval Gun Factory in Washington who preserved torpedoes and maintenance of equipment and building.

Building 1, floors three and four emptied and rented as office space for Departments of Treasury and Agriculture.

 

 

October, 1926

On "Navy Day," October 27, rare public tour given.

Torpedoes moved to Bellevue Magazine in SE DC.

Image: Evening Star.

 

December 1937

Plant reopened as Shop 70 of the Naval Gun Factory.

New equipment purchased. 

Image:  Alexandria GIS.

 

1938

Plant reactivated and upgraded.

Building One resumed assembly operations.

Building Two resumed as storage and office.

 

1941

Chinquapin Village, federal housing project for workers, built near King Street and West Braddock Road.   Consisted of small frame duplexes, total of 150.

Alexandria GIS, 1949

April, 1941

First torpedo assembled (MK-14), tested at Piney Point, Maryland facility.  Testing does not include detonating.

Image:  Torpedo Factory Arts Center Display Board

May 1941

Tested torpedo sent to USS Gudgeon.

July 1941

Station re-designated as an autonomous Naval Torpedo Station.

November 26, 1941

Admiral W.H.P. Blandy, chief of the Bureau of Ordnance, awards station with coveted Navy “E” award and Bureau’s pennant.  Daniel J. O’Neill honored for working there since 1919.

December 7, 1941

Japan attacks US at Pearl Harbor.   Image: Evening Star.

December 8, 1941

Production begins to ramp up.  Plant will become largest single source of employment in the city.   

December 1941

Plant producing an average of between seven and ten torpedoes. African Americans in Alexandria do their part as workers. 

Image:  Torpedo Factory Arts Center Display Board

 

 

 

 

1942

Building 3, four stories, completed north of and adjoining Building 2.  Used for overhaul, Inspection and Supply.

Needing extra space, Navy purchased old Ford Motor Company plant at S. Union and Franklin.  Some of Overhaul Division moves in.   

First issue of "The Torp," station's monthly, four-page newsletter.

Image:  The Torp Newsletter.

1943

Building 10 built, a two-story addition to Building Two.   Administrative use.

Building 2 adjoined to Building 3.

Image:  With permission from Alexandria Library, Special Collections, Aerial View, 1943.  Cropped and Annotated by Author. 

 

First group of "WAVES" (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) reported to duty.  They replace Naval personnel in a number of departments.   Living quarters are at Lloyd House.  

Image:  The Torp Newsletter.

1944

Building Two expanded slightly.  Entire plant complex consists of 19 buildings.

September 25, 1944

In support of the Alexandria Home and War Fund campaign, bands and floats, including one entered by the NTS, parades down King Street.   

Image:   Submarine Torpedo Made in Alexandria, Wikipedia Commons.  Date Given as between 1942 and 1945.

Dec 16, 1944

Planned principally for women workers at the NTS, a new USO (United Service Organizations) center with lounge opens at 211 King Street.

 

1945

Employment figures given as 574 enlisted and more than 2,300 civilians.    One of the civilians was Nancy Lee Wheelehan, a native of Alexandria, who served as Associate Editor of The Torp.

Final torpedo rolls off July 18. 

Image:  The Torp Newsletter.

September 2

V-J Day, War Ends

November 15

214 workers laid off.

Production stops, end of war.   

 

1946

Station officially closed.

Final issue of "The Torp" published, station's monthly newsletter, whose first issue was March, 1942.

Image:  The Torp Newsletter.

1947-1949

Very little activity.   Operated as a Branch of Naval Ordnance Plant.

 

 

 

1950s

Torpedo plant renamed Alexandria Federal Records Center.  

1,800 cases of files, including German World War Two records sent to the former torpedo plant.  Files microfilmed.  Office workers included African American women.

Image:  Torpedo Factory Arts Center Display Board

 

Facility renamed, "National Archives WWII Records Center in Alexandria."   

Under the direction of The American Historical Society, the Alexandria Microfilming Project is led by Gerhard Weinberg.   Large amount of German War Records are put on microfilm and sent to National Archives.   Originals returned to Germany.  The project is handed over to the National Archives in 1958.

Image:  Torpedo Factory Arts Center Display Board

1968

Remaining records moved to National Archives in Washington and warehouse in Suitland, Maryland.  WWII Records Center closed.

Image:  Building 10, Wikipedia Commons

GSA used Building 2 to store museum collections from the Smithsonian Institute. 

1969

City purchases plant, Building 1, 2, 3, and 10 and ancillary structures.

 

1973

Marian Van Landingham, President of the Art League of Northern Virginia, proposes saving Building 2 and Building 10 for new home for artists.

Image:  Torpedo Factory Arts Center Display Board

1974

Volunteers remove tons of debris, improve interior, and paint exterior of Buildings 2 and 10.   

September 15

Torpedo Factory Arts Center officially opens.

Image:  Torpedo Factory Arts Center Display Board  

1977

City conducts feasibility study for the redevelopment of the former plant complex.

1978

City releases a request for proposals for redevelopment of the four buildings.   Stipulations include city ownership of 70,000 SF of floor space for arts center.

Alexandria Waterfront Restoration Group (Charles R. Hooff III) wins bid.  Building 1 and 3 to be sold to developers.   Building 10 to be altered and leased. Building 2 to remain for the artists (Torpedo Factory Arts Center). 

Image:  Redstone Proposal Booklet, Alexandria Library, Special Collections

1979

Alexandria Archaeology Research Museum established.   

 

1982

Artists vacate Building 2 for renovations which included adding a floating mezzanine level.  

After Building 1 is demolished, Alexandria archaeologists discover logs from the Carlyle-Dalton wharf, built c. 1759 and running parallel to the 100 block of Cameron Street.   Artifacts included a large number of water worn earthenware sherds from the third quarter of the 17th century.

Condos built above parking garage, named Torpedo Factory Condominiums. 

Image: 

Image: Photo by Author, taken with permission from Alexandria Archaeology Museum.

1983

Grand Reopening of Torpedo Factory Arts Center, includes return of torpedo number 64220, built in 1944.   

Image: Photo by Author.

 

 

 

 

1984

Alexandria Archaeology Museum opens.  Today recognized as a model program for the United States.

Image:  Photo by Author

 

1986

Building 3 renovated as office building.

Building 10 redesigned, including diagonal covered walkway.

Dock restored.

Image:   Shows Building 3 remodeled, Building 10 not yet remodeled.

2020

Building 2 turns 100 years old.

City Takes Permanent Control of TFAC.

2022

City Displays "Vibrancy

Initiative" Info Sheets.

Image: Photo by Author.

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

In his definitive history, “Maritime Alexandria,” Donald Shomette tells the reader, “By the onset of World War II, Alexandria’s long and frequently painful maritime history was already becoming a forgotten relic of the past.” 

That is certainly true, but the former Naval Torpedo Station buildings would continue to provide employment into the late 1960s.  Building 2 became not only a model for adaptive reuse and an arts center, but also a keystone attraction on the waterfront.   

As the city, residents, and artists hash out the unfolding of the Vibrancy Initiative, and as we approach the 50th anniversary of the Torpedo Factory Arts Center in 2024, it is our great hope that this remarkable building will get the attention it deserves.  Just as the munitions makers, archivists, historians, and preservationists answered the call to duty, it is now our duty to answer the call and place Building 2 on the National Register of Historic Places.  We ask for a sense of urgency, as some of the key players are in their 80s and 90s.  

Image: Photo by Author.