Admiralty and Ministry of Defence: Underwater Weapons Establishment, later Admiralty...

ADM 302

1959-1989

Progress and other reports and technical notes of the Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment and its immediate predecessor, the Underwater Weapons Establishment, relating to the design, development and testing of underwater weapons and countermeasures.

Some pieces contain diagrams and photographs.

Records of the Undersurface Warfare Department are in ADM 332

Public Record(s)

English

817 files and volumes

Open unless otherwise stated

From 1992 Ministry of Defence

Series is accruing

In order to achieve greater efficiency, scientific effort on weapons and their detection and control systems was brought together. In parallel with the creation of a surface weapons establishment at Portsdown, Hants, underwater research and development was concentrated at Portland when in 1959 the Underwater Weapons Establishment was set up there alongside HM Underwater Detection Establishment. The Underwater Weapons Establishment was formed by the absorption of the Underwater Countermeasures and Weapons Establishment at Havant, the Torpedo Experimental Establishment, Greenock and the Underwater Launching Establishment, Bournemouth. The amalgamation was taken a stage further when, in 1960, the two establishments at Portland were combined to form the Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment. It was designed to be a single centre, under the command of a Captain Superintendent, responsible for the design, development and testing of underwater weapon and detection systems. In 1984 the name was changed to Admiralty Research Establishment, Portland as a part of the major re-organisation of most naval research and development establishments.