About Us

Our Heritage

In September 1890, the Bureau of Ordnance ordered young ENS Robert Brooke Dashiell to Indian Head to take over construction and supervise the opening of the new Naval Proving Ground. His mission was to get the proving ground into operation as soon as possible in order to proceed with the testing of guns and armor, shells and mounts for the rapidly expanding fleet.

Since then, NSWC IHD has evolved from an ordnance test facility, to an ordnance production station, and finally to what it is now—a leader in the Navy's Energetics Enterprise.

 

Our Founders

Robert B. Dashiell, 1890-1893

Appointed at large to U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) in the Class of 1877; various duties including service aboard USS ESSEX and USS PENSACOLA (1877–78); assigned to Naval Ordnance (1888); in charge of establishing Naval Proving Ground (NPG) (opened 1890) including supervision of building and acquisition of staff and materials; specialist in gun mechanical design; invented Dashiell rapid fire breech (1890); in charge of NPG (1890–93); assigned to Philadelphia Navy Yard (1893); served aboard USS NEW YORK; promoted to Assistant Naval Constructor (1895); died in 1899, probably of malaria.

Newton E. Mason, 1893-1896

Born 14 October 1850 in Mooretown, PA; graduated from USNA in 1869; served on USS SABINE, USS WABASH, USS KANSAS, USS OSSIPEE, Irish famine relief ship CONSTELLATION, USS MONOCACY, and USS PENSACOLA between 1869 and 1883; stationed at Washington Navy Yard for ordnance duty (1883 84); served in Bureau of Ordnance (1885–89); was in charge of NPG at Indian Head (1893–96); appointed LT Commander of USS BROOKLYN during Spanish American War; promoted to Commander of USS CINCINNATI (1902–04); served as Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance at Navy Department with rank of Rear Admiral; member of General Board until his retirement in 1912; recalled to active duty during World War I to serve on War Industries Board.

Joseph Strauss, 1900-1902, 1906-1908

Born 16 November 1861, in Mount Morris, NY; graduated from USNA in 1885; participated in Spanish American War; served as Inspector of Ordnance at Indian Head; with rank of Admiral served as Chief of Bureau of Ordnance (1913–16); commanded battleship NEVADA (1916–18); commanded Atlantic Fleet mine force senior naval officer in France (1919–20); in charge of bringing five former German warships to the United States (1920); Commander 14th Destroyer Squadron (1924–26); superintendent of the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. until retirement in 1930.

Ralph Earle, 1916-1917

Born 3 May 1874 in Worcester, MA; appointed to USNA 1892; commanded Chemical Laboratory, Naval Station, Puerto Rico; Inspector of Ordnance in Charge of NPG, Indian Head (1916–17); Chief of Bureau of Ordnance with rank of Rear Admiral and a principal proponent of the North Sea mine barrage (1917–21); Inspector of Ordnance in Charge, Naval Torpedo Station (1923–27); retired from the Navy and was President of Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, MA, until his death in 1939.

Henry Ellis Lackey, 1917-1920

Born 23 June 1876 in Norfolk, VA; appointed to USNA by President of the U.S. in 1895; in Battle of Santiago aboard USS NEW YORK; duty at NPG (1908–10); awarded the Navy Cross for command of NPG, Indian Head (1917–20); Director of Ships' Movements Division, Office of Naval Operations (1921-24); Command of Naval Training Station, Norfolk (1927–30); Commander Cruiser Division Four, Scouting Force (1933 35); Director, Shore Establishments (1935–37); Commander Squadron 40 T (1937–39); President, General Court Martial (1939–40).