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DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060

Naval Torpedo Station Alexandria, Virginia
Facilities Data: World War II

Installation Data
Buildings Data


Installation Data
(Redesignated Naval Ordnance Plant on 7 March 1947)

  1. GENERAL

    1. Naval Activities: Naval Torpedo Station
    2. Location: Latitude 38°40'17" N, longitude 77°02'19" W
    3. Date Established: Commissioned 30 August 1918.
    4. Officer in Charge: Commanding Officer
    5. Post Office: Naval Torpedo Station, Alexandria, Va.
    6. Telegraph Office: Western Union at Alexandria, Va.
    7. Radio Office: Radio facilities for NCW (Voice only)
    8. Railroad Connections: Southern Ry. System and Richnmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac R.R. Co. freight spur on station. All railroads entering Washington, D.C., 8 miles N.
    9. Steamship Connections: River and coastwise shipping at Washington, D.C., 7 miles N. and 300 ft. S. (Norfolk and Washington Steamboat Co.)
    10. Airport Connections: NAS, Anacostia, D.C., 10 mles N., Washington National Airport, Washington, D.C., 31/2 miles N.
    11. Passenger, Baggage, Express & Freight Service: Commercial bus service. Railway Express. Commercial trucking facilities and freight spur on station.
    12. Climatological Data: Same as Naval Gun Factory, Washington, D.C.
    13. Tides: Average tide range 3.3 ft., extreme high 7 ft., extreme low -3 ft. based on M.L.W.
    14. Datum Plane: Elevation 0.0 is 3 ft. below M.L.W.
    15. Land: Navy owned: hard 10 acres.

  2. BUILDINGS
    1. Total No. of Bldgs.: 12
    2. Floor Area and Volume:
      Classification Gross Floor Area Gross Volume
      Administration 28,874 sq. ft. 592,988 cu. ft.
      Quarters 2,625 23,625
      Quarters (Marines) 6,282 66,366
      Storehouses 251,085 4,385,099
      Shops 355,772 6,514,436
      Miscellaneous     6,146     124,893
      Total 650,784 sq. ft. 11,707,407 cu. ft.
    3. Barracks Capacity: 2 officers, 80 enlisted men.
    4. Messing facilities: 20 enlisted men, 400 civilians.
    5. Dispensary Facilities: 2 beds

  1. WATERFRONT FACILITIES
    1. Berthing Space: 1,210 lin. ft., depth 81/2-101/2 ft. at M.L.W.
    2. Anchorage Offshore: 280 acres, depth 101/2 ft. at M.L.W., mud bottom.
    3. Breakwater: Quay walls: piling and concrete, 875 lin. ft., depth 4-7 ft.

  2. UTILITIES
    1. Telephone Service: Connected to Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Co. Trunk lines: 6 to Alexandria, Va. Tie lines: 3 to Government switchboard, Washington, D.C. 8 pay stations.

      Switchboards:
      Dial or
      Manual
      No. of
      Positions
      Multiple or
      Non-multiple
      Navy Owned
      or Leased
      Extensions
      Capacity In Use
      Manual 2 Non-multiple Leased 160 67
      Dial 2 Non-multiple Navy owned 100 98

      Station overhead system 2,650 lin. ft. 1 TWX circuit.

    2. Electric Power: Main source: Virginia Electric & Power Co., 2,500 kva capacity available. Standby source: Navy generators. Distribution system: 2,300 volts, 3 wire, 3 phase, 60 cycle. Station overhead system: 350 lin. ft. 1 AC gasoline generator, 31,25 kw, 220 volt, 3 phase.
    3. Water Supply: Main source: from Alexandria Water Co. and 3 Navy owned deep wells through 5 pipe lines, 4" & 6", pressure 50 psi.

      Navy Owned Wells:
      No. Kind Total Capacity Pressure Depth
      1 Deep Artesian 135 gpm 55 psi 300'
      2     "           " 135 gpm 55 psi 400'
      3     "           " 135 gpm 55 psi 448'

      Storage:
      No. Structure Total Capacity Material
      Fresh water:
      2 Elevated tanks (125') 200,000 gal. Steel and Concrete
      River water:
      1 Elevated tank (100') 75,000 gal. Steel and Concrete

      Station mains: fresh water 11/2"-8", 7,968 lin. ft.; salt water 6"-10", 432 lin. ft.

    4. Sewage Disposal: Method: discharged directly into Potomac River. Capacity: 5,000 persons. Station sanitary sewers: 4"-20", 3,828 lin. ft. Station storm sewers: 6"-12", 240 lin. ft., emptying into Potomac River.
    5. Gas Supply: Source: Rosslyn Gas Co. Station mains: 1"-4", 3,897 lin. ft.
    6. Heating System and Steam Mains: 2 central heating plants: steam, 6 boilers, total 1,250 B.H.P., pressure 80 psi. 50% bleeder steam for heating at 10 psi pressure. Steam mains: 11/4:-10", 9,306 lin. ft. Condensate returns: 1"-3", 6,080 lin. ft. Individual heating plant; 1 gas-fired hot water heater.
    7. Fuel Supply: Fuel oil: tank capacity 60,000 bbl.; distribution mains 4", 300 lin. ft. Diesel oil: tank capacity 25,000 bbl.; distribution mains 3", 500 lin. ft. Motro gasoline: tank capacity 12,000 gal.; distribution mains 3", 500 lin. ft.
    8. Compressed Air Supply: 2,300 cfm of free air at 115 psi. Mains: 1"-4", 10,678 lin. ft.

  3. RAILROAD, MOTOR & OTHER EQUIPMENT
    1. Railroad Tracks: Standard gauge, .11 mile.
    1. Passenger Vehicles: 1 bus (16 passenger), 3 stationnn wagons (8 passenger), 1 sedan (7 passenger), 1 sedan (5 passenger)
    2. Motor Trucks: 1 stake (3 ton), 3 stake (11/2 ton), 3 dump (31/2 ton), 1 panel (1/2 ton), 3 open express (1/2 ton), 3 truck trailers (10 ton), 9 trailers (12 ton), 1 cargo (10 ton)
    3. Mobile Fire Apparatus: 3 trailer pumps (500 gpm)
    1. Special Motorized Equipment: 9 electric lift trucks, 2 electric platform trucks, 6 electric bhoom trucks, 6 electric crane trucks, 5 electric handn trucks, 2 fork trucks, 3 gasoline crane trucks
    2. Cranes: 64 overhead traveling (1/2-3 ton)
    3. Crane Tracks: 6,969 lin. ft.

  4. OTHER MISCELLANEOUS STATION FACILITIES
    1. Streets & Roads: Concrete, length .27 mile, average width 30 ft., area 4,752 sq. yds.
    1. Fire Protection: (For water supply, see Item E-32; for mobile fire apparatus, see Item F-43.) Fire Department manned by station personnel under Fire Marshal. 4 buildings equipped with sprinkler systems. All main buildlings equipped with standpipe systems. 1 building equipped with steam smothering system. 240 hand extinguishers available.
Source: US Navy Bureau of Yards and Docks Public Works of the Navy Data Book: General Information (Washington, DC: The Bureau, July 1947): 208-210.


Buildings Data

Bldg.
No.
Building designation Temporary,
permanent
or leased
Material Dimensions Capacity Year
built
Cost
Found-
ation
Super-
structure
Roof Length
(feet)
Width
(feet)
No. of
stories
Height
(feet)
Floor
space
(sq. feet)
Cubic
space
(cu. feet)
ALEXANDRIA, VA.
NAVAL TORPEDO STATION
1 Manufacturing & assembly bldg.
    Addition
P PC C A 300 246 4 63 257,752 4,063,964 1919 $973,675
96,712
2 Storage bldg.
    Addition
P C C A 246 114 2 40 57,972 971,640 1919 317,755
125,502
3 Storage, inspection & after range overhaul bldg. P C C A 216 114 4 65 113,031 1,776,144 19441 786,287
4 Lumber shed P C I I 35 35 1 9 1,056 12,250 1942 600
5 Garage T C W IW I 92 20 1 8 1,840 17,480 1944 8,000
6 Magazine, powder P C C A 12 9 1 10 108 1,080 1942 2,252
7 Storage, oil P C C A 82 44 1 24 3,608 79,450 1942 40,000
8 Pump house P C C A 8 6 1 5 48 240 1943 162
9 Wash house P C C A 68 20 1 20 1,360 31,416 1942 12,907
10 Office, storage & maintenance bldg. P C C A 106 114 2 36 28,874 592,988 1943 315,473
11 After range overhaul bldg.

    Addition

P WP SB A 443 203 2 { 20
{ 33
} 98,200 2,450,472 1932 600,000

50,000

12 Storage, receiving & shipping P C C O 179 202 2 37 76,474 1,582,000 1943 700,000
13 Compressor & transformer bldg. P C C A 62 62 1 15 3,636 79,846 1943 40,000
14 Oxygen & acetylene bldg. P CP HB A 40 15 1 14 840 9,960 1944 6,972
15 Varsol & torpedo oil recovery bldg. P CP HB A 30 21 1 15 630 9,450 1944 8,106
16 Storage, oil P CP CH A 98 44 1 17 5,700 86,830 1944 65,122
18 Air dehumidifying bldg. P C C A 33 25 1 23 825 20,380 1944 36,726
19 Air drying bldg. P C C A 32 15 1 24 490 12,590 1944 9,271

Source: US Navy, Bureau of Yards and Docks, Public Works of the Navy Data Book: Buildings (Washington, DC: The Bureau, July 1945): 177.


Building Material Code

A = Asphalt or tar and gravel built up roofing
B = Brick
C = Concrete
D = Cinder or concrete block
E = Earth covered
F = Adobe or clay
G = Gypsum or fibreboard
H = Tile
I = Corrugated sheet metal
J = Stone
K = composite shingles
L = Slate
          M = Metal, asbestos protected
N = Asbestos shingles or siding
O = Prepared roll or composition roofing
P = Piles
Q = Piers and posts
R = Spread footing
S = Steel
T = Transite
U = Stucco
V = Wood shingles
W = Wood
X = Tin or copper
Y = Tarpaper


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2008