What is NSWC Crane?

Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) is the largest tenant of Naval Support Activity, Crane (NSA Crane) in southern Indiana.
 
Located at NSA Crane, NSWC Crane is a shore command of the United States Navy under the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). NSA Crane – the third largest naval installation in the world – is home to several other military commands such as Crane Army Ammunition Activity, Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Norfolk (FISC Norfolk) Crane Detachment and Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Midwest. Together the tenants of NSA Crane are known as Team Crane.

NSWC Crane provides comprehensive support for complex military systems spanning development, deployment and sustainment for the U.S. Navy and the Warfighter. 

What does NSWC Crane do?

In the broad spectrum of national defense, NSWC Crane applies its niche expertise to harness the power of technology for the Warfighter. Through these efforts, NSWC Crane is protecting our nation’s civilians and our fighting men and women through use of the most leading-edge technology available. We are not only creating innovative Warfighter solutions to the front-line problems of today, but developing proactive plans and products to safeguard our future. 

NSWC Crane provides comprehensive lifecycle support for complex military systems spanning development, deployment and sustainment in three mission focus areas:      

            Special Missions  
            Strategic Missions  
            Electronic Warfare (EW)   

Every decision we make, technology we create or business relationship we foster is done with one ultimate goal in mind: to support the Warfighter. 

Who are NSWC Crane Customers? 

NSWC Crane’s vision is to become the premier engineering, acquisition and sustainment organization for the Department of Defense (DoD). In response to the changing needs of the Warfighter, NSWC Crane has evolved from its Ordnance roots into a high-tech engineering organization focused on Electronic Warfare, Strategic Missions and Special Missions. 

Our broad customer base includes the DoD, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Army, United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), Coast Guard, NASA, Missile Defense Agency, Unified Battalion Command, StratCom, NorthCom and many other federal organizations.        

What does Crane mean to Indiana? 

NSWC Crane is an essential resource to the state of Indiana, serving as a leader for economic expansion, technology-driven innovation and educational opportunity, and contributing more than $2 million every day to Indiana’s economy.     

NSWC Crane is vital to the economic health and technology base of Indiana. Providing nearly 6,800 jobs in the state alone, NSWC Crane also adds more than $22.2 million in tax revenues to state and local coffers. Few organizations surpass NSWC Crane in their impact on Indiana.     

Crane supports Indiana businesses, providing access to its resources and facilities including:     

            Environmental testing laboratories  
            Electronics testing laboratories 
            Failure and construction analysis laboratories  

From nurturing the next generation of technical specialists through Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs to fueling the long-term health and vitality of Indiana through Educational Partnership programs and collaboration with in-state universities, NSWC Crane is key to the training and education of Indiana’s future leaders.      

Why is there a Naval Command in Southern Indiana?
 
NSWC Crane began as an inland ammunition production facility called the Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD), Burns City, Indiana. 

In 1941, Congress passed the first National Defense Appropriation Act, providing five million dollars for new inland ammunition production facilities. Three million dollars from this Act was earmarked to build a Navy ammunition depot at Burns City in Southern Indiana. 
 
Several factors determined the suitability of the Southern Indiana location. In addition to meeting the requirement of being far enough from the eastern seaboard to minimize the danger of enemy air attack the site was remote and free from congested areas; the hilly terrain was ideal for magazine construction and camouflage; and Lake Greenwood could supply water to the facility. The area was traversed by two state highways, a railroad, and a 66,000-volt electric power transmission line. Limestone rock needed for building construction was available. The land could be obtained easily, and a suitable manpower pool was accessible.  

In May 1943, the depot was renamed the Naval Ammunition Depot, Crane, in honor of Commodore William Montgomery Crane, the Navy's first Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance. During World War II, civilian employment reached nearly 10,000 and more than 1,300 Navy and Marine Corps personnel were assigned to the installation.  

In the years after the end of World War II, Crane began to develop the expertise in engineering and electronics that has carried the facility into a leadership position in today's Navy. 

Despite its landlocked location, NSWC Crane is well known for its high-quality products and work ethic in supporting the Fleet operation forces. NSWC Crane employees are deployed around the world with the Fleet, major sponsors and industry partners. With a proven commitment to superior service and more than six decades of experience, NSWC Crane is a premier organization within the Naval Sea Systems Command. NSWC Crane’s reach is global, and at any given time, many of its nearly 2,700 government employees support_ Warfighters around the world.     

Who works at NSWC Crane? 

Anchored by technical expertise, a strong work ethic and total lifecycle leadership, NSWC Crane’s personnel and preeminent facilities set the standard for excellence in acquisition, engineering and sustainment.    
 
As one of Indiana’s largest high-tech employers, NSWC Crane employs more than 1,900 scientists, engineers and technicians. Because people are so critical to the organization’s success, NSWC Crane focuses very heavily on workforce development. Annual training expenditures typically exceed $5 million.     

NSWC Crane is proud of the military, government and civilian members of its team that work each day to support U.S. Warfighters.

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